For decades, rap has been centered around misogynistic rhetoric, and black women were often depicted as gold-digging, angry objects. Maria Kelly, widely known as Rico Nasty, breathes new life into the hip-hop genre and flips the script. Kelly is known as the loud and expressive artist who takes her angry persona to the next level, but there’s more to her than meets the eye.
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Young black women are often encouraged to dilute themselves by being loud, flashy, and overconfident. The first thing that we can learn from the rapper is how to be yourself and not care about what anyone thinks—concepts echoed in songs like “Won’t Change” and “Rage.“ Kelly assures people that she isn’t a ‘punk rocker,’ but her persona derives from powerful female punk influences like Joan Jett.
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Kelly is also one of the biggest style icons of the decade with bold, punk influences. Using her style to portray her uncaring attitude, and she is the true definition of what some may call a baddie. If you’re still not sold on Rico Nasty being a style goddess, check out her outfits from New York Fashion Week. Like her music, Rico Nasty’s style is unique and original, influenced by the music she listened to growing up such as Slipnot.
Rico Nasty is everything we crave in a female rap artist: intersectional feminism, fashion sense, and talent. A fresh and unique perspective in the rap industry and she constantly outdoes herself and while providing amazing content. Most people stereotype the rap genre and put it in a box, but Rico Nasty constantly breaks out of the stereotype and reinvents the genre.