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Four years after her mainstream debut, Latto (Alyssa Michelle Stephens) is back with her third studio album, titled Sugar Honey Iced Tea. The album was distributed to all major streaming platforms last Friday via Streamcut and RCA Records.
The project marks her first full-length LP since 2022's 777, which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 charts. Her latest album is a confident mix of trap, hip-hop, and R&B, with the Rolling Stones calling Sugar Honey Iced Tea a "nearly frictionless listen."
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The project is stacked with guest appearances from artists like Young Nudy, Megan Thee Stallion, Teezo Touchdown, Cardi B, and more. It features Latto showing off her controlled flow and style switches across the album's expansive 21-record tracklist.
Top Picks from Latto's third studio album Sugar Honey Iced Tea
At the forefront of this album is Alyssa's love and appreciation for her hometown, Atlanta. Throughout the LP's hour-long runtime, the rapper delivers bar after bar, which includes references to city hotspots and a humorous shoutout to ATL's "Real Housewives" television series.
Her love for the South extends into the artists she brought on as collaborators and the intricate production behind Sugar Honey Iced Tea. The nostalgic sounds of trap mixed in with bouncy samples like Mike Jones' 2005 single Back Then, make the LP a very interesting listen.
Notable themes Latto delves into on Sugar Honey Iced Tea have been provided below:
- Wealth
- Success
- Luxury
- Excess
- Substance Abuse
- Relationships
- Intimacy
- Gun Violence
- Gang Affiliations
Disclaimer: This review is rated explicit. Reader discretion is advised.
Georgia Peach
(Production Credits: Go Grizzly, Pooh Beatz, Tommy Parker, Alex Lustig, and Kid Masterpiece)
Latto opens the album with a somber trap banger titled Georgia Peach, which acts as an ode to her home state of Georgia. The production on this track is low-tempo but is carried by the rapper's smooth vocal performances and braggadocious bars.
Throughout the track's runtime, Alyssa speaks about her love for Georgia, references major spots, flexes her "hood" affiliations, and shouts out her sister. Notable bars from Georgia Peach include lines like:
"Pullin' up outside of Magic / N----s know I'm from Jurassic / Keepin' that s--t in my jacket / I'm with the boys in the hood right now / I'm feelin' like Angela Bassett / Lookin' like Jessica Rabbit / They know that I'm droppin' a classic / Money is under the mattress / Wonder what I owe in taxes? Label sent over a nеw deal / Somebody hand me my glassеs"
Blick Sum
(Production Credits: Kid Hazel, Ricci Riera, and Evil Nani)
On Blick Sum, Latto introduces a fresh take on gangs and "reppin' sets" by speaking from the perspective of a "girlfriend" whose partner is heavily affiliated. She cites her affinity for violence and several times during the track, she states her attraction for men who "stay strapped."
The production on this track is fast-paced and perfectly fits Alyssa's more sensualized vocal performances, with notable bars like:
"That gangster s--t, it turn me on (It do) / That .22 ain't gon' do, that 90 get me out my thong, ah / Don't get me wrong, I'm gangster b---h (Uh) / But I tell baе, 'Go get the switch,' you know he pull up spankin' s--t / Blick sum if you lovе me, hit some if you love me (Huh) / Better not put nobody but your opps above me"
Brokey
(Production Credits: COUPE)
Opening with a bouncy bell loop, Latto delivers hyped bars with an insanely braggadocious cadence on Brokey.
The majority of this track finds the rapper highlighting her status while clowning her critics for speaking down on her luxurious lifestyle. Notable bars from this record include lines like:
"B---hes clearly want my life and it's so evident (Evident) / Cook, clean and f--k him right, l'm so heaven-sent (Heaven-sent) / What I look like asking him about another b---h? (Another b---h, hmm) / Might tell you once, won't tell you twice / If ho-s shut up we'd be alright, see, y'all gon tweet and I'm gon fight, facts (Boaw)"
Copper Cove (Feat. Hunxho)
(Production Credits: Go Grizzly)
Latto teams up with Atlanta rapper Hunxho for a sensual record titled Copper Cove.
The song primarily revolves around both rappers finding intimacy in their relationships, with seductive lyricism suggesting their physical attraction toward their partners.
"I wasn't even tryna fall for you, no, I couldn't tell you how it happened / Copper Cove to the studio, I was plotting on your a-- back then / Let you hit it from the back then, week later, I was moved in / Running from you, almost ruined it, that's some s--t I'd never do again" - Latto raps on 'Copper Cove'.
Look What You Did (Feat. Mariah the Scientist)
(Production Credits: Pooh Beatz, Go Grizzly, Daoud, and Inkredibeatz)
Listeners are introduced to Latto's recounting personal experiences with enticing cadences, flowing between rapping and singing.
The rapper's verses on Look What You Did are supported by angelic vocal performances from Mariah the Scientist, which perfectly blends into the atmospheric R&B production of the record.
"It's all about you whatever I do / I could be a player but it's not my truth / You need me and I need you, you, you (You) / If it's on your wrist then, it's on mine too / I could play the part for a n---a like you / You got me and I got you" - Latto's pre-chorus on 'Look What You Did'.
Latto's third studio album is a masterful example of an artist's evolution. Although several cuts on this project do identify with her being viewed as a "s-x symbol," a majority of Sugar Honey Iced Tea finds the rapper proving she's more than what her critics make her out to be.
