Straight from Atlanta and only 21-years-old Mulatto AKA “Big Latto” is already reaching levels of success she prayed for. Becoming one of RCA’s newest signees isn’t the only thing this southern, unfiltered, and raw rapper  ​has done to make sure she stays on fans radars. Read the article below to learn more about Big Latto! 

Coming from Atlanta, the home of Trap music would you say that has played an influence on your style of music? 

Oh yeah, like my style of music, the tone that I rap in, my lyric content, even down to the names of my songs. I got “B*tch From The Souf,” that’s my biggest song to date, and I got a song called “ATL Hoe.” I grew up on TIP, Jeezy, Gucci, and Andre 3000. My dad loved Southern Atlanta rap. He was a hip hop fan, so I grew up on a lot of that. In Atlanta, there are so many people that have made it so it’s like growing up it felt obtainable. Like, so-and-so from the hood, and we saw them come up. I got so many role models, so many people that we grew up with, went to school with, or had some type of encounter with and they made it so it makes you feel like you can make it to. Every day in Atlanta there is a video shoot, a photoshoot, a show, our club scene crazy. You don’t know who you’ll see in a club. Atlanta, like I give props to Atlanta. That is why I am going so hard for Atlanta now. It really shaped how I am as a person, and a rapper now. 

What made you want to rap? When did you know this was your destiny? 

It sounds crazy because it’s so dumb like the average person would be like you don’t know what you talking about at 10-years-old but literally at 10-years-old I knew I was going to be a rapper. I prayed hard, and I worked hard, and at 10-years-old that is what I knew I wanted to do. It definitely wasn’t a perfect journey. I definitely had times especially with being young when I wanted to give up, or quit, and do something else. On the weekend I might have a show, mind you I am only like 14-years-old and I’d rather be at the movies with my friends, and my parents would be like “no, you got a show.” I would cry about it, and be like I don’t want to do this anymore. But now I am grateful for my parents pushing me. For the most part, I knew that that was definitely what I wanted to do. It wasn’t perfect but it was definitely what I wanted to do. 

Has coming from a biracial background played any influences in your music, style, and just yourself overall? 

Yeah, I would definitely say as a person because there are so many different dynamics when having a biracial family. Everything is different, you grow up in two different cultures. Like, this side of the family they parent and operate this way, this side of the family they parent and operate this way, it’s just the little things. They cook this way, and they cook this way, they dress this way, and they dress this way. It developed me as a person so I feel like I’m well-rounded. I was exposed to a lot of different cultures, different ways of living, and different people at a young age. Going to one parent’s house for the summer, and then the others for the summer it’s just a lot of different structures that made me. Maybe not so much as a rapper but as a person, identity wise definitely. 

If you could pick three words to describe your sound what would those three words be? 

I would say: Southern, unfiltered, and raw. 

Now that we are talking unfiltered, and raw congratulations on your “BFTS” video, it is already doing numbers. How was it working with a legend like Trina, and an up and coming artist like Saweetie? 

I hand-picked them to be on the remix. Not even thinking it was actually going to happen. So to see everything unfold to this day from my ideas maybe like six months ago it’s like wow. I still be like OMG it actually happened. It wasn’t like a goal, I was like hopefully speaking it into existence. It was more like an idea more so, and to see it actually happen to have both of them down to shoot the video on top of that, turning their verses in on time so that I could put it on my project, and then supporting the record because a lot of times you may have a feature with somebody and they don’t necessarily post it or, support it but like they actually support the song, and the video so it is super dope. 

Trina is the most genuine person. I never had somebody literally sit down and kick game at me as she did as an OG that paved the way for me. I never had that until Trina. So she like the realest in my eyes, I got the utmost respect for her as a woman, as a female that paved the way for me as well but just as a woman period she got the utmost respect from me. 

Saweetie she is so dope, she is actually a sweetheart in real life! She actually called me on facetime after the video dropped and was like “girl all my friends are calling me saying they love the video. Bad b*tch to bad b*tch I am so proud of you, I am so excited for your journey.” It feels good to have people with open arms greet you into the industry as far as new artist, current artist, and OG artist it feel like damn, everything in my favor! 

Would you say it gives a sense of pride knowing that females are taking hip hop by a storm? How does that make you feel knowing that you are a part of this dynamic movement? 

