When a teenage Rico Nasty started making music in 2014, amid the raging Soundcloud era led by an emerging Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty, the context for her rager music was very different than it is today. Throughout the early parts of her career, as she was breakout dropping projects that introduced the rap/rock hybrid star to the masses, like Sugar Trap (2016) and Tales Of Tacobella (2017,) the issues of the day were not as much of a concern as she made music from a more complimentary place at the time.

“Originally, when my music was made, I was not thinking about that. I'm going to be fully transparent of that. I wasn't fully aware of–  well, it wasn't as bad (laughs).  Let's just start there. Low-key, when the rager stuff started out we kind of had rights taken away slowly, little by little,” said Rico when asked who the rage in her music speaks to amid the misogynistic wave of the second Trump administration.

Now 27, as the maturing Rico is on the verge of releasing her forthcoming album Lethal in May, she says her music in these dire times for women speaks to the ones who choose to step into their power and make their own choices for their lives without male validation. However, with the expedient rate at which President Trump and the GOP-led Supreme Court, House of Representatives, and Congress are impacting laws and shifting norms so brazenly, she is rightfully concerned about her and her peers' freedom of speech regarding hip hop.

“If there was ever a time to withhold your body and step into the power that you do have by the decisions that you make, I think that I make music for the soundtrack to it now, knowing what that is and what that looks like for us. Now more than ever, we really just need people who don't give a fuck about male approval. When it comes to your life and the choices that you make, I think that they should be choices that you stand beside and not choices that you make for approval. I made music for the girls who look at life like that. I'm scared of this government for real, and we all should be. So we gotta make sure we're saying the things we need to say before we can't speak at all and it becomes illegal to be a female rapper (laughs),” she added.

In this tumultuous era, Rico stands amongst a generation of women rappers who are not only growing into women from when they started in the past decade but are stepping into their power. Mentioning dominant women like Megan Thee Stallion, Glorilla, Sexxy Red, and Grammy-winning rapper Doechii, she says another renaissance of outspoken women is on the horizon.

“We might see another renaissance of all the female artists that you know and love step into their womanhood. A lot of us were 19 when we were discovered, so be prepared for a lot of changes. We're growing, and it's unhealthy to be the same person from 19 to 30. I do think we are going to see a lot more women speaking about what it is actually like being in this industry, and it's exciting. It might be one song on an album, or three, or two. It doesn't matter, as long as they give us a little glimpse of it. I'm okay with that,” said Rico.

It’s why this particular Women’s History Month is urgent for the rapper born Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly. She and her mother often discuss not only how Rico’s mom and grandmother growing up had more rights than Rico’s generation does today but how they are witnessing the erasure of Black women’s contributions and Women’s History Month by the current administration. To Rico, this is the year it should be celebrated as much as possible before it's too late.

“This Women's History Month, we should celebrate it as much as we can. This year, specifically because, as we can all see on the news, they're trying to get rid of any month that brings people pride in themselves, the things that they stand for, their history, and their culture. They're trying to get rid of it. So celebrate it and celebrate the people that you love, celebrate the women in your life, because maybe next year, we won't have something like this,” she warns.

Rico honors the Black women singers and rappers who influenced her style to her electrifying performances, such as TLC, Beyonce, Tina Turner, and Whitney Houston. She fondly remembers seeing Tina Turner’s live performances on a DVD her mom’s friend brought to her one night and being captivated by how dominant her stage presence was as a solo artist. She and Whitney spoke to her the most because, in her eyes, they were women who found their power in being and did not care about what the male-dominated mainstream society thought of the choices they made for themselves as women, despite their separate adversities.

“I remember seeing Tina Turner perform live and just being like, what the f-ck? She's just so strong, oh my god, she’s not taking no shit. And then obviously knowing what happened to her in her real life, seeing her portray such strength on stage is I think that's one of the most inspiring people to me. I love Tina Turner and I really love Whitney Houston. I love Whitney Houston's live performances. Those are women who I also feel like got a lot of shit for being themselves. And I wish I could hug them because they really did set the bar and set the standard for not caring and just living and just being,” said Rico.

To Rico, to be able to “just be” is what it means to be a powerful woman right now.

“I feel like it means ‘just being’.  A lot of times, women are– there are so many different things that people tell us we should be. So I think the most powerful thing you can do is just be. Be yourself. Be loving, be forgiving, be powerful. Be fearless, be unapologetic."

By her account, her approach to writing from such a vulnerable place on Lethal was her taking a step back, living her life, processing her experiences, and then talking about them. Whatever she felt at the moment, whether she felt cocky, excited, or reflective, she took her time and recorded a song a day for Lethal, working with intention. 

To get to this point, Rico had to go through some growing pains. She admits to spending a lot of her career not caring about what people thought of her behavior. As she matured, she realized the importance of not only having people in her corner who aren’t afraid of being honest with her but also why she should care how she makes the people around her feel.

