Album Review: Latto, '777'

Sometimes artists have multiple debut albums. In some instances, an artist and their fanbase may neglect debut albums that arrived while the artist was still a child or when the artist lacked creative control. In the case of Latto, her 2020 debut album, Queen of da Souf, was her formal reintroduction to rap audiences as an adult artist following a trio of mixtapes she released while she was still a teenager. Her brand new album, 777, also functions as a debut album in the sense that it is her reintroduction as a viable pop star. The album is also her formal introduction to audiences that know her through "Big Energy," as opposed to The Rap Game, "Muwop," or "Bitch from da Souf." Featuring guest appearances from Childish Gambino, Lil Wayne, 21 Savage, Lil Durk, and Kodak Black, 777 attempts to strike a careful balance between catering to the rap-centric parts of Latto's artistry while also planting obvious ploys for both urban and Top 40 radio hits. 777 never quite reaches this equilibrium for a slew of reasons. The album's brevity is unfairly undercut by songs that are far too unimpressive given Latto's talent and ability, thus she's left with an album that feels cramped under the weight of its lofty goals.

The front half of 777 is remarkably consistent. Latto rips through a slew of songs that simultaneously give credence to her name change and stylishly show off her versatility. Her former stage name, Mulatto, was a topic of near-constant controversy; exactly how far could Latto wade into the mainstream with a slur as her stage name? Ultimately, the pivot to "Latto" and lottery/casino imagery was a winning choice. On "777 Pt. 1" and "777 Pt. 2," the dual title tracks that open the album, Latto shifts her focus from the poppier melodies that show up later on the album. The hook on "Pt. 1" harnesses a muted incantatory feeling that eventually leads into the explosive "Pt. 2" which utilizes grandiose choral effects and maximizes her name change as much as possible. "Y'all bitches better off playin' the lotto than playin' with Latto / Who you think set the trend? Now all these bitches follow," she confidently spits over the Diego Ave and Bankroll Got It beat. There isn't any groundbreaking benefit that comes from splitting up the track, but there aren't deal-breaking drawbacks either; it's just a puzzling choice.

From there, she tears through three surefire radio singles that each show off a different side of her capabilities. "Wheelie" finds her interpolating Three 6 Mafia's seminal "Slob On My Knob" over a sticky Atlanta trap beat with 21 Savage by her side. "Big Energy," her most successful single to date, finds her comfortably assuming the role of Top 40 pop star with chipper flows, a winking hook, and a sample of Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love." Things are then rounded out by the album's clear standout, "Sunshine." Evoking the sublime subgenre of trap gospel (2 Chainz's "Good Drank" is a nice recent example of such a sound), "Sunshine" triumphs through a combination of verses from Lil Wayne and Childish Gambino and a backing choir that should've been further utilized on the song's final chorus. The difference between Wayne's verse and Gambino's verse is almost amusing. Wayne continues his recent hot streak of guest verses with on-the-pulse lines like "This Siggy get jiggy with niggas / Don't make me Will Smith me a nigga." On the other hand, Gambino raps lines that are mindbogglingly tone-deaf in the way that they are completely ignorant of Latto's name change and the reasoning behind the decision; "My girl hit the lotto, my sons are mulatto," he raps. Latto largely shies away from mentioning her former stage name on 777, so it's especially odd that Gambino chose to revive the conversation in this specific context.

RCA

Elsewhere on 777, the focused energy of the first few tracks slowly disappears. The Lil Durk-featuring "Like A Thug" is a sultry and sensual tune that fails to leave much of an impression. The bouncy "It's Givin" is the perfect encapsulation of the back half of 777 – just fine and ultimately forgettable. This track could have packed more of a punch had Saucy Santana been given room to deliver a verse in addition to his spoken word cameo. "Steppin" finds Latto drifting into the menacing waters of Nardo Wick's comfort zone to no particularly interesting end result. The last three tracks on the album all fall into this rut as well. None of these tracks feel phoned in, but they all feel like middling pit stops on Latto's road trip towards finding the sound that is truly hers. Sometimes she locks into that sound, like on the thundering "Trust No Bitch," but tracks like "Bussdown" and "Sleep Sleep" don't provide anything unique or interesting. They're just there.

777 works very well as a vehicle to solidify Latto's mainstream arrival. From the boundless displays of versatility to the perfectly manicured radio singles, Latto weaves through 777 with ease. Nonetheless, the uneven pacing and sequencing coupled with the lack of a central Latto-specifc sound makes the album feel like a hodgepodge of tracks as opposed to a focused body of work.

Score: 60

Key Tracks: "Wheelie" | "Sunshine" | "Trust No Bitch" | "777 Pt. 2"