Sugar Honey Iced Tea is one of the best female rap projects of this year. I would rate this album a solid 8 / 10.
Latto released her 3rd studio album called “Sugar Honey Iced Tea” on Friday, August 9. The name of the album is highly inspired by a saying that is commonly used in the south.
This is the well anticipated release since her 2nd album “777” from 2022. On Sugar Honey Iced Tea, Latto pays homage to her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia with features from Atlanta natives like Young Nudy, Ciara, Hunxho and Mariah The Scientist.
The 22-track album consists of 17 new tracks and five bonus tracks, which include a new song called, “Chicken Grease”, with the interpolation of the Atlanta rapper, T.I’s hit song, “24’s”. She also includes “Put It On Da Floor,” “Sunday Service” and the remixes of the singles that feature Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and Flo Milli.
The album opens with “Georgia Peach” where Latto speaks on much love she has for her hometown. The intro later transitions into the single “Big Mama” which was released on June 28.
The album has a very different sound sonically from what Latto has released in recent years. With “Sugar Honey Iced Tea,” you can recognize the difference between her sound in the past to present day. 2024 has been a very good year so far for female rap and Latto has stamped her place in the rap game among her peers.
Towards the end of the album, there is a switch in the tempo of the beats which feels more melodic than the first half of the album.
Track 11 “Ear Candy” is a staple on this tracklist due to the R&B melodies from the rapper and R&B singer, Coco Jones. Throughout the album, there are many different times where Latto experiments with R&B and pop sounds.
On “Squeeze” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, the song has an upbeat pop tempo which can be compared to her four-time platinum song “Big Energy“.
As mentioned earlier, the album features Atlanta native and singer Ciara who is on the song “Good 2 You” that is inspired by the Atlanta sound that Ciara once used during her debut in 2004.
In the outro, “S/O to me,” Latto reclaims her spot at the top while also speaking on why she’s the best to do it. She also takes shots at female rapper Nicki Minaj due to their twitter feud back in 2022. “You aging in the face, but whatever, that’s old news. The crown is coming home, I’ll sit on the throne soon.”
She also throws shots at Ice Spice in the second verse with “Who the hardest? Bitch, it’s Latto by herself. Ice is just water when it melts, wipe you down I got plenty towels on the self.”
If you’re a fan of the new generation of female rappers, you should definitely give this album a listen.
