This is a new day for the female rapper. Now there is an audience waiting, accepting and approving of young women stepping up and delivering their stories unapologetically. I knew this day was coming back when I started writing for Weekly Music Commentary. However, I believe there are many more on the way. Especially from southern states of the U.S. It seems the time is ripe for the emergence of young women explicitly delivering anthems of sexual empowerment. Mulatto is more than one of the artists staking claim early on the rising trend. It seems she has arrived as if planned. Indeed!
The musical movement of women in music is not exclusively limited geographically to southern states. In fact, within the past few years we have seen the emergence of female artists from around the world. Southern rap though, is a specialized genre category. Many male counterparts have found certain success throughout the years, but now women have arrived. Mulatto is poised for future success.
Who is Mulatto? Why is she a good representative of the south? Well, we hope to answer those questions by the end of this post. For now, we will start with the beginning for the young rapper.
Alyssa Michelle Stephens was born in Columbus, Ohio on December 22, 1998 to Misti Stephens and Shayne Pitts. She moved to Georgia at age two. She was raised in Clayton County, where she attended Lovejoy High School. Born from a black father and white mother, Stephens was bullied in school for being “light-skinned”; however, it inspired her to later adopt the stage name Miss Mulatto when she started rapping.Prior to doing music, she participated in drag racing. At the age of ten, Stephens decided to become a rapper and began writing her own rap songs.
Before deciding on Mulatto as a featured artist, I must admit I wondered about her name. Sometimes we all have parts of our childhood that can be painful, and some memories are very good. Regardless those memories leave an indelible mark on our lives. Even though young Alyssa was bullied and harassed, she made the most of those memories and now reaps the rewards. Can you imagine how those who bullied her feel today?
In 2016, Stephens became a contestant on the Lifetime reality series The Rap Game, produced by Jermaine Dupri and Queen Latifah. The boot camp-style series followed young aspiring rappers in a competition against one another over a span of eight weeks. Mulatto, under the stage name “Miss Mulatto” at the time, was the overall winner of the competition. She was offered a recording contract from Dupri with So So Def Records but ultimately turned down the deal claiming it wasn’t enough money, opting to be an independent artist.
In an interview on Vlad-TV, Mulatto was asked about turning down the contract with Dupri. Her explanation provided a lot of insight into the artist Mulatto, as well as the businesswoman. She went on to tell of the sage advice from her father about life and business. It was refreshing to hear a young person who really listened to a parent for guidance in adult life. We all need such advice at times and it’s telling when we accept and follow a path of wisdom. Her dad made her take a real view at circumstances, and think before acting. As I listened the interviewer seemed to be perplexed as to why she did not accept the So So Def Record deal. However, I really understood her answer. The artist of today many times is able to acquire and maintain a career without a recording company. That means when it comes to accepting a record deal, the artist has the ability to choose from several suitors. Mulatto decided against the deal because it did not offer more than what she already had.
Stephens released her first single, “No More Talking,” in February 2016. She collaborated with Lil Niqo, a fellow competitor from The Rap Game, on the 2016 single “Tough on the Internet.” She also won the Youth Hip Hop/R&B Award at the 2016 Georgia Music Awards. She released her first mixtape, Miss Mulatto on October 2, 2016.
Stephens’ second mixtape, “Latto Let Em Know”, was released in April 2017. The tape featured artists like Molly Brazy, Lil Key, Crucial, and Silentó. In 2018, Stephens changed her stage name to the mononym, Mulatto, and consequently released the self-titled mixtape of the same name that year.
There is a good lesson here from the Georgia rapper. In the two years after the show, Mulatto did not take time off. She continued recording and working and releasing material. If you are a recording artist, then take advantage of what you have and record and release music. Today, it is much easier to record and release music. When I started out I needed to book studio time and if I wanted to release music, there was a lot that needed to be done to deliver actual recorded material that industry execs would take seriously. Mulatto was able to accomplish much before turning 20 years old.
Mulatto received praise for her single “Bitch from da Souf”, released in January 2019. In May 2019, she was invited to perform at Rolling Loud, an annual rap festival in Miami, Florida. In June 2019, she released her second extended play entitled Big Latto, which was preceded by “Bitch from da Souf”. The single became her breakout hit, peaking at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA in the United States.
In March 2020, it was officially announced that Mulatto signed with RCA Records. Of course, that meant that a studio album would soon be on the way. Queen of Da Souf was released on August 21, 2020. The album is very good. It is a collection of solid hip hop and southern rap that has delivered several hit singles. The album has propelled Mulatto to another musical level of success. She is also in major demand for collaborations from other artists.
At 22 years old Mulatto is just starting to deal with all the external issues of fame and fortune. However, the young rapper appears to be balanced and prepared for the limelight. I think her fans are ready too. She has grown into her title Queen of da souf.