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Instead of doing her homework one day after school, the multihyphenate born Atia Boggs used her time for a different assignment. She had just bought Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and recalls coming home, sitting down and writing all the lyrics on flash cards. “That’s when I realized how important a good song was and how substance matters,” says Boggs, now 37 and known as the songwriter–producer INK. “And that really inspired me in a whole new way… I learned how to create my own path.”
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She taught herself guitar and started street performing, walking “miles on miles” from downtown Atlanta to the residential Buckhead neighborhood “playing for pennies.” Without any music industry connections, INK sought a mentor online, searching for her favorite songwriters such as James Fauntleroy, with whom she became Facebook friends in the late 2000s. “He was a mentor for me in the very beginning,” she says. “That gave me the confidence to say, ‘I can do this.’ ” Her first big break came in 2019, after she had co-produced and co-written Chris Brown’s song “Don’t Check on Me,” which featured Justin Bieber — and Brown decided it should feature INK, too. “It gave me so much exposure and another boost of confidence to have a superstar say, ‘Hey, we’re going to introduce you to the world.’ That was one of the moments that led to the unstoppable train I’m on now.”
This year has proved to be INK’s biggest, and busiest, yet — but she teases 2025 will be even crazier, as she’s working on her own music and a documentary while continuing to collaborate with music’s upper echelon.
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Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter
“Beyoncé was definitely a catalyst for the freight train to keep going,” says INK, who started working with Bey before COVID-19 hit on Cowboy Carter tracks including “Ameriican Requiem” and “16 Carriages.” INK recalls how, in 2019, they met at Roc Nation’s Grammys week brunch: “We have an inside joke because I went up to her and said, ‘Hey, I just wanted to let you know, I’m going to be writing your next album.’ And she giggled and said, ‘What’s your name?’ We just hit it off.” Soon after, INK was working with producer Ricky Reed, who introduced her to Beyoncé’s A&R executives. “They said, ‘We would love to have you be on this journey with us from the start.’ And five years later, Cowboy Carter was delivered.”
INK was friends with Lopez’s A&R executive long before he had the gig. So when it was time to assemble a team for Lopez’s personal album This Is Me… Now, he told INK, “You’re the first person I thought of for this.” INK most loved how “there’s not a session that happens without [Lopez]… I remember one time, she was like, ‘Hey, pull up today, but I’m going to send you a different address.’ And it’s the movie set [for Atlas]. We’re recording parts from the album in her trailer, and she comes in covered in blood, wet, cuts, bruises all over her body. And then she’s on the mic recording the song that we just wrote in her trailer. I thought that was the coolest thing ever, and it just showed the work ethic.”
Latto, “Look What You Did”
INK has long worked with Latto’s producer, Go Grizzly, another Atlanta native, but she had yet to work with the “Big Energy” rapper herself until this year. As INK recalls, she and Grizzly were working in Paris when they “cooked up the beat” that became “Look What You Did,” off the rapper’s third full-length album, Sugar Honey Iced Tea. “We did a beat in the studio, and then he was like, ‘Yo, you already know we have to get Latto on this.’ She heard it, she loved it and snapped.” INK had previously worked with Mariah the Scientist, who featured on “Look What You Did,” earlier this year when she guested on 21 Savage’s American Dream album. “So the dots connected,” she says.
This story appears in the Oct. 5, 2024, issue of Billboard.
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Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty / Latto
A Waffle House employee saw one door close after the restaurant chain gave her the boot after she posted a video of herself doing Latto’s “Brokey” TikTok challenge during her shift. The Atlanta rapper came through in the clutch, awarding her $10,000 for her efforts.
Latto sent some folks scrambling on social media on September 15 when she posted on X, formerly Twitter that she is giving away $10,000, plus flying the lucky winner out to be in the music video if they record the best video while at work with her single, “Brokey,” off her latest album, Sugar Honey Iced Tea playing.
In the post, she wrote, “I hate that y’all think I was calling hard workers brokeys so I got $10k for whoever make the best video at they job to brokey & I’ll fly u out to be in the music video…no mo waiting til ur bday to go outta town. Tag me & hashtag #Brokey so I can see them all.”
