The Style of Sound: Rico Nasty’s Artistic Anatomy

While continuing to innovate the roles of females in hip-hop, sugar-trap princess Rico Nasty experiments with fashion just as much as music.

From the stage to the runway, The Style of Sound is a series that explores the intricate relationships forged between your favorite artists and their iconic fashion statements.

Written by Alany Rodriguez

Within each facet of her musical evolution, Rico Nasty embraces her eclectic, sharp-cut fashion sense like a second skin: her style jumps between street-wear, new wave, and avant-garde. This captivating unpredictability seamlessly mirrors her fearless personality. In an era of the internet overrun by generic influencers, Rico Nasty makes social media interesting again.

The 23-year-old Maryland native’s love for rapping bloomed in high school. Since then, the artist has cultivated a rule-bending career filled with the perfect mix of chaos, charisma, and creativity. Rico Nasty has released seven mixtapes, including the whimsical Tales of Tacobella and punk-rap piercing Anger Management created alongside producer Kenny Beats. On Aug. 13, she announced that her long-awaited debut album, Nightmare Vacation, was set to be released on Dec. 4.

At her core, the artist carries layers of personas. In an interview with AMPD Studios, she described her stage name, “Rico Nasty,” as a moment where “you’re confident… when you just get your fresh haircut, you got your fresh J’s on… you’re ready to go to the club.” Her Instagram reveals this side of her the most. In a video featuring a braggadocious snippet from Nightmare Vacation, Rico dances next to a purple Lamborghini wearing a street-style black crop top with orange and pink neon “Scary Spice”-style cargo pants and overlaying silver chains. The clip exhibits Rico Nasty in her natural habitat: comfortable, yet adventurous. Alternatively, she names her sweet alter-ego “Tacobella,” placing herself in a more vulnerable, yet fierce state. The mixtape Tales of Tacobella revealed a more reserved and feminine sound than her previous projects. Consequently, the Tacobella persona is easy to spot. Often posed in delicate lingerie, Rico's disclosure of this alter-ego heightened when she became an ambassador for Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty line. Most recently, Tacobella walked the runway for the second volume of the Savage X Fenty show on Amazon Prime.

During the Sugar Trap era of her career, Rico discussed how she was often inspired by her love for anime. The cover of her Sugar Trap 2 mixtape was an anime character dressed in bubblegum punk attire. The music video for “Key Lime OG,” intro track to Sugar Trap 2, reflected the rebellious Rico attitude. The rapper sported lime green hair styled with space buns, black school girl skirts, and classic black Converse to tie it altogether. Channeling the classic anime school girl, Rico shows off her playful character, as reflected in the off-the-wall tone of Sugar Trap 2. Whether dressed like a gothic rockstar or a plush princess, Rico builds an adrenaline-inducing environment, welcoming all walks of life.

In the summer of 2018, she released her sixth mixtape, Nasty, which explored late ‘90s/early 2000s R&B aesthetics with an empowering, angsty flair. Rico elevated the production within her artistry during this time. Stylistically, her fashion became more avant-garde, a step up from her original Hot Topic couture. The music video for “Pressing Me”placed her in a modern home dressed in small purple sunglasses, wearing a two-piece lavender outfit accessorized with giant triangle-shaped earrings. The outfit perfectly coincided with the song’s superior “cannot be bothered” mood. She further resurges the ‘90s fresh princess style of Hilary Banks using the staple black and white checkered blazer, but revitalizes the style by cropping it, leaving the pink tank underneath to scintillate. The oblong black sunglasses she has laying on her head are reminiscent of TLC’s blackout leather outfit at the 1996 Blockbuster Awards. Upon listening to the song, it would have been easy to dismiss the idea of an R&B-inspired appearance for the music video. But the beauty of Rico Nasty lies in her perpetual emphasis on expecting the unexpected.

New York Fashion Week 2019 marked a pivotal moment in Rico Nasty’s career and seamlessly infused her self-assuring sound with powerful struts. In February, she walked for Gypsy Sport, wearing a gothic-style chainmail bralette created for their Fall 2019 collection; in September, the musician performed for both Vfiles and Chromat as they unveiled their Spring 2020 collections. To celebrate her NYFW debut, Rico released a single, naturally titled “Fashion Week,” subsequently creating a music video documenting her experience in short clips. In true Rico form, she showed off her range with an assortment of outfits: a pearly-pink feathery dress and a futuristic purple latex ensemble. In the song, Rico pays homage to luxury designer brands, ranging from Maison Margiela to Fendi, and the music video radiates glamorous “Tacobella” energy. At her best, Rico nasty is the epitome of fashion.

From the beginning of her career to now, the 2019 XXL Freshman has polished her coarse artistic formulation into intricate perfection. Following the 100 gecs collab “IPHONE,” Rico released the second single from Nightmare Vacation, “Own It,” gifting her fans with a futuristic music video consisting of flamboyant art pieces styled by costume designer Aquiles Carmona. Each of the five scenes hosts a unique wardrobe that fuses elements from different Rico Nasty eras.

The song exudes confidence, and her opening scene outfit demonstrates it — Rico sharply poses with an acrylic stroller wearing a sheer yellow latex bodysuit and ski mask. Around her head are iridescent crystals that protrude in every direction. After this striking appearance, she tones it down to her roots by showing off an edgy 2000s punk look. Sporting a knitted bralette and garter chaps that flare out, the camera magnitizes towards her mouthguard, blinged out in black crystals. Her chin speaks for her with a hanging chain that spells out “nasty”. The most beautifully complex outfit she wears is a salute to her early Tales of Tacobella aesthetic. Rico robotically dances wearing an off-the-shoulder white blouse and lace-up gloves completed with a bay pink mermaid skirt. As a whole, the music video seeks to circumnavigate every one of Rico’s eras, making a strong statement and proving her ability to stand tall as she dominates every artistic mountain she climbs.

Since the start of her career, Rico Nasty has created a perfect cocktail of polarizing worlds. Whether it be because of her unmatched, raging sound or multi-faceted fashion statements, one thing is for certain: Rico Nasty stands alone in the hip-hop roster. She is able embody the styles of her fans’ favorite eras, but adds her own personal touch while simultaneously thinking light years ahead. Despite the grim skies of 2020, fans can trust that Rico Nasty will be a glimmering new sun on the bleak horizon.

AESTHETICSAfterglow ATXNovember 12, 2020alany rodriguez