Latto Defends Sexual Lyrics and Risqué Clothes in Hip-Hop: ‘That to Me is the Entertainment of Female Rap’
The '777' artist gave more insight into the struggles she's faced in the male-dominated space, including the challenges of getting a verse cleared by an unnamed rapper.
Latto is being honest about her experiences as a woman in hip-hop.
In a new interview with XXL, the 777 artist touched on what it means to be a “female rapper entertainer,” explaining that it “might consist of sexual lyrics, risqué clothes and whatever”—and she’s okay with that.
She continued, “That, to me, is the entertainment of female rap. And I think sometimes people—my peers, our peers in the industry, our male peers—take that as an invitation. Like, ‘Oh, yeah, she like that. I’m open to talking to you outside of music or like, whatever.’ I think they don’t really know how to keep it business.”
She admitted that being a woman in a male-dominated industry isn’t easy. She also specifically referenced an issue she faced last year, when she had difficulty clearing a verse on 777.
“I think we be under this microscope,” she said. “We’re heavily analyzed by blogs, fans, and commentators. We gotta go 10 times as hard as men do for just equal recognition. For instance, everybody know about my situation [of me] trying to clear the verse on my album. We just go through a lot more on the back end that people don’t know about.”
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In March 2022, Latto revealed that putting together her sophomore album wasn’t easy because an unnamed male artist was refusing to clear their verse. The reason behind his unwillingness was that he had DM’d her and she left him on read.
“I was backed into a corner, like, bullied,” she told Big Boy TV. “But I wish more females would speak up on stuff. I know like the label didn’t [step up]; they say, ‘You know, don’t do that. It’s bad business,’ or whatever. Man, these folks be trying to drop nuts on female rappers, like I’m not gonna shut up about it.”
Fortunately, Latto was able to secure the verse and include it on 777.