Latto has been granted the highest honor in her native Clayton County, Georgia — south of Atlanta —where she received a key to the city of Rex and her own day.
The 23-year-old, who hails from nearby Riverdale, Georgia, was bestowed with the honor, and the proclamation of December 18 as “Latto Day” in recognition of her many philanthropic initiatives in Clayco. Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams was on hand to present Latto with the honor during her second annual Christmas In Clayco giveaway, Peoplereports.
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“Latto is the epitome of greatness here in Clayton County,” Clayton County commissioner Alieka Anderson said at the event. “Our kids love her, the commissioners love her, and this is a collaboration that has been great for the community and for the children in Clayton County Public Schools.
She added: “I want them to see the spirit of giving. When you give, it reciprocates back to you. What we tell our kids in Clayton County is that you can go and be anything you want to be, and Latto is a great example of that.”
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On Monday, Latto took to Twitter to celebrate the momentous occasion, joking about the positive attention she was garnering from the press because of it.
“Whew chileee cause y’all been drilling me the whole year..lol,” she wrote, retweeting a fan account’s post about the media coverage. “I needed that love yesterday from my hometown [heart emoji] I’m gone do it big for CLAYCO EVERYTIME!! [key emoji] they ain’t gone post this thoooo”
The Christmas In Clayco giveaway saw 500 families receive provisions for a Christmas dinner, presents, as well as essential items, to the tune of $250,000. The event was organized by Latto’s Win Some Give Some foundation, which was established in 2021 to empower at-risk youth and provide them with the resources and “self-esteem support to achieve a lifetime of equal opportunity and success.”
“I owe a lot of my success to Clayton County, so it feels really good to be here,” Latto said after the proclamation. “My old school Rex Mill [Middle School] is literally two minutes down the street and [as] we were driving past it, I was like, ‘Oh my God. Everything is coming full circle.’ I’m so blessed and happy to share my blessing.”
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The official Latto Day in Clayton County falls just four days ahead of the 777 rapper’s birthday, December 22.
Latto was recently crowned Billboard‘s Top Female Rap Artist and the Top New R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of 2022, thanks to the success of her single “Big Energy.” The song itself topped three year-end charts, landing at No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales, Rap Digital Song Sales and Rhythmic Airplay Songs lists.
Her commercial success has led to a number of accolades during this banner career year. “Big Energy” nabbed Song Of The Year at the 2022 BET Hip-Hop Awards, and was also nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards and the American Music Awards.
The self-proclaimed Queen of the Souf was also nominated for Top Rap Female Artist, Best Female Hip Hop Artist and Favorite Female Artist at the Billboard Awards, BET Awards and AMAs, respectively. She took home the BET Award for Best New Artist.
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Next up for Latto are the 2023 Grammy Awards, where she is again nominated for Best New Artist and has earned a Best Melodic Rap Performance nomination for her breakout single.
