Rico Nasty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rico Nasty
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Rico Nasty in 2019
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly |
| Born | May 7, 1997 Largo, Maryland, U.S. |
| Origin | Prince George's County, Maryland, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | Atlantic |
Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly (born May 7, 1997), known as Rico Nasty, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She is from Prince George's County, Maryland.
Rico Nasty started releasing her own music in 2014, when she was in high school. By late 2017, she had released five mixtapes. She became popular locally with songs like "iCarly" and "Hey Arnold" on SoundCloud. In 2018, she became more widely known and signed with Atlantic Records. There, she released her sixth mixtape, Nasty (2018).
After that, she released a mixtape called Anger Management (2019) with her friend and producer Kenny Beats. Rico Nasty's first studio album, Nightmare Vacation, came out in December 2020. Her seventh mixtape, Las Ruinas, was released on July 22, 2022.
Contents
Early Life
Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly was born an only child. Her mother is Puerto Rican and her father is African-American. Her father, who was also a rapper, introduced her to rap music when she was young.
She grew up in different places, including Prince George's County, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.. When she was 11, her mother moved to Palmer Park, Maryland. Rico Nasty then went to a Baltimore boarding school for sixth grade.
Music Career
2014–2017: Starting Out
Rico Nasty began rapping in high school. She released her first mixtape, Summer's Eve (2014), when she was in tenth grade. After finishing high school, she focused on her music. She released two mixtapes in 2016: The Rico Story and Sugar Trap.
Rico Nasty became more known with her 2016 song "iCarly". It got over 500,000 views on YouTube in just a few months. She also released "Hey Arnold," which was later remixed with Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty. They worked together again in 2017 on "Mamacita" for The Fate of the Furious: The Album soundtrack.
In May 2017, Rico Nasty released her fourth mixtape, Tales of Tacobella. This mixtape showed her singing skills and was described as "otherworldly." In June 2017, her song "Poppin" quickly got over five million views on YouTube. This song was also featured on the HBO show Insecure.
Rico's fifth mixtape, Sugar Trap 2, came out in October 2017. It included a song with rapper Famous Dex. Rolling Stone magazine listed it as one of the best rap albums of 2017. Rico Nasty then went on her Sugar Trap Tour in late 2017.
2018–2019: Nasty and Anger Management
Rico Nasty got the attention of Atlantic Records and signed with them. She released her sixth mixtape, Nasty, in June 2018. This was her first major release with a record label. The mixtape was well-received by music critics.
In late July 2018, Rico Nasty started her own tour called The Nasty Tour. She performed in twenty-seven different places across North America over six weeks.
She released new songs like "Guap (LaLaLa)" in December 2019 and "Roof" in January 2019. In April 2019, Rico Nasty and producer Kenny Beats opened for singer Khalid on his Free Spirit World Tour. Rico Nasty was also featured on the cover of The Fader magazine in Summer 2018.
In April 2019, Rico Nasty and producer Kenny Beats surprised fans by releasing their mixtape, Anger Management. This mixtape received great reviews and is considered one of Rico Nasty's most successful releases. In April 2019, Rico Nasty performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival for the first time. She then went on her "Live in Europe" tour from May to July.
In June 2019, XXL magazine announced that Rico Nasty was part of their "XXL Freshman Class of 2019." She performed at New York Fashion Week in September 2019 and released the song "Fashion Week." Rico Nasty also performed at Rolling Loud in New York in October 2019.
2020: Nightmare Vacation
Rico Nasty sang the original song "My Little Alien" for the 2020 movie Scoob! in May 2020. In June 2020, she released "Dirty" for the soundtrack of the HBO show Insecure. On August 7, 2020, Rico Nasty was featured on the song "Aquí Yo Mando" with singer Kali Uchis.
On August 13, 2020, Rico Nasty released "iPhone" as the first song from her first studio album, Nightmare Vacation. She also announced a new makeup line with the brand Il Makiage. Rico Nasty was on the front cover of NME magazine in September 2020.
She released "Own It" as the second song from Nightmare Vacation on September 17. In October 2020, she became an ambassador for Rihanna's lingerie brand Savage X Fenty. She also appeared in the Savage X Fenty Show: Vol 2. Rico Nasty worked with children's TV character Hip Hop Harry and Atlantic Records to encourage people to vote in the 2020 United States presidential election.
She released "Don't Like Me" featuring rappers Don Toliver and Gucci Mane as the third song from Nightmare Vacation. In November 2020, "OHFR?" was released as the fourth song. Rico Nasty also shared the album's release date and cover. She released a video trailer for the album in November 2020. The album Nightmare Vacation was officially released on December 4, 2020, along with its fifth song, "STFU." In January 2021, Rico Nasty performed "OHFR?" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which was her first time on television.
2021–Present: Las Ruinas
On June 17, 2021, Rico Nasty talked with Little Bacon Bear for an interview presented by GRAMMY U. She shared details about her upcoming mixtape, saying it would have seven songs. She also mentioned that Dylan Brady from 100 gecs helped produce it, and it would feature Flo Milli and G Herbo.
In late 2021, Rico Nasty was the opening act for Playboi Carti's King Vamp Tour. During some shows, she faced challenges from the audience. She later shared on Twitter that she found these moments difficult.
Rico Nasty's second studio album, Las Ruinas, was released on July 22, 2022.
In 2024, Rico Nasty worked with German-Iraqi producer and DJ Boys Noize. She was featured on his song "Arintintin," which is part of his EP HVRDC0RE DR3AMZ.
Personal Life
When she was 18, Rico Nasty had a son named Cameron. This was during her last year of high school. As her music career grew, she quit her job as a hospital receptionist. Her manager, Malik Foxx, started buying equipment for her music. Rico Nasty has said that Foxx is a very important father figure for Cameron.
Discography
- Nightmare Vacation (2020)
- Las Ruinas (2022)
Filmography
Short Films
| Year | Title | Role | Publication | Director | Ref. |
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| 2019 | Countin' Up | Herself | The Fader | Orian Barki | |
| 2020 | Swipe Night | Tinder | Karena Evans | ||
| Savage X Fenty Show: Volume Two | Amazon Studios | Rihanna |
Concert Tours
Headlining
- The Sugar Trap Tour (2017)
- The Nasty Tour (2018)
- Live in Europe (2019)
Supporting
- Free Spirit World Tour (with Khalid and Kenny Beats) (2019)
- King Vamp Tour (with Playboi Carti) (2021)
- Blue Water Road Trip (with Kehlani) (2022)
