Latto isn’t playing around when it comes to ghostwriting claims or being accused of taking anyone else’s flow. During a recent episode of the Joe Budden Podcast, Joe Budden reviewed Latto’s Big Mama and explained that he felt plenty of Drake influence in the album opener “Hostage” featuring 21 Savage.
The Atlanta rapper heard some of the chatter from Budden and clapped back on Tuesday (June 2) with a post to X featuring a whiteboard of the handwritten lyrics from “Hostage” in blue and orange marker, with proof of the photo being taken on Jan. 22.
Latto didn’t provide any context on her statement, but made sure Budden saw it as she mentioned his X username in the post.
Billboard has reached out to Budden’s reps for comment.
Joe Budden explained that while listening to “Hostage,” he felt Drake influenced her Sugar Honey Iced Tea album in 2024, and felt she borrowed from Drizzy’s “Shabang” flow, which landed on his ICEMAN album in May.
“I feel like recently, she [giving] me a lot of Drake. You remember Latto’s intro from her last album? Most people said that this specifically sounds like Drake penned this, did the reference track,” he said. “This song sounds like it could’ve been on Her Loss. It sounds like they could’ve took a couple joints from there.”
Budden continued: “It’s too soon for me to hear ‘Shabang’ flow from somebody else. This sounds like the ‘Shabang’ flow to a T.”
Big Mama arrived on May 29 with features from Doja Cat, 21 Savage, GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Mariah The Scientist. Her last album, Sugar Honey Iced Tea, arrived in 2024 and debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200.
After declaring that Big Mama would be her “retirement album,” Latto pumped the brakes on hanging up her mic in an interview with Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis. The rapper explained she was going through postpartum depression at the time she said she was walking away from hip-hop.
Listen to Latto’s “Hostage” below.
