Rappers often get called industry plants when they reach a certain level of success, especially if fans believe that it has happened in a short period of time. Latto was the latest rapper to get those allegations, but she was not having it.
In a now-deleted post on X, formerly known as Twitter, a user wrote, “Latto has to be an industry plant I’m sorry.” The 24-year-old artist quoted the tweet and fired back with a lengthy post. “I been doing this since a kid & I get real love/respect from the greats for that,” the Atlanta rapper said. “I came up before social media I handed out mixtapes, did open mics & talent shows, etc I hate when y’all say this.. I worked VERY long & hard to be here. Being relevant since 16yo is not easy or common.”
The “Big Energy” rapper didn’t stand alone either, as a fan came to her defense and mentioned how she was on the first season of Jermaine Dupri’s 2016 reality television show The Rap Game. “Y’all… Latto was on the rap game and she was easily the best one there,” the user typed. “She has been working hard to be where she is now.” The two-time Grammy nominee offered a gentle clarification, saying, “Even before the rap game tho.” Check out the tweets below.
It is worth noting that Latto not only participated in The Rap Game, but she won the first season of the series and rejected the record deal that she was offered as a result of winning. Since then, it has been a steady climb to where she is now.
Her 2019 single “Bi**h From Da Souf” was her first Billboard Hot 100 entry and was the catalyst for her 2020 debut album Queen Of Da Souf, which reached No. 44 on the Billboard 200. The following year, she released “Big Energy,” her smash hit that peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and is now RIAA-certified triple platinum.
2023 has been huge for Latto as well, as she achieved her first No. 1 hit with her feature on BTS member Jung Kook’s “Seven.” Notably, she was also the first rapper to be on a No. 1 song this year, beating out superstars like Lil Uzi Vert and Travis Scott who released albums with big features in 2023.
“I just feel like [the] temperature rising and baby, I’m going harder than I ever been,” Latto told VIBE when speaking about the momentum she has gained in music this year. “I think people be forgetting that I’ve been rapping since [I was] eight years old. The passion is there. I really just love music. So, I’m not going nowhere no time soon. I really love what I do and I’m having fun with it.”