FEATURE:
Modern Heroines
Part Thirty: Rico Nasty
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IN the thirtieth edition of Modern Heroines…
I am spending some time extolling the music of Rico Nasty. Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly was born on 7th May, 1997. The American rapper, songwriter and singer hails from Maryland. I am not going to say too much myself because, with some great interviews out there and positive reviews for her album of last year, Nightmare Vacation, I thought they could do the talking (I am, as usual, going to end with a playlist of her best songs at the end). I am a fan of the incredibly powerful female artists coming through like Rico Nasty, IAMDDB, and Bree Runway - who are producing such scintillating and timeless music. I think that Rico Nasty is definitely going to be an icon of the future. At just twenty-three, she has already made big strides and is releasing music of the highest order! I want to start by quoting a few sections from an NME interview conducted last year:
“We all know the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows: it’s OK to get a little nasty sometimes. And Rico Nasty is the 23-year-old Maryland native dominating the macho rap world, all while injecting a bit of punk realness along her way to stardom. With hustle, braggadocio and immense talent, women are now running rap with a sense of community spirit; Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Rico and more are sticking together and trailblazing with wildly original artistry”.
Now with six mixtapes under her belt – from 2014’s icy ‘Summer’s Eve’ to 2019’s frenetic ‘Anger Management’ with Beats – a shiny deal with Atlantic Records and an ever-growing fan base, it’s the perfect time to solidify her sound with her debut album, ‘Nightmare Vacation’. Nasty’s known for coining the term “sugar trap”, blending hardcore, gruff vocals and grungy hooks with softer, computerised beats. She describes the new album, due for release this month, as “sugar trap on steroids”.
With her androgynous nature and outlandish style, Rico has been an icon for outcasts for years. This, she says, is because she was once an outcast like her fans. The mosh pit became her outlet, and she was able to find herself as she flailed around with fellow super turned-up teens at her first Rolling Loud Festival, one of the biggest rap events in the world, held all over America. “When someone’s an outcast looking for a safe space,” she says, “they walk around like, ‘Where the weirdos go!’ And it’s like, ‘Hey! Go to a Rico Nasty show’.”
It’s fair to say that Rico is a part of a contemporary musician revolution of amazing female rappers (sorry, “bad bitches”). With Cardi B and Nicki Minaj sitting pretty atop of a cool roster of modern talent, this century’s female rappers don’t seem to fight as much as the ’90s ladies did. In the space of a decade, female rappers went from trying to kill each other (literally – see Lil Kim and Foxy Brown’s infamous feud) to having each other’s back and showing love across the whole community”.
If you have not discovered the music of Rico Nasty, then I would urge you to seek it out, as one does not need to be a big fan of Rap or Hip-Hop to appreciate it. Nasty has a mixture of styles and sounds that means her music is individual and fresh. She has grown and matured as an artist through the years and, with her being so young, I do feel that her best years lie ahead. It is fascinating watching the rise of such an incredible and passionate artist; one who will inspire a lot of other artists and people around the world. I want to bring in an interview from Interview Magazine, where Rico Nasty spoke with Carina Imbornone. There were a couple of questions-and-answers that caught my eye:
“IMBORNONE: How has it felt growing up alongside your music career?
NASTY: When I first introduced myself to my fans, I was 17, 18. The things I wanted in life were different. What I expected from people and how I wanted to be treated as a person were different. Fans who listened to my music when they were 17, 18—now we’re all 23 and 24 together. You might have had a whole group of friends that you hung out with when you first heard about me, and now you’re not hanging out with them. So it’s just that but in album form. Shit is changing. The world is changing.
IMBORNONE: Could you describe your technique, “Primal Screaming Therapy?”
NASTY: By releasing all the tension inside of you, that’s like a therapy session. A lot of people would describe this as going in a room and screaming or going in the bathroom and holding your breath. Those are small forms of primal scream therapy. People go to the mountains, they go to a place where it’s very quiet and they bare it all right there, and a lot of people say that when they’re done, they feel a lot better. They feel relief. I know that shit sounds redundant. How are you going to bring yourself all the way up to calm down? But sometimes when you’re on edge and you work a crazy job or you don’t sleep a lot or you don’t eat a lot, your temper—it can be fucking crazy. People have done it since the beginning of time, just going into remote places and screaming. It sounds fucking crazy.
IMBORNONE: How does this process relate to your music?
NASTY: Well, originally, when I was doing rage, and I was making all that type of music, I would go in the studio, and I would fucking scream my heart out on some ad-libs and it felt good. I know it sounds crazy, but I think that’s what’s wrong with everybody. We feel like somebody’s watching us all the time. We’re always so like, “Oh, I can’t do that. I’m going to look crazy.” But it’s like, “Bro, fuck it. Go crazy, bitch. People are crazy all the fucking time.” You can look crazy in private. It’s okay if you’re by yourself. Who’s going to judge you, god? Being a millennial, I was like, “Wait a minute. Did I just come up with something different?” And, of course, it’s not new. That’s how I found out about Arthur Janov and Primal Screaming. I used the cover of his book for the cover art for Anger Management.
