As always, this year’s XXL Freshman Class caused plenty of controversies when it was announced, from the supposed snub of Don Toliver to the inclusion of burgeoning talents some casual fans were unaware of. One of those controversies, though, revolved less around one inclusion’s talent and more around her identity — or rather, the one she’d chosen for herself. Mulatto has received her share of scrutiny from rap fans over her name, but it sounds like the increased buzz around her these days has her finally considering a change.
HipHopDX reports that Mulatto admitted recently she’s been contemplating a rebrand, saying “it’s going to be a part of something bigger.” Interviewing the 21-year-old rapper at the 2020 BET Hip-Hop Awards, DX quotes, “I can’t say too much because we’re working on something right now, but I would be lying to say it hasn’t crossed my mind before. It is a controversy that I hear and see every day as far as my name goes, so I would be lying to say no I never thought of that. But I can’t say too much because right now because it’s going to be a part of something bigger.”
Mulatto recently spoke with Uproxx about the controversy surrounding her name. At the time, she said, “It’s not about me comparing my ‘struggles of being mixed’ to any other skin tone, any other race, anything like that. It’s just simply me explaining my story.” Read the full feature here.