Music industry pundits have long lamented that artist development has become a lost cause. The era of the overnight celebrity is the status quo when social media has cut out the middleman between art and the consumer. But for Latto, archival footage of her come-up dates back to when she was 13 years old with the bubblegum swag. Then came her appearance on The Rap Game, where she competed against other teenagers for a deal with Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def. In the years that followed, she grew into her own as an artist and an adult, sharing her wins and losses on a highly publicized stage.
The release of her latest album, Sugar Honey Iced Tea, proves how critical albums like Queen Of Da Souf and 777 were for shaping her trajectory. The former proved that she could make her mark as one of rap's leading ladies. Add to the fact that earned a platinum and gold plaque off that album, she also had bragging rights as the first woman in hip-hop from Atlanta to reach such a feat. The arrival of 777 proved how well she could overcome the sophomore slump while facing pressure to rebrand in the face of controversy. Through this, she earned her first #1 hit with "Big Energy" and expanded her base through more pop-friendly bops, such as Jung Kook's "Seven."
On Sugar Honey Iced Tea, there’s a newfound sense of confidence in her sound and assurance of her spot in rap. Perhaps, it’s partially because the work she’s released over the past few years has seen her digging deeper into her potential. Her rapping abilities are unquestionable; songs like “Big Energy” showed her pop prowess; and recent releases, such as “Sunday Service” and “Put It On Da Floor” had the type of Southern swag to dominate the clubs and TikTok without feeling contrived.
Ultimately, Sugar Honey Iced Tea finds all of these elements of her artistry form into one, to various results. In many instances, the outcome leans into a Drake-esque sound, where the rap-sing delivery meets plaintive and icy trap production that opens up moments of surface-level introspection. Frankly, it seems less coincidental considering just days before, she appeared on Drake’s “Housekeeping Knows” records from the 100 Gigs leak. But, paired with her rendition of T.I.’s “24’s” on “Chicken Grease,” the same interpolation that Drake used on “Rich Flex,” it speaks to the undeniable musical lineage that’s been carried through decades and how Latto embodies these influences authentically.
More importantly, this album provides a vivid portrait of Latto as a woman, one who embodies the “Big Mama” persona to a tee. She can bring aggression on songs like the infectious bell-laden “Brokey” and “There You Go,” where she places a bullseye on her detractors. Then, she slips into decadent R&B vibes on records like “Copper Cove” ft. Hunxho and “Ear Candy” ft. Coco Jones, where embraces her femininity and shines as a vocalist. However, the moments where her bravado and feminity clash yield uneven results, such as "H&M" or the Playboi Carti-inspired, "Blicky."
But for an album with as much ambition as Sugar Honey Iced Tea, it does sometimes feel like there’s more fluff than needed. The pressure to follow up the success of “Big Energy” results in a string of comparative sleepers in “Liquor,” the Megan Thee Stallion-assisted “Squeeze,” and “Good 2 You” ft. Ciara. Though both features are solid, with Megan delivering a particularly great verse, they sound less organic and break the fluidity of the sequence. However, these are simply a few flubs in an otherwise properly curated album that sees her reconnecting with Young Nudy on the uber-nasty "Shrimp & Grits" and showcasing her vocal range alongside Mariah The Scientist on "Look What You Did."
Sugar Honey Iced Tea is an excellent display of Latto’s artistic prowess, from production choices to the vocal inflections that bring character to each record. But, she holds off the vulnerability for the closing record, “S/O To Me.” While the album as a whole feels like a celebration of everything Latto's accomplished, the final song highlights her resilience, from manifesting her rap dreams as a young girl to navigating the predatory behavior of the music industry and knocking off her competitors in the rap game in a way that's reminiscent of Drake's timestamp records. "S/O To Me" is a reflection of her journey to date, the highs and lows, and the long road she took to claim her spot in hip-hop.