IMBORNONE: Are there any artists who are on the come up right now that you really love and you want to see succeed in music?
NASTY: Flo Milli. I want to see this bitch win 110%. It’s something about her. She’s such a fucking sweetheart, but her shit is hard. You know, my best friend, she has the best music taste ever, hands-down. Two weeks ago in quarantine, I’m in her room, and she played this girl named Tia Corine, and I don’t want to say that Tia is up-and-coming, because I don’t know how long she’s been rapping, but I like her. I’ve got my eyes on her too. Listen to Lotto or Chanel. She’s fire. Oh, and Hook. I-L-Y Hook. She’s very different. She’s refreshing. She reminds of Lil B but on fire. Like, if Lil B and Chief Keef had a baby and it was a girl, that’s her”.
This takes me to the debut album from Rico Nasty, Nightmare Vacation. It arrived in December of last year - and it really scuppered my best of the year lists! I was not expecting such a huge and important album to come that late in the year but, with Nightmare Vacation, Rico Nasty delivered the goods! I am going to wrap up by bringing in a couple of interviews for that album. You can go and stream it now and experience something incredibly impressive. This is what The Guardian wrote in their review:
“If 2020 is our nightmare vacation from normal life, then Maryland 23-year-old Rico Nasty is an entertainingly misfit holiday rep. On her debut album, after a string of mixtapes under various alter egos, the rapper (real name Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly) delivers track after track of pummelling catharsis – an aggro punk-rap party to pop the lid on an airless 12 months.
Nasty emerged in the emo-showered SoundCloud rap era (she nods to that with rapper Trippie Red on the track Loser), but builds on the rap-metal intensity of her 2019 release Anger Management, screeching and invoking moshpits (STFU) like the Joker by way of Joan Jett. There are songs, too, that pinpoint hyperpop (iPhone; OHFR?), this year’s buzzy, catch-all term for candied pixelations of J-pop, EDM, hip-hop, rock and chipmunk vocals that is aesthetically rooted in the 00s (and is either the coolest thing to happen on TikTok or is like what Hudson Mohawke was making 10 years ago).
The result is an invigorating if disorientating listen, as Nasty hurtles from a seductive trap tête-à-tête with Aminé (Back and Forth) into songs resembling Korn (Girl Scouts, Let It Out). To some this will sound like a gimmick; to others it’s the future. Either way, it’s refreshing to hear the once-maligned nu-metal genre revitalised: Nasty’s 2018 breakthrough Smack a Bitch, remixed here, comes off like a riposte to the misogynist bands of that era. Her music is heavier and more raging than them all”.
I am interested to see where Nasty goes from her and what direction her music takes. I feel, with some artists who are hyped and have put out some promising music, there can be a lot of expectations regarding a debut album. With Rico Nasty, she stepped up to the plate and produced one of last year’s finest albums! When they assessed Nightmare Vacation, DIY observed the following:
“Teaming up with several established contemporaries, Rico flourishes when going toe-to-toe with her peers. Feature highlights come in the form of the ‘00s-leaning ‘Losers’, featuring Trippie Redd, which calls back to teen-flick classic Mean Girls with the lyrics “We’re going shopping loser get in” and the Aminé-featuring ‘Back & Fourth’ which sees the duo’s vocals effortlessly flowing together. But its the hard-as-fuck remix of 2018 single ‘Smack A Bitch’ that stands out, with Rico teaming up with fellow female rappers ppcocaine, Sukihana and Rubi Rose for a snarling reworking that will rile up even the most chilled-out listener.
However, flying solo is where Rico clearly excels, and across the 15-track album, she lets rip. ‘Let It Out’ is a biting punk-tinged thrasher, while ‘OHFR?’, one of the many bangers where 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady hops on production duties, sees Rico tearing into her haters as she growls “fuck how you feel” in her signature brash vocals. ‘Pussy Poppin’ sees her refreshing her sugar-trap style as she spits fire about getting it on in a saccharine tone over the bass-heavy beat. ‘Check Me Out’ oozes confidence as she growls over dark-tinged piano chords, while ‘No Debate’ sees a slightly more reserved Rico flexing her musical muscles over an infectiously dance-a-long ready beat. Jumping between her kaleidoscopic influences, Rico’s determined flow remains the driving force throughout every track, effortlessly guiding the differing beats with her cutting lyrical delivery, and proving why she’s considered one of the best in the biz.
Biting and abrasive in the best kind of ways, ‘Nightmare Vacation’ finds an artist stepping up into the hype that’s been surrounding her for years, and delivering on it tenfold. It will chew you up and spit you out, and you’ll love every minute of it”.
Spend some time discovering and immersing yourself in Rico Nasty and her amazing music. I shall leave things there but, like all the female artists I include in this feature, I really do think that Rico Nasty is a legend of the future. She has released so much incredible music so young, I know that she will go from strength to strength. Given all I have said, miss out on her music…
AT your peril!