Alyssa Michelle Stephens (born December 22, 1998), known professionally as Latto (formerly Mulatto), is an American rapper and singer from Atlanta. She gained initial attention in 2016 as a contestant on Jermaine Dupri's reality television series "The Rap Game," where she competed under the name Miss Mulatto and won the first season. She declined the show's offered recording contract with So So Def Recordings. Latto achieved wider recognition with her 2019 single "Bitch from da Souf," which received double platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Following her signing with RCA Records, the song was included as the lead single on her debut studio album "Queen of da Souf" (2020), which reached number 44 on the Billboard 200 and included the platinum-certified single "Muwop" featuring Gucci Mane. After changing her stage name to Latto in 2021, she gained further mainstream success with the single "Big Energy," which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, received triple platinum certification, and ranked number seven on the Year-End Hot 100 chart. The song's live performance was nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, and Latto was nominated for Best New Artist. "Big Energy" was the lead single from her second studio album "777" (2022), which reached number 15 on the Billboard 200. In 2023, she featured on Jung Kook's single "Seven," which topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Global 200, and released "Put It on da Floor Again," remixed with Cardi B, peaking at number 13 on the Hot 100. This single led her third studio album "Sugar Honey Iced Tea" (2024), which matched her previous album's Billboard 200 performance. Latto has received two BET Awards, a BET Hip Hop Award, a Billboard Music Award, an MTV Video Music Award, and two Grammy nominations. She was part of the 2020 XXL Freshman Class, named MTV's Global Push Artist of the Month in 2021, recognised as Variety's Breakthrough Artist of 2022, and at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards won Song of the Year for "Big Energy" and received a nomination for Album of the Year for "777". She also won the BET Awards for Best New Artist in 2021 and Best Female Hip Hop Artist in 2023. Alyssa Michelle Stephens was born in Columbus, Ohio, to Misti Pitts and Shayne Stephens. She attended Lovejoy High School in Hampton, Georgia, and credits Clayton County for her early influences. Her biological mother is white and her biological father is black. She began writing rap songs at the age of ten and previously participated in drag racing. In 2016, Stephens competed on "The Rap Game," winning the first season. She released her second mixtape "Latto Let 'Em Know" in April 2017, featuring artists such as Molly Brazy, Lil Key, Crucial, and Silentó. The single "Response Diss" was directed at fellow contestant Young Lyric. In January 2019, Latto released "Bitch from da Souf," followed by a second extended play "Big Latto" in June. A remix of the single featured Saweetie and Trina and was included on her third EP "Hit the Latto" (December 2019). In March 2020, she signed with RCA Records and released promotional singles "No Hook" and "He Say She Say." In July, she released "Muwop" featuring Gucci Mane, sampling his 2007 single "Freaky Gurl." She appeared in Cardi B's music video for "WAP" and was featured on NLE Choppa's "Make Em Say" from his album "Top Shotta." She was included in XXL's 2020 Freshman Class and released her debut album "Queen of da Souf" on August 21, 2020, preceded by singles including "Bitch from da Souf" remix, "Muwop," "No Hook," and "He Say She Say." Later singles from the album included "On God" and "In n Out" featuring City Girls, and the extended version included "Sex Lies" featuring Lil Baby. She was also featured on the remix of Chloe x Halle's "Do It" alongside Doja Cat and City Girls, and on G-Eazy's single "Down." In 2021, she changed her stage name to Latto and released the singles "The Biggest" and "Big Energy," with a remix of "Big Energy" featuring Mariah Carey in 2022. The follow-up single "Soufside" was released in November 2021. She released "Wheelie" featuring 21 Savage in March 2022, and all three songs were included on her second studio album "777" released on March 25. Subsequent releases included "Pussy" and a feature on Chloe Bailey's "For the Night." She was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammy Awards, released "Lottery" in February 2023, and featured on Jung Kook's "Seven" in July. In October 2023, she released a rap opera collaboration with Christina Aguilera titled "Did Somebody Say HipOpera." In 2024, Latto featured on the remix of Jennifer Lopez' single "Can't Get Enough" from Lopez' album "This Is Me...Now," released "Sunday Service" in February, and released the single "Somebody" in May 2025, which interpolates a lyric from Aaliyah's 1998 single "Are You That Somebody?". Her third studio album "Sugar Honey Iced Tea" was released on August 9, 2024. Studio albums Queen of da Souf (2020) 777 (2022) Sugar Honey Iced Tea (2024)