777 - Latto: Review
Latto
is an Atlanta rapper who has broken out in recent years with tracks like Big Energy and Bitch From Da Souf as well as being named to the 2020 XXL Freshman Class. 777 is her sophomore album and follows 2020's Queen Of Da Souf.
Review By Lav:
While I don't think Latto has a particularly impressive back catalog thus far, I have always seen the appeal of her music, in particular her uncompromising personality. On tracks where she's lean into her confidence and demeanor she has been just as good as some of her best and most popular contemporaries, so it was no surprise to me to see her developing some more acclaim and commercial success. I wouldn't say that had me anticipating that 777 would be some kind of major breakout record, I was just hoping she would lean into that personality. Turns out she does, and the results are pretty solid.
A lot of discussion surrounding this record starts with one song, Big Energy. It has sort of become Latto's true commercial breakout single as its climbed up the charts week after week now. While the Genius Of Love sample is pretty obvious I still find myself enjoying the song. Her verses are bouncy and hilarious and the little tweak on how they both end is a great touch. While having big dick energy might be a bit overdone these days I do still like the track.
While I wasn't crazy about either single when they first came out I did find myself kind of coming around to both of them. Wheelie has grown on me starting with Latto's unique take on the hyper sexuality of hip hop which I can't exactly define but I just think is really effective. Her confidence is through the roof and I think even seeps into some of the bars about her cooking like a housewife to recontextualize them. 21 Savage delivers as solid a feature as ever and I think the song turned out to be a highlight on the record. The other single Soufside has some great backing vocals and a really solid beat. My only issue with the song that still persists to its prescence on the record is that it ends right when you'd think it should be building up momentum to a climax.
There are definitely a couple more highlights to be found and sometimes they come in surprising places. The two part opening track is a hip hop staple designed to set up clout for all the many brags that will come later on. It doesn't have the tightest flow you'll ever hear but it's much more focused on being hard-hitting. The bar "better off playing the lotto than playing with Latto" is one of my favorites on the record.
Stepper is a song that features Who Want Smoke? alum Nardo Wick which kind of comes out of nowhere but honestly it's a fucking banger. I love Latto's hook which is just one flex after another relentlessly and even the Nardo feature is genuinely pretty good. Sleep Sleep might be the most overtly sexual song on the record built around going to sleep naked with someone after having sex. I think it's a pretty original way to frame the song and Latto delivers all kinds of detail on the verses. The song isn't necessarily overwhelmingly high impact but it is built on a really solid foundation.
Like A Thug is a solid track but it sounds so much like a SZA song being played at 1.5x speed that its ridiculous. I will say that I'm normally not excited for a Lil Durk feature but he actually does a decent job on the song especially if you can ignore some of his lyrics. I was hesitant to even listen to It's Givin because I already use that phrase constantly and I didn't want to make it even worse. Ultimately I'm glad I did listen because the beat is one of the best on the record and the verses have some pretty confident bars throughout. The only thing I don't like about the song is the hook which is fine at first but goes on for way too long.
Sunshine has been a bit talking point because it features both Lil Wayne and Childish Gambino. That's what made it so weird to hear this sweet piano instrumental and sung hook by Latto. It certainly isn't a bad song but it doesn't fit the talents of Latto or Wayne at all and the results are really awkward. Trust No Bitch is a weird standout on the record because it's the one point where Latto's confidence doesn't translate at all. The song is clearly meant to be like a challenge to anyone stepping to her but instead it just sounds like she's really bitter about anybody who ever said something bad about her and has been keeping a revenge list.
Far and away the worst thing on the record is Bussdown a meeting point between rap and R&B that is mostly content to flex designer brands Latto is buying and all her success. For some reasons somebody thought "you know who would be good on this? Kodak Black". There are some bad Kodak features out there but this one honestly might be the worst ever. I'm not sure how the people who conceptualized this song could miss the point so badly.
777 is the best project Latto has released yet and shows off the potential she has for a sustained career in the world of pop rap. She has an intense demeanor on the songs hardest bangers but is more than capable of dialing it back when necessary. While the project is inconsistent as many commercial products are, there is enough here to set Latto apart. 6.5/10
Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson:
This image is cool but not flattering whatsoever. She looks so awkward in this pose in addition to the angle which doesn't show her face in a nice way. It has the potential to be really great but the execution messed it all up. The color palette is consistent and makes her pop off the background but the knives don't stat out and look kind of half-assed. The lettering is hard to make out and doesn't shine like it should and seems like an afterthought. Not impressed at all. 3/10
For more pop rap check out my review of Gunna's DS4EVER here
