Latto Says Working with Mariah Carey Made Her Feel Like 'Anything Is Possible'
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The pop star appeared on the remix of the rapper's hit "Big Energy"
Latto has been feeling “big energy” ever since her career has taken off in the past few years.
The rapper, 24, recently shared that she’s been feeling especially grateful and inspired since she worked with Mariah Carey.
The hip-hop star, whose real name is Alyssa Michelle Stephens, spoke about what it was like to work with the pop star, 54, on the remix of her hit “Big Energy” in a new interview with CNN.
“Once you work with Mariah Carey, anything is possible,” she told the outlet.
Latto added, “I feel like anything is possible at this point. I’ll just be praying and working hard and it just be like kind of falling in my lap for real.”
The pair, as well as DJ Khaled, collaborated on the “Big Energy” remix, which dropped in March 2022 after the original track arrived in September 2021. The original version featured a sample of Tom Tom Club’s 1981 song “Genius of Love,” which Carey also sampled on her 1995 R&B classic “Fantasy.” On the updated version of the Latto track, the “Obsessed” hitmaker then interpolated the lyrics to “Fantasy” in the opening verse.
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“Big Energy,” which became the hip-hop star’s breakthrough track, went on to peak at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and receive the Grammy nomination for best melodic rap performance.
“I think everything happened for a reason. I think my career has been moving at its own pace and the pace works good for me,” she told CNN.
The “Put It On Da Floor” artist, who joined hip-hop legend Rakim on a new rendition of his song “Don’t Sweat the Technique,” also shared what it’s like to be a woman working in the rap scene today.
“Female rappers have to go twice as hard just for equal respect as men,” the rapper shared, noting how women are held to higher standards when it comes to their performance, choreography and looks.
Although she admitted that there's “still a lot of work to be done,” she said, “It’s a very innovative time for female rap. I think we are breaking down new doors and setting new tones for a female rapper.”
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The rapper also recently spoke to PEOPLE about rap’s legacy and what it means to be a woman in hip-hop as the genre celebrates its 50th anniversary. She said, “It's been a long time coming for women in rap. I think it is just my duty to do that. We've been going 10 times as hard for equal recognition as the men, and I just think it's my responsibility to bring others up as I go. I see how hard they work and how hard we have to go to literally just get equal recognition. So it's like, ‘Let me do my part.”
Latto continued, “I hope that I'm leaving behind a legacy of just confidence and empowerment for women, and maybe just like an escape from your everyday life and just turn on some Latto and feel empowered, feel like anything is possible, and I'm not taking no for an answer.”
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Mariah Carey is one of the many artists Latto’s worked with recently. Her collab with Cardi B, “Put It on Da Floor Again,” dropped in June, and she released “Seven” with BTS' Jungkook in July.
The rapper spoke to PEOPLE about teaming up with the K-pop star. “It literally has been so surreal witnessing his fanbase and how much they support him — it's literally artist goals,” she said. “I felt so much pressure to do it, but I was like, ‘You know what? He reached out to me for a reason. Let me just go in there and do what I do best.’ To see everybody's reaction to my verse and how much they love it, it's so fulfilling."
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