Mulatto’s rap name has brought the Atlanta native plenty of criticism. For a long time, some have called on her to change the moniker, as a “mulatto” refers to a person of mixed Black and White parentage, though its original usage was for livestock, specifically a hybrid offspring of a horse and donkey. Most recently she was called out during a discussion on Clubhouse, the popular voice-based social media app. She recently said she’s ready to change her rap name, and in a recent interview with Hot Freestyle, she explained why.
“You know you might know your intentions, but these are strangers who don’t know you, never even met you in person,” she said. “So you gotta hear each other out, and if you know those aren’t your intentions and that’s how it’s being perceived, it’s like why not make a change or alter it? For me, it was the name. So now I’m like, ‘OK, my intentions was to never glorify being mulatto.’” She added, “So if that’s how it’s being perceived and people think I’m saying, ‘Oh, I’m better because I’m mulatto’ or ‘My personality trait is mulatto’ … then I need to change the matter at hand.”
While she hasn’t shared the new name just yet, she did reveal that it will not be a version of her legal name, Alyssa Michelle Stephens. However, she did say that some fans have “definitely” figured it out. “I want them to also understand that the name change at this level in your career is a big decision,” she said to her fans. “Freaking investors, labels, everything has been riding on this name, so it is a big decision.”