Latto’s “Sugar Honey Iced Tea” Is A Love Letter to her Southern Roots
Latto just put out a love letter to Southern culture that balances choosing violence with choosing love and excelling at boffum.
On her third spin around the Hip Hop block, Latto put out a versatile, well-written, well-produced love letter to her Southern roots. From her all-Southern lineup of features to her constant references to the South, it is clear that she was putting on for the Southern Belles. In an interview with Apple Music and Ebro, she said, “When I was 8, I already knew that I was going to be paying my mama bills and stuff off of this…I just knew it was going to play out like this.” This confidence is exuded throughout the album in tracks like “S/O to Me.” On her album, Latto asserts that she is true to this, not new to this.
Latto began teasing this album at the BET Awards when she performed “S/O to Me,” a slow track about her humble beginnings. Since then, she dropped various teasers for her third studio album including a cinematic trailer paying homage to the beloved movie ATL. In this trailer, which featured fellow Atlanta native T.I., Latto cosplayed as “New New” from the movie. On X, user @zoraslovechild noted that Latto takes criticisms and turns them into concepts. With New New, she took the criticism of her cosplaying as a hood chick and turned it into a powerfully delivered album trailer.
In the trailer, she teased “Ear Candy” with Coco Jones, “Blick Sum,” “Good for You” ” with Ciara, “Big Mama” and an unreleased song with a TI sample. Given these heavy hitters, Latto built up a lot of anticipation for the album, which was finally released on August 9.
The opener, “Georgia Peach,” begins with a sample. Similar to Kendrick Lamar’s “BLOOD,” which kicked off his critically acclaimed DAMN. album, Latto brings us into the world of Sugar Honey Iced Tea with a distorted singing track that is just creepy enough to be alluring. Then, she gets to the crux of the song and the album in general – that she’s a Georgia Peach.
Latto’s sing-songy flow is reminiscent of Drake circa 2013. Yet, Latto makes this sound her own by incorporating her signature bravado and Southern cadence. Overall, it’s a cute bop and a strong album opening; it’s enough to pull listeners in. She maintains this new sound in her next track “Big Mama,” which was the lead single on the album.
While I didn’t care much for “Big Mama” as a single, it made sense in the sequence of the album. Latto is balancing pop and rap to create a lane that is distinctly hers. Really, by the end of Big Mama, she is back to rapping like she has bills to pay. Too, she is back to highlighting her Southern roots – with references to Atlanta native Andre 3000 (“On some Andre 3K shit, man, where the f*** are my panties at?”) and fellow Southerner Adina Howard (T-shirt with no panties on / “f*** him to my favorite song.”).
She continues with this homecoming tour in her next song, “Blick Sum.” Latto admitted this was a fun track she recorded in Los Angeles, and we can hear her letting loose in the studio. When she recreates Birdman’s signature call, it becomes yet another nod to her roots as a Southern gal. Moreover, it was clear that she was having fun with the song (“I love a drummer boy, ba rump ba dump dump”).
Sonically, the lightheartedness works, and it makes for a fun track that’s likely to be a TikTok tune. Put together, “Blick Sum,” “Big Mama,” and “Georgia Peach” make for a strong start to Latto’s record. Then, we get to “Settle Down,” where Latto begins reminding us that she can rap for real. She tapped into her signature bravado and attitude – which we will see again in bonus tracks “Put it on Da Floor,” “Sunday Service” and their remixes.
Toward the middle of the album, there are a few skippable songs (“Shrimp & Grits,” “Brokey,” “H&M,” and “There She Go”). However, in the Young Nudy feature, we do get a pivotal line in the album’s canon (“Country thick like shrimp and grits”). Latto never stops reminding us that this is a Southern album through and through.
Then, she recoups her pace in the second half of the album. By Track 10, the tone has shifted. In the beginning, we were hearing from a certified Southern Belle. Now, we still have that presence, but Latto has begun talking sexually. If you listen to her earlier music and features, you would know that Latto is no stranger to the world of sex talk (see: her verses on “BeatBox” freestyle and “Mmm Mmm” remix).
In “Copper Cove,” ft. Hunxho, she re-familiarizes us with her sex capades – namely the ones in Aspen. She also reflects on their quick relationship (“Week later, I was moved in”), but she is intentional to note that this is not a love song. Previously, I was not the biggest fan of Latto’s singing, but in the context of the album, it works.
Latto continues singing to her mystery lover in Ear Candy, which features Coco Jones. The beat was very fitted to Jones’s vocal range, which immediately drew me in as a listener. As opposed to “Copper Cove,” this is a love song, or at least it seems to be. Latto briefly departs from her bad girl image to put on for the real lovers. She begins Verse 2 by saying, “Waking up seeing your face / that’s the best part of my day,” and it is clear that she is in her soft-girl era.
Yet, she never strays from the sexual innuendos. She continues Verse 2, “Talking all sweet in my ear / I’m ‘bout to give you something you can taste.” So, by the time we get to “Liquor,” her 12th track, we already know what time it is. In “Liquor,” Latto raps, “That liquor turn me to a freak.” Then, she goes on to talk about the allure of her nether regions – a theme prominent in female rap right now.
After sexing the audience for 3 minutes, she taps in with fellow sex talker Megan Thee Stallion for a track called “Squeeze.” This track is what you’d expect from two artists in tune with their bodies, but it also brings a pop element to the album. My favorite line here was “He want a Hot Girl and he tryna hit the Latto” (I’m a sucker for a good pun).
However, Latto doesn’t forget her soft-girlhood. She reels it back in with “Good for You” ft. Ciara, which also feels like a pop-bop. Overall, the song was okay, but Ciara’s hook fell flat. She continues her soft life in “Look What You Did” ft. Mariah the Scientist, and in her Apple Music interview, Latto admitted that they fell hard for their significant others, which inspired the song. To me, it was a nice delulu anthem that I might play when I’m heavy in my simp bag.
My favorite line to come out of the collab is “I could be a player, but it’s not my truth.” I like that Latto is honest and vulnerable, a theme that carries on into the next song. In “Prized Possession” ft. Teezo Touchdown (easily the best song on the album), Latto paints the picture of difficult love (Think: Cardi B on “Thru Your Phone”). It’s empowering, feminist (“I’m the prize” / “I’m not a possession”), candid, and raw (“Soon as I let you hit with no protection, then you got overprotective / Don’t know why I keep goin’ back, goin’ back knowin’ this shit ain’t progressin’”).
Then, we get to “S/O to Me.” Given the direction that the album went in, I feel like it was a good way to close the album. For this one, I had to listen a few times to catch the subliminal shots (“You can’t look me in my Isis”), (“Ice is just water when it melts”), (“Don’t play coy with me, you know what we headed for”). It felt like the perfect wrapping (no pun intended) for a cohesive project. I’ve said a lot here, but I feel like we need to give Latto her tens. This third project showed us that while Latto chooses violence and does that very well, she can also choose love and excel at that too.
About This Rwebel
Javanna is a multifaceted professional with a rich background in writing, education, and media. She holds a Master of Science in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in English, which has fueled her passion for storytelling and communication. Javanna is the CEO and founder of Rwebel, where she produces books, articles, and multimedia videos about culture and difference.
