Latto On Manifesting Motherhood: 'I'm Not Going To Feel Like I Made It For Real Until I Have Kids, I'm Married'
Rapper Alyssa "Latto" Stephens is baring her soul like never before by offering a glimpse into her love life and unveiling her aspirations of becoming a mother.
The 24-year-old rose to fame in 2016 after winning the first season of Lifetime's competition series The Rap Game, produced by Jermaine Dupri. Immediately following the show, Stephens would continue to release music and landed her big break in 2019 with "B--h from da Souf." The track ultimately earned the emcee her first entry on Billboard's Hot 100 charts in 2020.
That same year, Stephens released her debut album Queen of da Souf. Since then, the lyricist's stardom has only skyrocketed from there after dropping her second studio album, 777, in 2022. The album featured her Grammy-nominated single "Big Energy" and "It's Givin."
At the height of her success with her recent track "Put It On Da Floor," Stephens sat down with Cosmopolitan magazine for the publication's Skin Issue cover story. In the June interview, Stephens revealed why she keeps her relationship away from the spotlight and why she considers motherhood the most significant achievement.
Latto On Keeping Her Relationship Private
Although there are few details surrounding the "Muwop" rapper's romantic partner, news outlets report that Stephens is dating fellow rapper 21 Savage and has been for years. (Last weekend, 21 Savage brought out Latto and Cardi B during his performance at Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash in Atlanta.)
Despite the claims, neither party has addressed the rumors. In the discussion with Cosmopolitan, Stephens shared that she doesn't publicly talk about her relationship or disclose her boyfriend's identity because it's something she wants to keep sacred.
"If something is special to me, I'm going to keep it close to me because everything else has to be front and center about my life," she said.
When asked if Stephens ever thought about having her partner see her perform onstage, "The Biggest" lyricist explained that although it has crossed her mind a few times, she values her privacy a lot more.
"I be thinking that, but my privacy is more important. I can't have people putting two and two together," she stated. "This is the longest relationship I've ever been in."
Latto On Motherhood
As the topic shifted to motherhood, Stephens revealed that she can't wait to experience that next chapter in her life because of its impact.
Stephens added that she idolizes motherhood so much that she constantly watches TikTok videos about mothers and finds opportunities to spoil friends and family members with children by purchasing lavish gifts.
"I want to be a mom so bad. Let me tell you, I think moms are superheroes. Man, I literally idolize motherhood. Like, with Mother's Day, I get all my friends that have kids, my grandmas, my aunties, cousins, anyone who's a mom around me, I send them flowers and gifts. I don't play," she said.
"I send my assistant to Chanel to get, like, 10 bags for everybody I know. I'm obsessed. My TikTok algorithm is all moms talking about their experiences and packing like, 'Get ready with me.' Moms cleaning up after their kids. It's so weird."
Further into the interview, Stephens disclosed that despite all the professional success she has accomplished over the years, she still feels like she has yet to reach her greatest potential, at least in her personal life.
"I'm not going to feel like I made it for real until I have my kids, I'm married, I just got my house out in the country, and I'm just ducked off with my little family," she said.
Stephens wrapped up her remarks by praising other female artists, including Rihanna, Cardi B., and Yung Miami, for showcasing that motherhood doesn't hinder one's career and inspiring her when she decides to become a mother.
"That's why I love RiRi down. Cardi did it too. And Yung Miami. I feel like they kind of supersede the stigma that it's over for women when you have a baby—like your career is over," she stated. "They give me inspiration for real. They make me feel like I can do it too one day when the time is right, you feel me?"
Feature image by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Oprah Winfrey On Never Experiencing Imposter Syndrome: 'I Had To Look It Up'
If you’ve ever wondered what type of mindset it takes to reach icon status like Oprah Winfrey, it’s probably best to start by knowing which one she’s managed to avoid over her long-standing career.
And let’s just say imposter syndrome didn’t make the cut.
While promoting her new book, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier, with her co-author Arthur C. Brooks, Oprah shared in an interview with People that when it comes to imposter syndrome, it’s one emotion she hasn’t experienced.
"I don't have any of that imposter feelings that so many people have," she says. "I didn't even understand it, I had to look it up."
According to the acclaimed talk-show host and media mogul, she attributes this to her early life experiences, specifically the impact of her father's influence as a child. "I remember as a young girl being a strong orator in the national competition for speaking and winning the local championships, then the state championships. And then placing, I think it was No. 3 or something, in the nationals," Winfrey shares.
"And I remember after every contest, the families whose kids were just in the contest were going to celebrate and their families were all excited. My father's thing was, 'Get your coat.'"
She continues, "I learned, in all these years, every exciting thing that would happen to me it was always, that's good, get your coat. Get your coat. I don't know if that was ingrained in my personality or I just learned that nobody's going to be excited about it, so you might as well just get your coat and go. I don't have high highs and I don't have low lows. Which is a good thing, because no matter what I'm going through, I know I'm going to come out of it and be okay."
Impostor syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon, is a psychological perspective of persistent self-doubt and the feeling of being a fraud despite evidence of one's competence, skills, or accomplishments. People experiencing imposter syndrome often believe that their success is due to luck or external factors rather than their own abilities and fear that others will eventually discover that they are not as capable or knowledgeable as they appear to be.
With over 40 years of accolades and history-making impact, it’s clear that Winfrey doesn’t shy away from the fact that her success is due to her hard work and diligence, with everything in her life being that of what she earned — which she finds deep value in: “the ability to live in the space of true appreciation for a life, not just well lived, but well-earned."
From coming from the lineage of an enslaved great-grandfather who earned 80 acres of land in exchange for labor, to becoming the first Black woman billionaire in the world without the foundation of generational wealth, Winfrey beams proudly at her ability to shift her and her family’s legacy for the better.
"I didn't have a grandfather, a great-grandfather who could give me land. But now...I am able to have my own and to know that I work for it. And it wasn't a husband that did it. It wasn't a brother or an uncle, or whatever did it, but I did it," Winfrey says.
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