“Through this album, I did realize maybe you're not hot shit like you think you are. I think I went to this phase where I was like, “I don't give a fuck. I don't care.” It's okay to care about stuff, and it's okay to apologize when you're wrong. That's grown,” said Rico when revealing that someone once told her attitude was very inconsiderate towards the people she would tour with.

“I had to take that and be like, You know what? I am inconsiderate. Why am I inconsiderate? Because I'm unhappy with things that you cannot see because you just see the show part. I'm dealing with all the other shit in the background. But do you deserve to have that taken out on you? No, you deserve for me to treat you with the energy that you treat me with. And that takes a lot of growth,” admits the “Teethsucker (Yea3X)” rapper.

Vulnerable songs like “Can’t Win Them All” testify to the loss that came with the growth and change she’s experienced since her last album, Las Ruinas.

“I dealt with a lot of loss, not like anybody died, or anything like that, but just loss and growing, and I miss my old friends, but I know that I'm so far removed that me and them probably wouldn't even enjoy the same things. But I do miss them, and I do cherish the moments we had,” said Rico

Rico’s mother, who she describes as a “God-fearing” woman who knew she was destined to find her path in the arts, was a major catalyst for her newfound self-reflection. As her career progressed and Rico accomplished a major goal for herself, Rico wasn’t always satisfied. “What the fuck are we clapping for? This is bullshit,” she would recall saying as she would still feel unfulfilled taking her career so far since high school. In addition to watching Rico get called out over tweets on Twitter from at least two years ago, Rico’s mom clarified her.

“She literally saw me achieve so many goals, and then she comes to me, she's like, “What is wrong with you? Like, why are you not, like, happy or proud of yourself, or just like, any of it?” And it's because I felt like I was too focused on everything else that I couldn't even play the game and act like, “Oh no, it's okay.”

Some of the things I would say and how I would say them. The last time I was actively on Twitter was about two years ago. And I can honestly say some of the stuff that I would say was very insensitive, especially when people would try to call me out. My mom was there for me in a way where she was just like, that person who's not afraid to tell you that you're wrong. She's always gonna keep me in check,” said Rico.

Rico’s new album, Lethal, is a fun, cathartic, and emotionally layered reflection of the musical and personal growth and development the Maryland native has undergone after all these years. Songs like “PINK” and “Eat Me” are exciting, unapologetic love letters to her femininity and being a “girl’s girl” with her signature attitude that captured her fans today. At the same time, her lead singles “Teethsucker (Yea3X) and “Smoke Break” take her rockstar sensibilities and turn those to another level. But, above, “Can’t Win ‘Em All” and “Smile”  are deeper songs that bring fans to the more vulnerable parts of Rico’s new story.

Sonically, Lethal is a complete display of her rapping, singing, and rockstar attitude, evident in her most cohesive work today. As she gears up to deliver the most music videos she’s ever created for an album, with her next single, “On The Low,” on the way, she encourages listeners to take her new album and make it feel powerful.

“What I want people to take away from the album is to take it however you want, use it to your advantage. Use it to feel powerful. Use it to curse people out. Use it to feel on top of the world, and don't use it to do bad stuff. Use the powers for good ladies,” said Rico.

Rico also offers some hard but honest advice to young Black girls who aspire to make their mark in the world as she has throughout her career. And that is to be prepared to be overlooked, miscounted and especially feared.

“Be prepared for people to sit there and act like they don't know what you've done. Be prepared for people to act like you're invisible, and act oblivious and be prepared to maybe even end up in a situation where someone else gets all of the credit for the shit you've done. That's in every field. You're not ready for success if you're not ready for that. And be ready for people to act like they're the reason why you're there. And if you can't get over that, if you can't handle a person that might have been your right hand completely switching on you for some money, maybe this is the wrong field for you. If you want to be successful and you want to be powerful, and you want to be on top of your shit, be prepared for people to not like you, just because. And be prepared for people to be afraid of you,” warns Rico.

Despite such uniquely harrowing adversity, Rico still encourages young women and girls to never be afraid to speak up for themselves and to be prepared for the long road ahead, as these challenges are pervasive at every age in life. As they continue traveling down their long journeys ahead with the world afraid of them, they should also keep the people around them who will call them out when need be.

“They're already scared of us. What's the worst they going to say? It can't be worse than the shit I've seen on the internet. That's what I want to tell the younger generation. If you're gonna come in guns blazing, make sure you got ammunition because it's a long game that's being played. It doesn't matter what age you're gonna go through those types of things. So I would just be mindful of that, and keep people around you that you don't care if they tell you that you look crazy. Don't keep yes men around you. Keep those people around you even when you hate to hear it,” she encourages.