Like college basketball star Flau’jae, the world was introduced to the chart-topping rapper Latto from Jermaine Dupri’s hit reality show, “The Rap Game.” Fans also met Shayne Stephens, the father of the rapper formerly known as Mulatto, who appeared in the series as her guardian.
The artist’s mother Misti Pitts is a little less known in the industry, rarely making public appearances with her famous daughter.
Now, after the “Big Energy” rapper posted a couple of pictures of her mom on her social media — people are getting a crash course on who she is while asking questions regarding the very intimate details of her parents’ relationship.
One of the photographs features teenage Pitts holding her firstborn baby in her arms. Another featured Latto’s mom in a cropped tank and short pink shorts with her stomach showing.
“My mama 15yr old fast a** with me,” she captioned the throwback flick.
After the flick went up, someone reposted the picture and shared it, with a caption that relaunched a mountain of speculation, “Her dad was 23 and her Mom was 15 at the time of conception,” the post read. “Wouldn’t that make her father a pedophile? Mhm thinks.”
Latto shared a photo of her as an infant being held by her mother with a caption that said, “My mama 15yr old fast a** w me.”
— You’s A Chop Ho (@romanbackk) April 15, 2024
Her dad was 23 and her Mom was 15 at the time of conception. Wouldn’t that make her father a pedophile? Mhm thinks 🤨 pic.twitter.com/cXG92Yr1az
Fans on social media also commented about the couple.
“Don’t start that sh-t. Different time period! Some of our grandmothers are 10 yrs younger than our grandfathers,” one person wrote.
“If her parents were the reverse, they wouldn’t hate but Latto wouldn’t what she is today if that was the case,” another X user wrote.
“Why does it matter how old latto’s dad was/is? in the nicest way possible her parents are nobodies…are you ppl okay,” a third tweet read.
The “Issa Party” artist immediately shut down the criticism, stating, “My parents are 3 yrs apart lol.” Multiple people cited Latto’s account of the context of her parents’ relationship and gave insight on how some relationships from back in the day were cemented.
“I could’ve sworn latto said her parents met in highschool,” one X user recalled. Another said, “15 looking like she 30.”
“At this point @Latto needs to sue yall for purposely trying to spread misinformation about her family cus u knew this was a lie and even went as far as a hiding a reply abt it being false…just weird..fr.”
Latto, who is 25, was born on Dec. 22, 1998 in Columbus, Ohio, when Pitts was 15 years old. They moved to Atlanta, Georgia when Latto was a teen.
Stephens’ age is unknown and unlisted online.
However, their daughter suggests that her dad was only three years old than her mother— still making him a legal adult at 18 or 19 and her mother at a non-consenting age. In Ohio, the age of consent for a sexual relationship with an adult at 16.
Pitts is a Caucasian woman and Stephens is an African American man. This is not the first time that Latto had to defend her parents. During a social media spat with Nicki Minaj in 2022, Latto attacked the Queens rapper and her husband, Kenneth Petty, for bringing up Petty’s sexual assault conviction.
“BEEN subbing… super freaky grandma is married AND related to f**king rapists,” Latto wrote. “You ain’t gone bully me BI**H! My idol turned rival now u hating.”
The clapback was messy and mentioned all of the ambiguity of her parents’ relationship, indistinguishably mixing fact and fiction.
“Scratch off getcho dumb a** to the mic RIGHT NOW!!!! Explain this sh-t!!!! Since you just became a rape activist in the last 5 minutes ho* you betta have a good explanation for this sh*t!!!! Right TF Now!!! This betta be a typo,” the “Bang Bang” rapper wrote after sharing a tweet about the junior artist’s parents.
Latto was not letting anything slide, answering, “Loud & wrong again…They was both teenagers in high school bookie they still married lmao.”
