SXSW 2019: Rap Reigns With Rico Nasty

On the South By Southwest introduction stage, dressed in a white mini-skirt, rap and trap queen, Rico Nasty is smoking a blunt with freshly painted pink nails.

The New York rapper spits street, drug and sex-laced lyrics as hard as anyone in the game. Since 2016, she has steadily released a string of banger anthems that have blown up online.

She is genuine and brash, unapologetic and feminine, and gives zero fucks about any haters.

“Yes, I am a girl,” Rico says. “Yes, I am going as hard as all of these motherfucking dudes are. Yes, I am loud. If you’re female, get some confidence from what I’m doing. I’m the representation of a lot of girls who don’t get love.”

References to “smacking a bitch” are woven throughout the more aggressive tracks. Though, she strides past the dime a dozen bars, with clever and funny lines consistently, "Time is precious, that's the only thing I try not to waste."

On stage, she is constantly smiling, dancing and enjoying the adoration of the crowd reaction to her songs.

She finds time in her set to thank the fellas for their enthusiastic moshing, but explains the next track is strictly for the women to go wild. Men step aside.

She has an effortless way of connecting with her audience. When you boil it down to basics, Rico is an extremely likeable person, that is talented and ambitious. If she follows the path of fellow rapper Cardi B, she may shortly find herself a household name.