SPOTLIGHT: Sally Sossa’s Newest Rap EP, ‘Forever Sossa,’ is Good for the Soul
NOBLE, VICIOUS, AND “HUNGRY MONSTER” — are just a few ways Sally Sossa describes herself. They are another example of how the singer has a way of finding the perfect words. Fresh off the release of her latest project Forever Sossa, Sossa sits on a throne built from hard work and self love. She promises listeners they can expect the same cut-throat, gritty, and honest sound she’s been dishing out since she was cooking up mixtapes when she was 16, with tracks that take new directions in her development as a spiritual guru and a raunchy, confident, female artist. This month I was able to sit in on her press release with Universal Music Group’s 1824 to hear more about how she developed her sound, as well as what we can expect to hear in her newest project.
Sossa has been serving bars since she was seven years old, moving from rap battles in her family’s home in Houston, TX and producing mixtapes on her own to boasting features with Lil Durk. Though her career has gone through some impressive changes in just a few years, she stays loyal to her roots, citing her home in Houston for her distinct sound and savage attitude throughout her music. “Being from Texas has grounded me more with my raw, nitty gritty side,” she admitted. “Being from a place where nothing is handed to you … it made me rise to the occasion.”
It’s why, when she was put out of the house at just 16, she hit the pavement running, refusing to let feelings of neglect let her lose sight of her worth as both an artist and a loving, empathetic person. Sossa realized quickly that what she was feeling could relate to a lot of audiences and translate well into that talent she’d been developing since she was a little girl. “Find that good tune in your heart and focus on that beat,” she advised anyone in a similar situation. In her case, this meant creating her first mixtape at just 16 and putting all her energy into spreading it to as many people as possible, with the hopes that some of her lyrics could reach the right people.
And it did — Sossa remembers one track that especially convinced her that she could really take off as a rapper. After sending her mixtape to every social platform and contact she could think of, “A Letter to the Streets” was her biggest hit, helping her begin to envision a career where her music could really be taken seriously.
Once she turned 18, Sossa’s knack for storytelling with a sharp, steady flow grabbed the attention of Lil Durk, who had heard about Sally from an old manager. After listening to a few tracks, he had her meet him in LA, and then again in a car ride together in Houston, where he heard an untitled track on her phone and immediately demanded she let him record on it. He gave the track a name — “Star Song” — and had Sally meet him in Atlanta to record his open verse. Both his title and verse stuck, and her heartfelt lyrics about trying to keep a love alive made it an instant hit.
Since then, Sossa has released songs about love, loss of trust, and her journey through her own self-discovery, grounded in a strong faith and celebration of who she is. It’s what she hopes can motivate listeners to find their own confidence and spirituality — themes she assures will stay prevalent in Forever Sossa.
One of the upcoming tracks, “Zodiac Signs,” walks through all of the astrological signs, explaining her love for and struggles with each. Sossa maintains a consistent flow while she goes into depth about her experiences with every side of the signs, which she admitted took a lot of hours at the notepad. “It took me two months into wrapping up my project to write the song,” she said, “because I had to find the perfect beat, make sure I lifted up and talked about each zodiac sign, and I had to make sure the song embodied the whole aspiration of everyone tapping into their horoscope without being afraid of who they are.”
While embracing your spiritual side and learning to accept yourself for who you are sounds pretty on par with Sossa’s usual themes, she teased us with a divergent track that took on a new raunchy, sexy confidence that listeners have had yet to hear from her. “That was the first raunchy record that I created; it was hard,” she laughed. “When I was in the studio, I had my friends with me, and they were like, ‘No, Sally, say it like this! Make yourself sound sexy!’”
Once she worked through her initial nerves laying it out on the mic, Sossa warmed up to the idea of letting her confidence get the studio hot. “We had to take [my music] to this other side, because I want my ladies to feel like they’re the shit,” she explained. And don’t worry — Sossa understood the assignment. Everyone in the conference was feeling the track so much, we listened to it twice.
Unfortunately for us, she couldn’t spoil the EP too much, so we were teased with just those two tracks. But more songs to dance to, a few to cry to, and a feature with Flo Milli were just a few of the promises she made for the rest of the project. “I wanted to take my fans out of this world,” she said, “so in Forever Sossa, that’s definitely what we accomplished. It’s not a distraction — this is another home you can come to.”
If this “home” is as good as the tracks she already shared, then someone tell Sally she’d better make some room — we’re all moving in.
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