Rico Nasty Appetizes at Newport
Once upon a time in the 90s, the exclusionary machismo of punk and grunge in some spaces forced the creation of the Riot Grrl movement for rebellious women to be spotlighted and promote their talents. From Hole and Sleater-Kinney then to Mannequin Pussy and Wednesday today, the movement’s brought listeners timeless tunes, but, of course, in typical American fashion, ‘women,’ unfortunately, failed to include black women.
“Screaming: ‘Black girls, stand up!’” Nasty proclaims, kicking down the door.
The road from Riot Grrl to Sistah Grrl (like the one from Susan B. Anthony to Assata Shakur) has been long, circuitous, and meandering, but, in January, OUAB was lucky enough to welcome the DMV’s Black trap-punk luminary. In recent times, Rico Nasty has been one of the main icons lighting the way for alt-internet people of color -- especially for me since the success of her 2019 project Anger Management with Kenny Beats. Entering Newport, the diverse crowd of fashionable misfits with similar love-at-first-sight stories for Rico was immediately evident.
As said before, the road here hasn’t been linear for Rico. From being ridiculed while opening for Playboi Carti on his King Vamp Tour to the mixed reviews for her last mixtape Las Ruinas, Rico is entering 2024 with something to prove. And I will admit, although nasty, she comes with savory sounds and nausea-inducing headbanging.
Sauntering on stage in stylish, stygian attire and alluring shades, she jumpstarted the show with her iconic 2020 opener “OHFR?”. Rico immediately snatched the audience’s attention by the neck and refused to let go with her eye-catching stage presence, playfully teasing the crowd but -- from the viral teeth-gnasher “Smach a B*tch” to the Hollaback Girl-sampling fan-favorite “Money” -- giving us exactly what we could want and more from a free concert. She expressed good chemistry with her DJ, amusingly running songs like “STFU” back for an unexpected encore mid-show and adding dramatic Vine-style boom sound effects to the end of nearly every track on the setlist. Additionally, Rico politely requested, “Can we please put the phones away?” as she proffered us the privilege of hearing some unreleased music she’s been working on.
However, I will say…Rico deserved a better crowd. The free concert seemingly attracted more internet IT girls than punk rockers, with the audience dense with fairweather fans only knowing “P*ssy Poppin” and “Smach a B*itch.” Notably, the front of the stale crowd was surprisingly stiff as a buggy phone before the launch of a new model for classics like Dylan Brady-produced hyperpop anthem “IPHONE” and “Let it Out”—only loosening up for the ragers to do their thing much later in the set.
All things considered, based on her performance prowess and the appetizingness of her previews, I have high expectations for whatever Rico is cooking up for 2024. She’s exploring new territory, practically placing the tracks underneath her as she reels into the unknown. Whole Lotta Red was iconically in a drought for features, but, upon release, I remember thinking Rico would fit perfectly on some cuts. With all the artists making comebacks this year, I hope we get as Nasty as possible in 2024.