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Rico Nasty and the Angry Black Female Artist
The rapper destigmatizes anger in her music and inspires an entire generation of listeners
Rico Nasty’s music and persona have been setting the internet alight in recent years. She released her first tape, Summer’s Eve, in 2014 without any major promotion or distribution. After becoming pregnant with her son and experiencing the loss of her ex-boyfriend, she took a break from music but returned with a game plan to create buzz. Her single “iCarly” was released in 2016, gaining more than 10,500 views in under a week. Keeping her fans at the edge of their seats, Rico released “Hey Arnold” a few months later and gained attention from Lil Yachty, who then joined her for a remix of the song. This year, the rapper landed a spot in XXL’s Freshman Class and continues to sell out shows on her ongoing world tour.
Setting herself apart from other contemporary artists with her rocker-taste in fashion, raspy voice, and scream-rap songs, Rico Nasty is adding her own spin to a culture of rebellion and self-definition. In a 2018 interview with Pitchfork, she remarked, “I try to say rowdy, reckless sh*t because girls need that.” Her rise to fame is shaping the way Generation Zs like her express and define rage.
Viral culture is premised on sparking emotional responses to gain traction and engagement, and Rico keeps that anger at the forefront of her music.
A lot of Rico Nasty’s branding success as an artist has been her artistic reappropriation and dramatization of anger through her hardcore lyrics, gothic makeup and fashion, and punk visuals. Viral culture is premised on sparking emotional responses to gain traction and engagement, and Rico keeps that anger at the forefront of her music. She toys with anger in a humorous way, with a knowledge of how people view her, exaggerating her anger to cause simultaneous intimidation, empowerment, and self-rejuvenation.
Global audiences wouldn’t be ready for Rico’s outlandish and unapologetic rage, however, if it weren’t for the works by black women artists before her, those who have pushed the boundaries of their audiences’ comfort, making room for Generation Z artists…
