On Friday, “Big Energy” hitmaker Latto teamed up with a relatively unknown fellow ATLien, Anycia, to release “Back Outside,” a song that already had plenty of buzz even before its official release. Part of that was due to Latto’s general popularity, but the rest could be attributed to some of the context. In addition to a preview of Latto’s verse containing a potential shot at Nicki Minaj, Latto herself fielded (and dismissed) fans’ concerns about collaborating with a newer artist many had never heard of.
“Shawty from the south side & she hard af,” she explained. “I was an ‘unknown artist’ before and mfs acted too big for me. Stream when we drop.” They certainly have been, driving views on the video since then to over 281K on YouTube — a pretty solid debut for an “unknown” artist like Anycia. So, just who is this Atlanta artist who was able to secure a coveted cosign from one of rap’s reigning it-girls?
Last June, local arts pub VoyageATL interviewed Anycia, who said she’d only started taking music seriously as a career the previous summer. Although she didn’t offer much insight into her origins or inspirations, it’s clear that she leans more on the trap side than glam-rap peers and predecessors like City Girls, Latto, or Megan Thee Stallion. Her breakout single, “So What,” released in October, earned her first slate of major press, and she recently joined Detroit standout Veeze on his Ganger tour.
Her flow is reminiscent of her tourmate’s, with a conversational nonchalance bordering on laconic. She’s been described as having the “down-to-earth, rough-around-the-edges appeal of Sexyy Red,” and in the same interview, she notes that she grew up with and around other buzzy Atlanta artists like Playboi Carti, Key!, and Unotheactivist. She’s already begun to receive love from the likes of NBA stars like Kevin Durant, J. Cole, and of course, the always tapped-in Drake.
In December, she cited Latto and Cardi B as the two artists she most wanted to collaborate with; she’s already manifested a Latto feature (as well as an unreleased one with JID), so don’t be surprised if she’s hanging out with Cardi in a music video soon, too. Check out some of her videos below.