Rico Nasty’s debut album largely lives up to the hype and shows the promise of an artist on the rise Music Critic Ben Forsdick argues
Over the course of the last few years, Rico Nasty has fast become one of the most exciting artists of the current wave of trap rappers. Numerous EPs, mixtapes and some significant industry backing, in the form of a collaboration with Kenny Beats, have established Rico within the wider scene; and singles like ‘Poppin’’ and ‘Smack a Bitch’ have only furthered Rico’s reputation for creating bold and upfront trap bangers. Throughout 2020, Rico has teased towards her debut album with exceptional singles like ‘iPhone’ and ‘OHFR.’ Given all this, Nightmare Vacation has been one of the most highly anticipated hip hop releases of this year.
Despite the success of projects like Anger Management and Nasty, past releases have largely seen Rico searching for a sound that goes beyond the aggression of her vocal delivery. From very early on in her career, it has been obvious that Rico is in her element when performing in this abrasive style; one that features heavily on Nightmare Vacation. Thus, the uncertainty going into this album was largely underpinned by Rico’s versatility, or lack thereof on previous projects. While a straightforward set of hard-hitting ragers would probably have been an entertaining listen, it was obvious that for a Rico album to work, she needed to bring more to a project of this length. For what it’s worth, this is exactly the type of record Rico should be releasing. It needs ironing out, but if this is the level we can expect from Rico in the future, then there is good reason to anticipate something significant somewhere down the line.
Nightmare Vacation goes so much harder than one might expect
The album opens with ‘Candy’ and while this is a typical Rico track, the immediacy of the forcefulness behind the vocal delivery is dripping with intensity, setting up for what is an unsurprisingly upfront record. Nightmare Vacation goes so much harder than one might expect. When this album goes, it really goes. As the song progresses, Rico repeatedly asks the listener ‘Can you feel me?’ and each repetition of this line ramps the track up, as the vocals gradually become more and more distorted. Despite the variety of material on this record, Candy is just one of the tracks that succeeds through its extremity. ‘STFU’ is a fairly straightforward cut, but it once again exemplifies the searing heat of Rico’s vocals on an aesthetic that she has essentially nailed at this stage. ‘Let It Out’ is the most aggressive track on the record and it is the heaviest track Rico has ever recorded. The flows are franticly interspersed over a supremely chaotic beat, which is fairly disjoint for an artist operating within the mainstream. ‘Let It Out’ is one of a few moments to feature production from Laura Les and Dylan Brady of 100 Gecs. Their inclusion on this record was a bold call but these contributions universally pay off.
Dylan contributes production to lead single ‘iPhone’ and while the abrasiveness is still present, this is a change of pace for Rico. The deafening hyperpop percussion and pitch adjusted vocals sound closer to a Dorian Electra single than the aggression of songs like ‘Smack a Bitch,’ but Rico brings the song together in a way that feels completely natural to her. It is a hugely expansive song for just two and a half minutes of music. Further to ‘iPhone,’ Dylan and Laura return again on the track ‘Pussy Poppin’.’ Rico turns the obsceneness of the lyrics on this track up a notch and the result is a moment on this album that is outrageous and enjoyable in equal measure.
The stylistic variety on this record continues onto some of the more restrained cuts and these are the moments that occasionally need ironing out, even if Rico is sounding increasingly comfortable with this sound. ‘No Debate’ is an exceptional pop-trap song which proves that Rico does have technical abilities as a rapper. The flows on this track are effortlessly smooth and it is not a one-off. The track ‘OHFR’ features more of this accessible delivery style and ‘Own it’ is a further example of how Rico is capable of branching into somewhat newer territories. Despite the successes of these tracks, they are not universally successful, although in Rico’s defence, it is largely the fault of her collaborators.
The features on Nightmare Vacation are mostly terrible, to such a degree that they significantly devalue the track-listing. Gucci Mane and Trippie Redd both guest on this record and neither have any chemistry with Rico. Gucci Mane’s feature is fine as an isolated performance but sounds out of place; indeed, Rico herself sounds a bit lost on ‘Don’t Like Me.’ Trippie Redd’s feature on the track ‘Losers’ is near disastrous, with neither Trippie nor Rico sounding like they actually want the track to exist. Aminé does provide a much better series of verses on the track ‘Back and Forth,’ but bizarrely, he seems to be the primary performer on the song. Rico barely features, and the result is a decent enough track, but one that breaks up the flow of this record.
Nightmare Vacation is not far from being a fantastic record, but it lacks overall consistency
However, it is important not to dwell on some of these moments because Rico is still finding her sound. The key thing she needs is refinement. These weaker moments need trimming and the successful moments fleshing out. Nightmare Vacation is not far from being a fantastic record, but it lacks overall consistency. Additionally, some of the features on this record do work better than others. As mentioned, the 100 Gecs collaborations are excellent and the Kenny Beats produced ‘Smack a Bitch’ returns towards the end of this record with a newly remixed series of verses from a far better selection of collaborators that Trippie and Gucci Mane.
With this is mind, Nightmare Vacation is largely the record it was being hyped up to be. Of course, there are some questionable moments but given the sonic variety that Rico aims for, the vast majority of these sounds come together in a highly admirable way. The overarching takeaway from Nightmare Vacation should not be the quality of the record itself, but the potential for quality on future Rico Nasty releases.
Rating: 7/10
Nightmare Vacation is available now via Sugar Trap/ Atlantic
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