Rico Nasty talks overcoming industry obstacles and trusting herself for third album 'Lethal' • Interview • DIY Magazine

Since shaking up the rap scene as a teenager over a decade ago, Rico Nasty - born Maria Kelly - has consistently embraced some level of defiance. Shifting between sugary trap-pop and searing rage rap, she evades confinement to any one genre while boasting a vibrant, eclectic visual identity. As such, Rico has held a top spot as an innovative voice within alternative music. However, time is the great revealer. Following the release of her 2022 record ‘Las Ruinas’, Rico recognised an unsettling stagnance which compelled her to ask herself: when is it time to grow up?

“I had to acknowledge that I’m ready to change, that I’m ready to move forward with things,” she explains, settling in on a Zoom call from her West Coast home. “The minute that I thought I might be a bit stuck, I worked really hard to get out of it.” This realisation would lead Rico to reconsider her entire persona, dismantling the character that she created to clarify the core components of herself and her artistry. This process, best described as a “reckoning”, is uncovered on her third album ‘LETHAL’. The title itself yields both a transformation and a declaration, reflecting the ferocity of the music while also encapsulating the maturation of Rico’s veracious energy. Dispelling the pressure to live up to her public identity, the project became a conduit for Rico to be who she is unapologetically.

“I feel like I don’t pay attention to the pressure anymore,” she nods. “As long as you’re making art that you like, it doesn’t really matter how fast people think you should be making it, or if something is better than the last thing.” She continues after a pause: “Art is subjective. There’s always going to be an era that someone loves more than the other, so I stopped taking it so personally.”

Guided by her intuition, Rico has found empowerment via the rollout of ‘LETHAL’ by maintaining confidence in the music irrespective of how it may be perceived. “I just know that I didn’t want to be something that I’m not,” Rico continues. “That was the biggest thing going into it. I had to put myself and my interests at the forefront. For this album, I didn’t tease music to see if people would like it. I liked it, so it’s gonna come out!”

Achieving this kind of self-assurance was no immediate task - it required learning about what she wants as an artist and adopting a better understanding of the industry around her. After years of releasing independent mixtapes including ‘Sugar Trap’ and ‘The Tales of Tacobella’, Rico made her label debut with ‘Nasty’ with Atlantic in 2018. Suddenly, she had to contend with an obligation to shift towards pop appeal, and the complexity of making music under a label amped up the pressure to conform. “In my earlier days, it wasn’t necessarily that easy because there was just a lot more happening, a lot more moving pieces that I don’t think I was fully educated in,” Rico admits. “It felt really good to learn about myself, what I want from people that work with me and what I want for the long run.”

“I had to put myself and my interests at the forefront.”

Treating this album like a reset button, she indulged in being creative at a steady pace while minimising the impact of expectations placed upon her. Essentially, finding herself going back to basics. “As blunt or boring as it may seem, I just made music the way that I used to. Not worrying about what’s trendy, trying to be something of the times or just being what people know me as. I feel like I approached this album as a new artist, really.”

While presenting as a “new artist” may sound intimidating, Rico hasn’t abandoned her roots in favour of a new direction. “I didn’t completely forget the things that made me who I am, I just fine-tuned them and cut off the extra fat,” she confirms. It’s an upheaval that was a long time coming. “I feel like I came into this world when I was a kid,” Rico says. “I was nineteen, so life has been a whirlwind. It’s always just been ‘what’s next?’ And I don’t want to live like that. It’s exhausting, constantly trying to fit in to be whatever people think you are. It’s definitely developed my frontal lobe. I woke up and was like, ‘wait a minute?!’ There are certain things that I have to take control of, little things within my personality and the things around me. I just thought ‘well, this isn’t going to benefit me five years from now.’”

