Snoop Dogg’s Latto and Olympics Album Review: Billboard Unfiltered

With the Summer Olympics concluding Snoop Dogg’s epic run in Paris and the arrival of Latto Iced tea with sugar and honey album, hip-hop continues to make waves.

Unfiltered billboard returns with another all-new episode on Thursday (August 15), with co-hosts Carl Lamarre, Damien Scott and Trevor Anderson breaking down Snoop stealing the Olympic spotlight, Latto’s new album and a possible feud brewing between Travis Scott and Killer Mike.

Iced tea with sugar and honey arrived last Friday, packed with 17 tracks and a myriad of features from Megan Thee Stallion, Young Nudy, Mariah The Scientist and more. BillboardDeputy Managing Editor Damien Scott believes it’s the strongest album by a female rapper released in 2024, dethroning Megan Thee Stallion’s. Megane project.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “Kyle (Denis) said on a previous episode that he thought, when he went to listen to it, it was the strongest female rap album of the year so far. After listening to it, I tend to agree. I think it’s strong. It’s so cohesive. Everything just seems to come together.”

“It’s amazing that she was able to work with Grizz and get this sound that’s reminiscent of Atlanta but also sounds very modern. These songs could resonate anywhere in the country.”

As OVO’s resident owl on set, R&B/hip-hop assistant director Carl Lamarre felt Drake’s imprint could be heard throughout the shoot. Iced tea with sugar and honey.

“The reason I like it so much is because it’s very Drake-coded,” he said. “When you listen to ‘Georgia Peach,’ it gave me ‘Laugh Now, Cry Later’ vibes. When you listen to ‘Big Mama,’ there’s a beat change in the middle and she’s the lead vocalist. Kind of Drake-like. Then the outro, ‘S/O to Me,’ where she’s throwing darts at Ice Spice, gave me more of the introspective Drake lyrical vibe that we’re used to, like ‘Middle of the Ocean,’ ‘30 for 30’ vibes. She blew away the intro and outro tracks.”

There was no better hire for NBC than Snoop Dogg, who was picking up side assignments left and right as a correspondent for the 2024 Olympics. From swimming with Michael Phelps to watching equestrian events with his friend Martha Stewart, Snoop did it all in Paris.

“We thought he was going to jail for murder and now he’s walking with the Olympic torch. (He) is without a doubt the most beloved rapper alive,” Scott said.

Trevor Anderson, senior chart and data analyst, mentioned LL Cool J as a possible challenger to Snoop as the most beloved rapper, but praised the Doggfather for what he has been able to accomplish in many different industries.

“The great thing about Snoop is I think they’re all sincere. None of them come across as a crazy game,” he added. “To think that Snoop Dogg is one of the quintessential faces of death row and the mainstream media is the face of gangsta rap and everything you don’t want to be. And now your grandmother would invite him over for dinner. They’d have a good time and have a good time and she’d teach him how to walk like a Crip.”

Killer Mike Apparently Insulted Travis Scott On His Michael and the Midnight Awakening album after winning Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards earlier this year. While Scott has not responded, there has been a feud and back-and-forth on social media between the two rappers’ managers.

“Travis Scott is a young rapper who is at the peak of his career,” Scott added of the unlikely opponents. “Killer Mike is over 50 and has been rapping since I was in high school. He made an album that very few people would make like this. And that’s a good thing for him, so it’s weird that they’re comparing it to Travis’ big comeback album.”

Watch the full episode below.