Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly, known by her stage name Rico Nasty, broke onto the music scene in 2016 with her first major hit, "iCarly". Her unique "sugar trap" sound, a term that she herself coined describing her earlier music style, used upbeat and bubbly beats with a more traditional trap delivery. More recently, Rico has pivoted from her earlier pop persona into a more punk rock and emo style of music, with much heavier influences from those genres as opposed to her earlier tracks. More recently, Rico has departed from her current style to create the hit single "Money" with fellow artist Flo Milli.
This track is more in touch with Rico's original pop-trap roots, as well as 90s rap and hip-hop, which Rico credits as one of her major inspirations. During the original creation of the song, Rico received the necessary spark needed to create the song through the samples used by 2Live Crew and Tone Loc. When speaking with Essence regarding the creation of the song, Rico detailed that after the original creation of the song, she did not release it for another two years until looking back at it and deciding that a collaboration with Flo Milli, another up-and-coming female rapper would enhance the song.
When speaking about the creation of "Money", you can see the application of the collective thinking style that Rico applies to this track. After taking notes from the classic 90s rap that heavily influenced the creation of this song, Rico was able to create her own unique delivery while still staying true to the original beats that define the era. You can also clearly see the person-product-culture model coming into play. The culture of the 90s rap that defined Rico's taste in music from a young age, such as many other Gen Z, and this development within Rico's personal taste led
to the creation of this song, as well as the sugar trap genre that launched her career and put her on the cutting edge of the genre.
Source: https://girlsunited.essence.com/article/rico-nasty-money-interview/
Source: https://girlsunited.essence.com/article/rico-nasty-money-interview/
Rico Nasty and rappers like her are rewriting the narrative of what Black female rappers are 'supposed' to look like. Her hyperfemme nature is putting a spin on the expectation on rap, and I love it! I feel like with the way she is causing a shift in the nature of rap she could almost be called a Big-C creative.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I first heard Rico as a feature on the track "Ringtone" by 100 Gecs and she has been one of my number one of up-and-coming artist I've been listening too. Like Madeline has said, she is rewriting what it means to be a Black female artist in today's media and raising the bar of the quality of music being put out. I believe that through her creative process and collaborative work she will be able to become one of the greatest artists of our generation!
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