Rico Nasty: The Modern Black Punk Icon We Need and Deserve
In honor of Rico Nasty dropping her heavily anticipated debut album, Nightmare Vacation, I will be dedicating my first official medium article to an (edited) essay I wrote last year about her influence in music and fashion.
As social media and larger audiences honor the individuality and divergence of new rappers from mainstream hip hop, female artists such as Rico Nasty have forged their way into the music scene in a way that is loud, unapologetic, and truly focused on their lyricism and talent. Artists such as Megan Thee Stallion, Tierra Whack, Asian Doll, Bbymutha, and of course Rico Nasty have demanded attention in the typically male dominated genre by bringing their own individual sounds to a category where there have been too many mediocre men with similar sounds taking up space. Rico Nasty produces music that is a brilliant fusion of punk rock and hip hop to provide for a sound that caters to the alternative and mainstream Black girls alike. This unique sound carries into her bold fashion sense and overall demeanor, opening a platform for alternative Black girls to feel confidently empowered about their individuality, while simultaneously included in current Black culture.
Since the inception of this genre non hetero-masculine hip hop artists have had to constantly prove their talent, authenticity, and deservedness for a spot in the conversation, only to be reduced to their appearance, harshly criticized for their lyrics, and told that they are simply not doing enough. Rico Nasty and many other female rappers of her generation do not ask for permission, entry, or forgiveness; they just take what they deserve and as Megan Thee Stallion puts it, “if you don’t like it, tune the f*ck out”. While radio hosts, self-proclaimed social media music critics, and Twitter’s music aficionados attempt to discredit her work with hollow critiques and boring comparisons, Rico continues to make and release quality, eclectic music for her audience. Rico Nasty fans understand and appreciate the eccentric personality, oftentimes aggressive music, and fearless style because she is constantly pushing the boundary for what people believe young Black women, and specifically young Black female rappers, should be doing or how they should be presenting themselves.
Through high energy beats paired with contentious and self celebratory lyrics, she expresses her emotions while also letting people know she is, in fact, that girl. She does not compromise her sound, bend or mold her lyrics to be more palatable for people, or water down her message for sensitive audiences. Bringing a different meaning to the “angry Black woman” trope she informs society that yes, she is angry, and that anger is going to be validated. In a society where Black women are often pressured to stifle their emotions or filter them, she provides raw, unfiltered content to anyone who can relate.
Born as Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly, Rico is a Black Puerto Rican woman from the DMV, PG County to be exact. Proudly speaking of her racial and ethnic identity makes her such an icon for young Black audiences because she is displaying to them that Blackness is diverse and something to celebrate. Known to wear controversial clothing such as a “F*ck 12” T shirt proudly worn in her “Poppin” music video and proclaiming, “And I’m screaming “F*ck Trump! Black girls, stand up!”, in her song “Bitch I’m Nasty” she is not afraid to let audiences know who she is and where her political ideologies lie as it relates to the current racial climate in America. The cover art of her mixtape “Nasty” portrays her with a short hair style and the word “Nasty” spelled out across her forehead with her baby hairs, as she sits calmly with her hand against her face, sporting heavily decorated acrylic nails. Constantly referencing Black cultural icons in her songs such as Aretha Franklin and paying homage to great people who have come before her, she folds in aspects of Black American life through all forms of her artistic expression.
As an artist Rico is known for her incomparable sound as well as her bold fashion sense. With every show or appearance she wears a new outfit accompanied by platform shoes decorated with buckles, pins, straps, etc., and an even more colorfully striking wardrobe. With loud ever changing hair, textured and layered clothing choices, bold neon colors and accessories, she is adding to the long legacy of Black girls and women setting bold trends and forging new styles for pop culture to inevitably follow. Never afraid of what others may think or say about her appearance, she often expresses in her songs and interviews that she wears and does whatever she wants, “they call me weird cause I don’t look like none of these other b*tches”. Due to this she has become quite the fashion icon, being invited to several fashion week shows and events, including that of Laquan Smith, a prominent African American clothing designer. For decades Black girls who have been setting these bold trends, always ahead of their time and society, have gotten mocked and then mimicked for their style choices. Rico Nasty’s image reclaims this innovative nature and makes it known who created it.
Her all around “don’t give a f*” attitude and push for others to embrace their own uniqueness, no matter how strange it may seem, is what makes her as an artist and a public figure so appealing. While several diverse audiences across the board may enjoy her music and admire her fashion sense, she curates art both in style and music in a way that distinctly allows for young Black girls and women to feel accepted and celebrated.
