One of the standouts from ScHoolboy Q’s new album, Blue Lips. Put some respect on Rico’s name.
Rico Nasty & Boys Noize – “Arintintin” (Video)
As shared via press release:
After teasing the collab of the year earlier this month, American rapper, songwriter, fashion trailblazer and visionary Rico Nasty and German-Iraqi artist, DJ, producer and subcultural oracle Boys Noize are today dropping their debut single, “Arintintin” and revealing details of their new project in detail for the first time. The queen of versatility has added a new genre to her oeuvre and the pair will unleash their dance/techno-clash EP HARDC0RE DR3AMZ onto the world March 29th.
The bond between the two artists is undeniable. Their previous collaboration on Rico Nasty’s “Money” ft Flo MIlli and Boys Noize’s “Girl Crush” are evident of that. However, their recent reconnection offers a more eclectic and celebratory experience – one that will defy genre, expectation and creative boundaries. “Arintintin” is a display of pent up energy as it surges through higher BPMs and aughties-style hedonism and is only a taste of what’s to come from the duo.
Rico Nasty and Boys Noize premiered the project for the first time last night with an exclusive show at the world famous Silencio Club in Paris. They will also perform these explosive songs for Berlin crowds on March 2nd at Trauma Bar.
“Arintintin” kicks off with a Y2K electro bassline at hardcore speed as the sticky-staccato of the distortion-washed hook is introduced. Rico Nasty carries her memetic sing-(or-shout)-a-long cadence over a rollercoaster of builds and drops, each of which seems to rise in intensity. While “Arintintin” matches tempo with the hi-NRG and trance revival currently dominating clubland, Rico Nasty and Boys Noize inject a punk brashness needed to shake up the #technotok tourists. Besides, if the naughty aughties are back, someone has to start the mosh pit.
Rico Nasty tells us…. “Me and Boys Noize started working back in 2018… We finally met in real life after being mutuals for like a year. We did one session, it was fire! And then a few months later ended up on the Friendship Cruise together (for the first time). After the cruise, we made “Money (feat. Flomilli)” and “1+1″ – a song you’ll hear very soon on this project. Fast forward again, maybe 3-4 years, and we did a couple more sessions. We kept gravitating towards techno dance music. He started putting me on to German dance music, and we traded a bunch of songs back and forth. Little by little over a few days, we ended up making three more songs that we really loved and decided we wanted to share with the world. Every session was so much fun and I’m sure that energy is felt across all of these tracks. One of my favorite songs on the project is… all of them. That’s why she is so short!! Talk to you later and see you guys soon.”
Rico Nasty & Boys Noize – “Arintintin” (Teaser)
Rico Nasty – “Freak” (Video)
Rico Nasty flips a Missy Elliott classic for her latest. Shot by Spudds McKenzie.
The 25 Best D.C. Area Albums Of 2022: #25-#21
Another year, another list of the dopest albums that we’ve heard from D.C. and Baltimore area artists over the past 12 months. In 2021, we capped said list at 20 — this go ’round, we’re adding five more in an attempt to better capture the awesomeness that hit our collective ears in what feels like a return to some semblance of normalcy post-quarantine. With that said, JUKEBOX:DC is excited to provide you with 2022’s musical cream of the crop (in no particular order):
#25: YG Teck – 90 Day Run (STREAM)
After delivering the well-received Undeniable and its deluxe upgrade in 2021, YG Teck continued his momentum with last April’s 90 Day Run, a hard-hitting, soul-bearing effort with assists from the likes of YBS Skola and Roddy Rackzz. This album is the type of multilayered talent that’s solidified Baltimore as a true hotspot for hip hop, and we look forward to seeing how Teck continues his ascent moving forward.
VIDEOS:
#24: Young Moe – Real One (STREAM)
We’ve been fortunate to witness Young Moe’s career from his inception, and it’s amazing to see the Virginian continue to deliver quality releases in the present day. On Real One, he finds a way to merge his signature formula with some of the current styles made popular by this area’s new generation of artists. Add in fellow heavyweights like Shy Glizzy, Chris Bo (!), and Fat Trel, and you have a body of work that’s sure to get bump well into the future.
VIDEOS:
#23: Rico Nasty – Las Ruinas (STREAM)
Let’s be clear, Rico Nasty has been pushing the boundaries of DMV music and culture damn near by herself. Following her official debut LP Nightmare Vacation, the P.G. County star kept the proverbial train rolling with Las Ruinas, a project full of the avant-garde raps and genre-bending vibes that’s pushed the XXL Freshman alum to the forefront of hip hop’s current generation. Notables like Teezo Touchdown and Marshmello also contributed to Rico’s most recent effort.
VIDEOS:
#22: A$AP Ant – Lil Black Jean Jacket 3 (STREAM)
As an already pivotal member of A$AP Mob, the past few years or so have seen A$AP Ant continuing his creative run as both a formidable solo artist and as the head honcho of the Maryland-based Marino Infantry collective, an entity known as much for its merch tours as it is for its music. As such, the Baltimore talent put his all into the third installment of his Lil Black Jean Jacket series, complete with contributions from fellow Mob members Rocky and Twelvyy. Other heavyweights like Larry June and Curren$y also helped to make this one of 2021 most solid releases.