One TikToker, yadirajramirez, answered the call and dropped her entry to the challenge on the social media platform, revealing on Friday that Waffle House fired her a day after her contribution to “Big Latto’s Challenge.”
“I’m glad I placed six years in a company that would fire me in literally a day, a day, a day of posting one video, one video that harms nobody, that everybody was actually literally rooting for and happy about,” the former Waffle House employee said. “They will never rehire me again.”
Latto Came Through In The End
Two days later, in a follow-up video, Ramirez thanked everyone for “all the positive, loving feedback.” She added, “Our company policy doesn’t say we’re not allowed to have our phones. It just says, ‘Don’t bash or talk bad about the company,’ and we didn’t.”
She also pointed out that one person assumed to be a manager was a manager in training, revealing that two other managers were there who declined to participate in the video. One of those managers was the one who terminated her, and she also revealed that she was the only employee to be fired.
“No one else got fired; no one’s getting written up from what I’ve been told,” she said.
“I’m not going to ask for nothing. I really don’t want nothing,” Yadira continued. “I’m just thankful for all the positivity really.”
Her misery was brief because, in the next video, Yadira shared a video of herself in the studio with Latto, who handed the fired employee $10K. The two twerked after she tossed the bills into the air.
Salute to Latto for keeping her word, coming through for Ramirez, and making Waffle House look incredibly dumb.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Word, makes no damn sense.
2. In an instant
4. A blessing in disguise
6. Maybe she will invest it
7. Y’all play too damn much
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Source: Eugenia R. Washington / Getty
Big Latto is opening up about a time when she didn’t feel like the “biggest” and allowed insecurities to lead her to the surgery table.
On Monday (Jun 17) a clip taken from a live session with fans went viral after the ATLien shared that online critics of her natural body shape at 21 led to her going under the knife to get a BBL after signing her deal.
“My body was so tea,” Latto stated. “I gained a little weight ’cause I signed my deal when I was 21. When I had just turned 21, and I was just having money and living a whole new life, eating out. Y’all know I’m a foodie. So, now I have the funds to feed this foodie in me. So, I just, I gained a little weight and everybody on the internet was calling me ‘bad body’ and stuff, so I feel like that played a role, because I started to be a little insecure about my body.”
The reflection echoed her 2023 interview with Apple Music when she shared that she had a little “work” done, before giving women considering the option to go for a more natural look, saying:
“I got a little work done on my body or whatever,” Latto said at the time. “A little tea. A b***h look natural. It’s one thing about it, if you gon’ do it, do it right. I did it right. For a girl that have the little tweaky, tweaks, I be on your case about not touching nothing.”
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During the viral clip, Latto also opened up about the backlash she received for undergoing surgery, noting that the experience made her understand the importance of not caring what other people think.
“Every time I post a gym picture, people be like, ‘Oh, she got a BBL,’” Latto continued. “I’ve been so loud and clear about a BBL that I had four years ago. When I was 21, that y’all convinced me I needed, by the way.’ B***hes be on their third, fourth round by now. I got one BBL four years ago. This is all me now, know that. I get my a*s up and go to the gym! Moral of the story: I just think everybody should just stop worrying about everybody,” she expressed. “Natural girls are winning. Surgery girls… BBL girls are winning. Do what works for you and mind your own business. Make your own decisions based on what you want to do, not what other people are telling you to do.”
Latto is headlining Birthday Bash in Atlanta this Saturday, June 22.
Source: Radio One Atlanta / Radio One Digital
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty
Hot 107.9 has announced their upcoming annual Birthday Bash concert in a big way, with headliner artist Latto roaming Atlanta to spread the news.
One of Atlanta, Georgia’s hottest events, Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash is coming up soon (June 22). And the rap ingenue Latto took to the streets to ensure that everyone knows about the 2024 edition Birthday Bash and its lineup in style. The “Put It On The Floor Again” rapper rolled out with a caravan of 20 Black Suburban SUVs to announce the news of the concert to fans around the city on a bullhorn. She will be the first woman artist to ever headline the event.
