From her unique sound to her eye-catching fashions and overall badass vibe, Rico Nasty, is one of the DMV‘s finest and has definitely made a mark on the industry.

As she approaches her 25th birthday on May 7., we had to take the opportunity to shout her out. Here are six reasons to love this Taurus superstar.

She invented "Sugar Trap"

To kick off this list, we have to touch on Rico Nasty’s definition of her sound: Sugar Trap.

“Sugar Trap is, ‘We got OG, we got powder, we got choppas and flowers,'” she said during an interview with DJ Vlad. “It’s just the blend, just the mixture of both. I love trap, I love trap music, but I’m too happy for that.”

“I can actually listen to Chief Keef and do my makeup bawm as f**k,” she continued. “But sometimes, when you getting dressed and s**t, you wanna make that bossy, ‘I think I’m cute as s**t’-music that you can just listen to around your roommate…when you with your b****es in the car smoking.”

So, Rico Nasty makes it a point to juxtapose raw trap vibes with lighter, bubblegum-y energy — making for a unique sound that brings its own flair to the table.

She's a style icon

It’s also worth mentioning that Sugar Trap isn’t just a musical genre, but it’s an entire lifestyle. Resultingly, it finds its way into some of Rico Nasty’s various style choices.

“There has to be a way to make room for high-energy fashion. Makeup, hair, creativity, nails — I wanna see all that s**t,” she said of her preference for eclectic styles.

However, don’t be fooled: this rapper is completely comfortable rocking a more punk rock-inspired aesthetic, garnering comparisons between her and Playboi Carti.

Her music's full of nostalgic TV references

Jumping back to her music, we have to acknowledge how she incorporates childhood TV favs into her music.

In fact, with whole songs dubbed “iCarly” and “Hey Arnold,” as well as other tracks like “Lala” and “Moves” that respectively contain SpongeBob SquarePants and Scooby Doo references, it’s safe to say that she’s committed to this vibe.

“You know me, I’m a colorful-ass b***h. I like cartoons and s**t. I’m a big-ass kid, so it just keeps popping up ’cause it’s a part of my life,” Rico Nasty said of her lyrics.

She isn't afraid to embrace angst

With hit songs like “Smack A Bitch” and “Rage,” it’s no secret that Rico Nasty makes plenty music that’s seemingly made to be screamed.

In fact, as Blavity previously reported, her 2019 Anger Management project can be seen as an “unapologetic exploration of her anger [that] highlights the feeling of anger as a healthy, self-liberating process.”

Angst is a natural feeling, and Rico Nasty wholeheartedly embraces it with her work — showing that we don’t have to shy away from expressing anger.

She's a XXL-certified hitmaker

Alongside Megan Thee Stallion and Tierra Whack, Rico Nasty made history through her incorporation into the 2019 XXL Freshman Class, which was the first year the publication featured more than one female rapper.

Rico Nasty went on to perform her cypher alongside fellow DMV rapper Cordae, as well as Blueface. It’s also worth acknowledging that Cordae shouted her out during his verse, showing that her talents are definitely being recognized at a major level!

She perseveres through hate

Another commendable aspect about Rico Nasty is that, in the face of hateful scrutiny, she held firm and rose above the disdain.

As Blavity previously reported, Rico Nasty faced a ton of unnecessary backlash during her time touring with Playboi Carti last year. However, Rico Nasty handled the hecklers by calling them out both onstage and online, showing that she won’t allow “anti-Black” Playboi Carti fans to get the best of her.

The “Sugar Trap” rapper also received an outpouring of support from other artists, and she has gone on to release more hits including “Money” and “Vaderz.”

 

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Happy birthday to Rico Nasty, a true Taurus queen!