After years of linking up with the South’s buzziest rappers and crafting Billboard Hot 100 hits — like “Peaches & Eggplants” (No. 33), with longtime collaborator Young Nudy — ATL-bred producer Coupe added a very special accolade to his collection: his very first Grammy-nominated production.
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At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards – which will be held on Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and also serve as a fundraiser for those impacted by the devastating January fires – Latto’s “Big Mama,” which Coupe co-produced alongside Oz and Masterpiece, is nominated for best melodic rap performance. Should Billboard’s No. 5 Hottest Female Rapper of 2024 take home the trophy, Coupe will receive a winner’s certificate.
Half come-hither rap ballad and half high-octane trap banger, “Big Mama” served as the third single from Latto’s Sugar Honey Iced Tea album. The track reached No. 92 on the Hot 100 and No. 23 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Buoyed by celebrated performances at WHTA (Hot 107.9) Birthday Bash and the 2024 BET Awards, “Big Mama” helped its parent album hit No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Rap Albums, making Latto the first solo female rapper from ATL to ever top that ranking. In addition to “Big Mama,” Coupe also produced “Brokey” and “S/O to Me” from Sugar Honey Iced Tea.
“Big Mama” will have to take down “Spaghettii” (Beyoncé, Shaboozey & Linda Martell), “3:AM” (Rapsody & Erykah Badu), “Kehlani” (Jordan Adetunji & Kehlani) and “We Still Don’t Trust You” (Future, Metro Boomin & The Weeknd) to take home the trophy, but the Recording Academy’s is still an incredible stamp for one of hip-hop’s most exciting producers.
Outside of his work with Latto in 2024, Coupe also contributed tracks to hit albums from 21 Savage (American Dream) and GloRilla (Glorious). For the former, he produced the Summer Walker-assisted “Prove It,” which spent two weeks atop Rhythmic Airplay.
With just days to go before Music’s Biggest Night, Coupe took a brief pause from working on a “Detroit R&B love record” for Real Boston Richey to speak with Billboard and reflect on working on his first Grammy-nominated song.
“I’m probably gonna miss the Grammys [because] I got some family stuff going on, but I definitely will be coming soon,” he promises. “It means even more to me, because [music is] something that my dad wanted to do. He’s kind of living his dream through me. [“Big Mama” taking] the Grammy home would be next level.”
Tell me about the first time you linked with Latto in the studio.
We had been trying to get together for a while, but our schedules weren’t aligning. But we finally got together at Doppler Studios, and I played her the beat for 21 Savage’s “Prove It” in our first session. She actually recorded something to that beat in the same vein as “Prove It.” We worked on a couple of other records too. The vibe was great, we told each other how much we were fans of each other. We just clicked instantly.
How did “Big Mama” come together?
When the first version of the track was made, it was still a two-part beat. She had the first part of it from Oz, and then the second part was from another producer. She had only recorded the first half of the song, and she had an idea of what she wanted based on what she and [producer] Go Grizzly did. She called me and was like, “I like this first part, but I’m not vibing to the second beat.” Her and Pooh Beatz, who was helping me out with the record, were like, “Bro, we need some Coupe stuff for the second part! We need something turnt to switch it up.”
They needed the beat that day. We had a session at 8 p.m., they called me at like 6 p.m. and I made the beat in 5-10 minutes. I headed to the studio early and that’s how we got the full beat to the song; Oz and Kid Masterpiece did the first portion, and I did the second. We put them together and they matched perfectly, and then we finished the song.
What went through your head the moment you heard the final track?
We were like, “This is the one for sure.” She had been working on the album for two years, and I came in a year into [the process]. She was like, “I need some lit vibes; let me know what I’m missing.” [“Big Mama”] has a mellow tone to it, but also a turn-up tone; I felt like that’s what was missing from the whole [Sugar Honey Iced Tea] album [at that point].
And I haven’t heard many girls do beat switches either. The males in hip-hop really love to do that, so to have a female rapper actually rap two different styles on one song felt groundbreaking to me.
When was the first time you saw her perform the song live?
