Sugar Honey Iced Tea

“I don’t be trying to get too involved in the ‘extra big shoes to fill’ shit,” Latto tells Apple Music of her provocative and spirited third album. “I just do me, and I really feel like that have worked for me. I feel like all that is due to just me being me.” On <i>Sugar Honey Iced Tea</i>, the rapper elevates her work beyond what she feels is a “single-driven and club-driven” culture. “I wanted to make a cohesive project,” she says. “And I think with that, to sit through, what, an hour of one person, you have to be dimensional and be multidimensional, and I think you have to showcase different sides and versions of your artistry.” And with “Big Mama”, she found a single that didn’t compromise her vision. “I was like, ‘Okay, this the best one. It shows the versatility in the song.’” The album is also brimming with smooth collaborations—including Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Ciara, Flo Milli, Young Nudy, Hunxho, Coco Jones, Mariah the Scientist and Teezo Touchdown—which was Latto’s goal. “Everybody on there, I’m a fan of personally,” she says. “I made the music first and then I was like, ‘Okay, I think this person. Let me call this person. I want them to get on it.’ Or ‘I feel like they could add to the song.’ So everything was very intentional.” The bouncy and playful “Squeeze” with Megan Thee Stallion is Latto’s answer to the success of her 2021 hit “Big Energy”. “I didn't want to just run away from that pop fanbase that I had built,” she says. “So I wanted to incorporate some of that without it sounding too poppy, because I don’t think that’s where I’m rooted. I come from a rap competition show. I think it’s very clear, very evident that I’m a rapper first.” Certain tracks may shed light on her personal life, too. If “Prized Possession” featuring Teezo Touchdown tells the story of a toxic relationship (“I think I was very keen on it being a mood,” she explains), the sexy and sultry “Look What You Did” with Mariah the Scientist captures how Latto has been feeling running up to the album’s release. “This whole project is about my last two years,” she says. “And I feel like I found someone who uplifts me as a person.” But even so, Latto reminds us where the focus should be: “Listen to the music and you’ll know what you need to know.”