For Rico, being at the mercy of label opinions also contributed to her sense of feeling stifled. Hoping to find a place that supported her alternative direction and offered more space to grow, Rico took a bold step and parted ways with her entire management team. Without those constraints, she was back to the autonomy held early in her career. “When you’re young and signed to a label, you trust people and they believe in you in the moment,” she reflects, “then opinions change, you change, things change. I don’t think [the labe] understood where I saw myself going. You have to take things into your own hands because if I’m not going to take myself seriously, who is? Looking back, you think ‘who the fuck told me to do that?! I can do better than that. I can be better than that!’”

“I gave myself permission to just be, and I wasn’t really worried about anything with the album. It felt like my own little world, and I haven’t felt that way about an album since ‘Sugar Trap’. It felt personal, all of the songs were intentional and fun to make. That’s very refreshing.”

Reflecting on the changes that she has endured throughout her twenties, she laughs. “I felt like I knew myself at 21. Then at 25 I was questioning everything. And then I hit 27 and I was like ‘oh, fuck’.” Through all of the chaos that comes with growing up, Rico has found stability in routine, liberation in saying no, and solace in not being ruled by her emotions. “Anybody that’s super young, please learn how to take control of your day. That shit will set you free,” she advises, in a nod to her younger self who she describes as “not chill, very reaction based”.

“You have to take things into your own hands because if I’m not going to take myself seriously, who is?”

While a significant amount of change came through her introspection and personal agency, professional milestones also provided catalysts. A performance with Paramore in 2023 not only introduced Rico to a new team but also led to her signing with Fueled By Ramen, ultimately opening her eyes to the potential of this new journey. “I was shocked that Hayley Williams even knew who I was,” she muses. “I remember having a conversation with her about how I found her music and what it meant to share the stage with her, even if it was for ten seconds.”

Rico’s encounter with Hayley was greater than just starstruck admiration (although it did warrant calling her mother immediately afterwards to share the big news); it was a profound revelation. “I realised that when I look at her career, it’s been so long and iconic, and she hasn’t had to play by any rules other than her own. The energy that she exudes on stage and in her music is the same. Just kind and loving. I thought to myself, ‘This is what it’s all about’. Preserving yourself and your personality, not letting things change you over time. It’s not about being in competition. It’s not about being the best. It’s not about having a million number ones. It’s literally just about whatever you make it.”

Rico carried these principles of preserving herself and her happiness throughout the making of ‘LETHAL’, especially with encouragement from her new label to remain true to herself. Taking the reins in the studio meant that the album could move freely in any direction. “They didn’t get on my project and then load me with an A&R or anything like that. They were just like, ‘alright, you have a clear vision of what you want.’ And they gave me all of this space to work with who I wanted and whatever I wanted.”

What does full creative freedom look like for Rico Nasty? A moment for herself. ‘LETHAL’ honours the journey of a multifaceted artist shedding skin and truly coming into her own. “‘Lethal’ to me has always meant cut-throat, deadly,” Rico shares. “And oh my god, that’s just how I felt. I had to stand up for myself, fight back. It’s all about power; being powerful, feeling powerful.” It’s a collection of killer range with Rico’s vision brought to life through live instruments, from the seething punk-rap sound of ‘SON OF A GUN’ and the heavy metal destruction of ‘SMOKE BREAK’, to gentle affirmations to her son in unexpectedly delicate closer ‘SMILE’. “I do feel things. I’m not invincible. I do care, and I love,” she notes. “I’m happy I got to put that side of myself in there. It’s pretty cute.”

‘LETHAL’ may be Rico’s most assertive offering yet, but she’s got a new lease on life - both personal and professional - expressing herself, prioritising self-care, and recognising that taking big leaps isn’t as scary as it may seem. Beautifully renewed, she shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. “If you’re tired of seeing my face, you’re gonna be so, so tired!” she laughs. “The next couple of years are gonna be very jam packed. This is who I am, and I’m really proud of that.”

‘LETHAL’ is out now via Fueled by Ramen / Parlophone.

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