The entire drive to the radio station was captured on video – including a pit stop at Walgreens so Latto could get her makeup fixed due to the high winds. The two-time Grammy Award nominated artist arrived with her entourage and spoke about what it means to be the headliner for the concert, which will be held at State Farm Arena on Saturday, June 22. “I love my city, my city had my back,” Latto said before imploring listeners to get their tickets. Baby, I’m telling you now. Get your tickets now. Don’t be calling me,” she said as the crowd gathered in the studio laughed and cheered.
The Hot 107.9 Birthday Bash 2024 is high-powered when it comes to the lineup already announced. As mentioned before, Latto will be the headliner with special guests joining her onstage, fresh off of the buzz of her latest single “Sunday Service”, where she delivered some biting lyrics seemingly aimed at another rising rap star, Ice Spice: “These b—–es corny, soon as monkey see, then you know monkey do/ Do you rap or do you tweet?/ ‘Cause I can’t tell, get in the booth, b—h.” Also getting top billing will be Boosie, Hunxho, Killer Mike and Key Glock. The rest of the lineup is filled out by Tee Grizzley, Famous Sally & YB with more artists to be announced at a later date.
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It is clear Jennifer Lopez is still tapped into the streets. She had Redman join her during her Saturday Night Live set.
As spotted on GQ Magazine Newark and the South Bronx have come together for a memorable moment on one of the world’s most iconic stages. On Saturday, Feb 3 the “Love Don’t Cost A Thing” singer debuted the remix to her single “Can’t Get Enough” which reprises Redman’s 1998 hit “Da Goodness”. Wearing a suit, an untucked button-up shirt and a fedora to match the black and white theme, Reggie Noble flawlessly rapped his verse while interacting with the Grammy Award nominated singer with his own set of dance moves. Additionally, the bars were gritty but still made aligned with the track’s mainstream feel. “Take ’em to the limit / shut the place down in a New York minute / Look around the room, J.LO they all mad / Season veterans – check the dog tags”.
This is not the first time Funk Doctor Spock has lent his talents to a pop song. Back in 2003 Christina Aguilera redid his song “Dirty” which he featured on. The track was the lead single to her multi-platinum album Stripped. The duo performed the song at 2002 MTV Music Awards. You can see Jennifer Lopez rock with both Latto and Redman on Saturday Night Live below.
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Nicki Minaj dropped her latest studio album Pink Friday 2 on December 8, which is also her birthday, and fans online are already running it up and hopping online to share their thoughts. Some fans believe that Nicki Minaj took a shot at both Megan Thee Stallion and Latto on two different songs on the album.
Pink Friday 2 is the fifth studio album from Nicki Minaj, following 2018’s Queen. The Queens star has released tracks and done features in the span of those five years between projects and the anticipation for the new album was high.
Across 22 tracks, Minaj rocks alongside her Young Money boss Lil Wayne and Tate Kobang on the track “RNB” and she rocks with her past collaborator Drake on the track “Needle” while J. Cole graces the song “Let Me Calm Down.”
The tracks that fans are discussing online regarding the alleged disses are “FTCU” and “Fallin 4 U,” the former of which features the lyrics, “Stay in your Tory lane, b*tch, I’m not Iggy” but this could be a reach as the pair seemingly squashed their issues over a failed collaboration.
On “Fallin 4 U,” the lyrics in question are, “Picture you ending up under the seat, where the dread at?/ Picture not listening when I said you would dread that/ I mean locs, ho, you-you’s a chop ho/ I’m number one, y’all go argue over top four,” which some stating the “locs, ho” word scheme was a dig at Latto.
Of course, none of this can be confirmed but the discussion regarding the release of Pink Friday 2 is bubbling on X right now. We’ve got reactions along with birthday wishes from all sides below.
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Photo: Getty
Source: Prince Williams / Getty
A 2023 List Of Hip-Hop’s Leading Ladies
As we celebrate the 50th year of Hip-Hop, it’s the perfect time to recognize women in music who are ruling the charts and beating the odds.