VIDEOS:
#21: Big Flock – 1 Lick Away (STREAM)
Since his release from prison back in 2019, Big Flock has quickly returned to form as one of the most electrifying rappers in the DMV, and 2021 might have been his most important year to date. First (for the purposes of this list) is the 15-song 1 Lick Away, which saw the Maryland emcee carrying an entire project without the need for a feature. Not done with his annual output, Flock then celebrated his birthday with a Side B upgrade of the aforementioned release. Add in November’s The Lemon Made Me Do It with WhoppV3 and you have what might be the most prolific talent from the DMV right now.
VIDEOS:
Megan Thee Stallion Feat. Rico Nasty – “Scary”
Produced by Avedon and taken from Meg’s new album Traumazine. You can stream that in full here.
Rico Nasty – ‘Las Ruinas’ (Stream)
DMV frontrunner Rico Nasty is back with her new project Las Ruinas, complete with 17 tracks and additional features from Bktherula, Teezo Touchdown, Marshmello, and Fred again.. Stream in full below.
Rico Nasty – “Skullflower” (Video)
Shot by Marco Alexander and taken from Las Ruinas, out July 22nd.
Rico Nasty – “Black Punk” (Video)
Directed by Rico and Marco Alexander. Las Ruinas drops July 22.
Rico Nasty Feat. Bktherula – “Vaderz” (Video)
Live from Los Angeles. Check out come new heat from Rico Nasty above.
Duke Deuce Feat. Rico Nasty – “Falling Off” (Video)
Imagine seeing these two performing this on stage. Check out Duke Deuce and (DMV’s own) Rico Nasty’s new collaboration.
Rico Nasty Feat. Flo Milli – “Money” (Video)
Produced by Boys Noize and directed by Roxana Baldovin.
NPR’s ‘The Formula’: “How Rico Nasty And Kenny Beats Became The Loudest Duo In Rap”
Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats make one of the unlikeliest duos in rap. It started with one impromptu studio session and one primal scream.
In April 2019, Rico Nasty and producer Kenny Beats released the joint mixtape Anger Management. Concocted to sound like a temper tantrum from start to finish, it was the culmination of a nearly two-year run in which they’d effectively become the loudest, unlikeliest duo in rap.
In this week’s episode of The Formula, the first of a new season that digs into the collaboration between rappers and producers, we sit down with each of them in their respective cities — Rico at a performance space she frequents in the DMV; Kenny at his home studio in L.A. — to talk about their genre-bending discography and how it remade Rico into rap’s raging queen of scream. They lay the groundwork by recalling the making of their signature anthem, “Smack A B****,” a song recorded in their first impromptu studio session when Rico was still in the process of finding her voice in an industry brewing with frenemies and rival beefs. From there, they dissect “Sellout,” the vulnerable, penultimate track from Anger Management, an album inspired in part by psychologist Arthur Janov’s classic therapy tome, “The Primal Scream.”
The sound they achieved would become synonymous with the emerging image of Rico Nasty as a sonic rebel while simultaneously making a lane for the outcasts and weirdos who saw themselves reflected in Rico’s punk stance. Beyond Kenny’s essential beats, Rico credits him for being the kind of producer who valued her voice, figuratively and quite literally. That trust has enabled her to grow into an artist who controls her studio sessions with confidence today, even in a game where the men in power constantly feel obliged to tell the women what to do.
Together, they’re a reminder that even the wildest experimentalists rely on collaborators they trust to let it all flow.
BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher with Erica Banks, Fivio Foreign, Sleepy Hallow & Rico Nasty (Video)
Of course, you know Rico Nasty more than held her own during one of this year’s standout cyphers. Check it out in full here.
Photo credit: The1point8/Carlos Gonzalez/BET
Rico Nasty Reveals Five Unreleased Tracks
Fans can now press play on the tracks “Switch Places,” “How Ya Feel,” “Cotton Candy,” “Grow Up,” and “Show Me Your Love.” Reeeaaaalllly hoping that Rx is still on the way, but this would definitely hold us off.
Rico Nasty – “Buss” (Video)
Shot by Spudds McKenzie. Hopefully, the release of Rx is close.
Rico Nasty Crowns Best Live Performer For “Complex Brackets” (Video)
With festival season upon us, Rico Nasty chooses the best live performer in hip-hop right now—from Tyler and Trippie to Cardi and Nicki.
Rico Nasty – “Buss”
Rx is said to be on the way — given that summer will soon be over, we’re hoping that the project arrives soon. In the meantime, check out Rico Nasty’s latest below.
Frequency Sunday Dinner: DMV (Feat. Rico Nasty, Ari Lennox, Big G, Pusha T & DJ Domo) (Video)
Courtesy of Spotify:
This documentary film is a celebration of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) and the Black artists driving music culture forward.
Over dinner from KitchenCray and Ohhs & Ahhs, we gathered Rico Nasty (PG County, MD), Ari Lennox (DC), Backyard Band’s Anwan ‘Big G’ Glover (DC), Pusha T (Virginia Beach, VA) and hosted by Spotify’s Black music editor, Domo Wells (Glenarden, MD).
Frequency’s Ripple Effect playlist series uplifts Black Artists from a regional scope to amplify their cultural power and value beyond their cities.