Latto
Artist
Alyssa Michelle Stephens (born December 22, 1998), known professionally as Latto (formerly known as Mulatto) is an American rapper best known for being an inaugural winner of the Lifetime reality series The Rap Game.
Latto was born in Columbus, Ohio, but moved to Georgia at the age of two. She was bullied in school for being “light-skinned”, which inspired her to later adopt the stage name Miss Mulatto when she began her rapping career, after the “mulatto” racial classification. At the age of ten, Latto decided to become a rapper and began writing her own rap songs.
In 2016, Latto became a contestant on The Rap Game, under her Miss Mulatto stage name. She was the winner of the competition and was offered a recording contract from Durpi with So So Def Records, but turned down the deal, claiming that it wasn’t enough money, opting to be an independent artist.
In the same year, she released her debut single, “No More Talking,” and went on to release a slew of singles and mixtapes throughout the year, going into 2017. Eventually, in 2018, Latto changed her stage name to the mononyn, Mulatto, and consequently release the self-titled mixtape of the same name that year.
In 2019, her career would make a splash in the industry when she released the song “Bitch From Da Souf.” The single became her breakout hit, receiving the gold certification by the RIAA. It was then followed up with a remix featuring Saweetie and Trina. She released two EP’s that year. Those being Big Latto and Hit the Latto.
In March 2020, it was announced that Latto signed to RCA Records. She would later continue to have mainstream success thanks to the single. “Muwop,” featuring Gucci Mane. That song would eventually go onto her debut studio album, Queen of Da Souf. In the same year, she would go on to continue to release a slew of singles and collaborate with artists such as Doja Cat, Lil Baby, and City Girls.
In January 2021, it was announced that Latto would be changing her stage name from “Mulatto” following the controversy of the term being deemed as colorist. In the same year, Latto became the first female rapper from Atlanta to have a solo record be both certified gold and platinumwith her hit singles “Bitch From Da Souf” and “Muwop.”
In May 2021, Latto confirmed in various interviews that she had officially settled on the new stage name, following scrutiny for the racially charged nature of her name. Streaming platforms would then go on to change her name to simply Latto, a change that was first reflected on Toosii’s album, Thank You for Believing. She would later go on to release a single titled “The Biggest”, to go with the announcement of her new name.
On March 25, 2022, Latto went on to release her sophomore studio album, 777. It features artists ranging from 21 Savage, Lil Durk and Nardo Wick. It contained the hit single “Big Energy,” which was a smash success, landing at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100.