Hip-Hop has historically been a male-dominated genre, largely built on the stories of strife of growing up as a young Black man in America. However, women have always been an important part of the culture, and we’re grateful to the legendary rap queens who came in to unify artists breaking into the industry. Today, women from all over the country are making a name for themselves, breaking records and looking good doing it! Read on for the stories behind the leading females currently taking charge in Hip-Hop!
Latto
Source: Arnold Jerocki / Getty
Alyssa Michelle Stephens, also known as Latto, is a southern rapper from Clayton County, Georgia. The 24-year-old first appeared on the scene on Jermaine Dupri’s reality show The Rap Game where her spunky energy and advanced wordplay wowed judges and viewers alike. While she ultimately rose to fame after her 2019 hit single “B*tch From Da Souf,” Latto started her journey in music years earlier at the tender age of 10.
After “B*tch From Da Souf” garnered huge label recognition, Latto signed to RCA Records where she went on to release chart-toppers like “Big Energy” and “Put It On Da Floor.”
Latto is of mixed race, which inspired her original rap name, Mulatto. Over time she received severe criticism about over choosing to use a name with a charged racialized history. However, Latto overcame the public castigation and rebranded, changing her social media handles to Latto777.
Her 2021 single “Big Energy” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and was re-released with the legendary Mariah Carey on the remix! Now, that’s killing the game!
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While many Hip-Hop heads continue to debate who’s the rap game’s GOAT with names like Biggie, Drake and Jay-Z being tossed around, many triple OG’s would place Hip-Hop icon Rakim Allah at the top of their list as the man truly is one of the greatest lyricists to ever pick up a mic.
Source: Sprite / SPRITE
With Hip-Hop celebrating it’s 50th anniversary, Sprite has decided to pair legendary rap artist Rakim with one of today’s brightest up and coming stars in Latto for their Sprite Limelight Season 2. Latto sat down with the Hip-Hop icon at a diner and listened to what the OG “Microphone Fiend” rhymer had to offer. In the short clip, she soaks up the knowledge the Gawd has to offer before making her way to an underground party and rocking the mic herself with her own spin on “Don’t Sweat The Technique.”
It was pretty cool seeing two generations of Hip-Hop artists chop it up and compare and contrast their styles.
Check out the video below, and let us know your thoughts on their sit-down in the comments section below.
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Queen of Da Souf rapper Latto sent a clear “I an’t the one” message to a concertgoer who thought it was OK to throw an object her way while she was on stage during the Rolling Loud Germany music festival.
“You want your ass beat? Throw it again. Throw it again. I’mma beat your ass. Throw it again,” Latto said after she was allegedly interrupted by a flying object from the crowd during her performance of her hit song “Put It On Da Floor.”
Yeeeah—that might not be the “Big Energy” the festival attendee was expecting. Latto was giving major Samuel L. Jackson from Pulp Fiction “Say ‘what’ again” vibes in response to being disrespected by the out of control fan.
And just in case anyone (wrongly) thinks Latto overreacted in this instance, there have enough recent incidents involving fans throwing things at performers on stage to justify the “Fast Lane” rapper going all the way off on the person she said threw something at her.
From HuffPost:
Harry Styles appeared to get hit in the face with an object during a concert in Vienna, Austria, last week while Drake got hit in the hand with a phone days before as he opened his “It’s All a Blur” tour in Chicago.
Bebe Rexha was struck by a phone last month and was checked into a hospital after the object hit her in the face and bruised her eye.
Nicholas Malvagna, who was charged with assault in connection to throwing the phone at the singer, said he “was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny,” according to a criminal complaint detailed in the New York Post.
Some people might also find it “funny” if a fan got their teeth kicked in for throwing things at an artist while they’re trying to work.
People who don’t know how to behave at live shows need to stay home and throw things at their TVs.
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Cardi B is fresh off the release of putting her spin on a remix of Latto‘s “Put It On Da Floor,” and now she’s shaking what her mama gave her to celebrate. The “Bodak Yellow” rapper took to Twitter on Monday (June 12) to share a brief video in which her bottom is seen on […]