The first time I saw her perform the song live was at [WHTA (Hot 107.9)] Birthday Bash – and that was before the song was officially out. That’s a big thing now in hip-hop, to have things leak or tease them early. She also performed it at the BET Awards and got a lot of positive comments. Those kinds of reactions let me know that the music is connecting.
Where were you when you found out about the nomination?
I was actually at my house with my family. I’m not gonna lie, it took me by surprise. I didn’t know what to do! It’s my first [Grammy-nominated] song and it’s a big thing, so I showed my kids, like, “Your daddy’s [song is] nominated for a Grammy!” They didn’t even know what it was because they’re so young. [Laughs.]
The Grammys mean everything to me. It’s like winning the championship ring. You work your whole life from [childhood] making music, and you build yourself up to this point where the highest honor you can get is the Grammy. There’s nothing greater than it. When you win that, that’s like winning the championship. To even be nominated is like going to the playoffs or the finals. We gotta win these finals!
How much of an influence was your father on your musical journey?
I’ve been doing music all my life. I played drums in church from 5-6 [years old], up until I was like 10 or 11, then I started playing piano and organ. My dad taught me all of that; he’s been playing since his younger days. As soon as I was born, they threw me on an instrument and was like, “You need to play.” And I’ve been doing it since birth. I used to sing in the choir too. As far as producing, I started doing that in 2014-15. But my dad was pivotal to it all; he loved the ‘70s and Earth, Wind & Fire and Rick James. That’s why ‘70s is my favorite type of music now.
What’s one ‘70s song that you’ve always wanted to sample?
“Reasons” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
You also worked on albums by 21 Savage and GloRilla last year. How do you adapt your sound for different artists while maintaining your artistic integrity?
As producers, our job is to serve the artist. I just try to stay true to the artist’s sound while implementing my sound. Every artist has a direction that they want to go in for their projects, so I try to fill that void they’re missing. But I still keep my integrity; I have weird drum patterns, my hi-hats are loud, my kicks hit hard!
GloRilla is from Memphis, for example. Three 6 Mafia loves Isaac Hayes, so that’s why I sampled “Ike’s Mood I” on “Let Her Cook.” That’s a traditional Memphis sound. 21 Savage loves R&B, so I wanted to sample Faith Evans’ “You Are My Joy,” which is one of the best R&B interludes ever to me. I use whatever tools they give me and then expound on them with my sound.
What was it like hearing “Prove It” on the radio for the first time?
Man, I loved it. It’s funny because I was in the car with a girl at the time. When it came on, she was like, “Ain’t this your song?” [Laughs.] It was definitely a moment for me. “Prove It” was one of those songs that, as soon as they sent it to me, I was like, “This is definitely going to be a radio record.” And once we got Summer Walker on it, it was a go.
Who’s left on your bucket list of collaborators?
Definitely SZA. She’s at the top of the list; I love her voice and her sound and the way her music reminds me of how I feel about Faith Evans back in the day. Of course, the GOATs Kendrick [Lamar] and Drake. André 3000 is definitely on that list too. I would love to do just one record with him. “Life of the Party” is a classic record to me, and I know he wasn’t even trying. He just needs to have fun and let it flow. Out of the older generation: he and Project Pat for sure.
What you got cooking up for 2025?
Me and [Young] Nudy are about to lock back in; we took a little hiatus to work on other things for the last two years. Might be a project between me and him, so I’m excited about that.
Me and JT just locked in for like two or three days and, I’m not going to lie, we made some crazy records. Her and Latto, female-wise, I love them. They’re so talented.
Who do you think will win best rap album? Who do you think should win?
That’s a hard question, because usually any time Eminem is in a “best rap” category, he wins. But I definitely think that Metro and Future should win, because they shifted culture last year. I’m always about that. Kendrick’s “Like That” verse shifted the whole culture, and the album itself is so good – especially with them not working together for so long.
Speaking of Kendrick, do you think he can pull off a win in record or song of the year (or both!) for “Not Like Us?”
For sure. Kendrick is a groundbreaking artist. He’s definitely going to win both of those — more than likely.