I have been rapping since I was 10-years-old, and that just goes to show you that God’s plan you can’t question it. You can’t rush things, you gotta be patient, he knows what is going on. I wouldn’t have chosen any other time to be making an impact or succeeding at any other time. That is how you know you just have to trust him because I wouldn’t have chosen no other time. The whole wave is dope. I support all the females, I follow them, like their pictures, comment. I did the Spotify all-female RapCaviar and was like one of the first to perform, and I stayed the whole entire show to see everybody perform. I love the whole wave, and I’m happy to be a part of it. I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

It’s been a few years since you have won Jermaine Dupri’s The Rap Game would you say that caused a pivotal point in your career? Did it help you? If you could go back would you do anything different? 

Yeah, I could say I would have done something different but I was only 16. I wasn’t this mature. I didn’t have the confidence I have now in myself as a woman, TV is different. If I went to do it now I wouldn’t be so vulnerable to a producer feeding lines to me and taking word-for-word what they say. I would think more about how things would make me look, and portray me on TV. So, I definitely would have done stuff differently but I was only 16 so it’s like you can’t be held accountable. I’m 21 now, so anybody in my age group or older wouldn’t want to be accountable for things you did or said at 16 so I think that people forget that aspect of it so I can say I would have done stuff differently but I was young. I don’t regret the opportunity itself, I don’t regret that at all. I know it gave me a platform that I benefited from till this day. What I think people do forget is that it’s just a platform. It is up to you to take advantage of that platform, that was years ago. It’s no different than any other show like Love & Hip Hop or whatever reality show. Yeah, it’s an opportunity, a platform but it is up to you from that point on to take advantage of it. 

If you could work with any artist and producer who would they be? 

I’m gonna go big producer wise. I’m gonna say somebody legendary that is going to throw everybody off. It is cool to choose a current producer but I’m gonna have to say somebody that nobody would expect like Dre or Timbaland. People that would have people like “Oh sh*t this young a*s 21-year-old she is going crazy.” With the current producers, the labels set that up, it’s like that, it just happens. With the OGs it’s more like they gotta f*ck with you. 

Collaboration wise I gotta have a song with Nicki Minaj. She talking about retiring, but that’s not happening until we get our song together *chuckles*. I love Nicki like growing up, that was the female rapper for my generation. Nicki came out swinging, with a heavy impact on the industry when I was in 5th grade so I remember cutting my hair in bangs, pink undertone, and stuff, standing in line for Pink Friday, and all that. Just for personal reasons, Nicki Minaj is my dream collaboration. 

What are some of the responses you’ve been receiving from your EP “Hit The Lotto” as well as “BFTS” single? 

My fans go hard! They gonna rock with me for forever! They seen me grow up in the Rap Game before the Rap Game like they know I really got it out the mud. They know I don’t have no parent that is already a famous producer or record executive, ya know what I’m saying? They just seen me get it out the mud for real so they have a different kind of connection, they go the hardest. They just be like “I’m so proud of you, I just knew it was a matter of time, I already knew it was going to happen.” 

If you could share one secret about yourself to your fans that nobody knows what would that be? 

I would say that as much as I give off confidence vibes, and it just seems like I give advice easily to my fans they don’t even know I be second guessing the f*ck out myself. Like when I record a song I will be like “I don’t like it” and everybody in the room be like “this is fire, and I be like “I dont like it.” I be nervous when I do interviews, not really before shows but sometimes. I feel like they think I am so confident all the time but it is like I’m still human, I’m still 21. 

Do you see yourself performing overseas and building an international fan base? 

Hell yeah! Hell yeah! They were explaining to me that they have headquarters in this country, and that country and named potential artist I could work with that are signed to the same label that are big in other countries. 

What can fans expect from you this year? Are you working on any other projects? Anything outside of music? 

I got big features, some crazy features that they ain’t gonna see coming! New music, new features, bigger visuals, they seen me grind it out, and how hard I went, and how much of an impact I made being independent. So with the deal, I mean only God knows what it’s gonna be! And then as far as outside of music I never dipped into things like brand partnerships, modeling, and campaigns and stuff so I have already expressed to the label that this is stuff I want to do.

Listen to the EP Hit The Latto below:

Photo credit: Raphael The Cam Killa