OHFR? Rico Nasty Played The New Parish?

Baltimore rapper Rico Nasty stopped in Oakland for a show on her Monster Energy Outbreak Tour. The New Parish date unsurprisingly sold out to a crowd excited to see Rico play her saccharine spin on hip hop and rap. Many “Rico” inspired outfits and makeup appeared amongst the crowd–there was no shortage of sharply graphic eyeliner looks, blinged out sunglasses, chokers, mesh among the audience of mostly teenagers and college students. The anticipation noticeably grew as both levels of the New Parish filled up, with the crowd dancing to each song on the pre-show playlist, from Bay Area rap classics to hyperpop.

Everyone was already warmed up and ready to go by the time the opener CLIP got on stage, but her set took people to the next level. They enthusiastically danced along, and some throughout the crowd started rapping along to songs they recognized. CLIP set the tone for the evening, taking up the whole stage to hype up the crowd for Rico’s set, She expertly moved from high energy punk-influenced rap songs and to more mellow, slow tracks in her relatively slow set. Despite its brevity, it only contributed to the growing anticipation for Rico’s arrival onstage.

As soon as Rico got in front of the crowd, her outfit alone clued us in that this would be a night to remember. Her custom-made, spray-painted shorts read “Sugar Trap” in glowing pink and white paint, with a matching pink and black shirt that read “Black Punk.” Her clothing was a glorious physical manifestation of the genres her music encapsulates, and how perfectly they complement each other. To top off the look, she wore a custom embroidered, bejeweled tie in pink to match a custom black and pink crochet hat. It was one of a kind and screamed Rico with all her macho maximalism. She launched into the set with “OHFR,” rapping the lyrics with her distinct angsty confidence. The crowd erupted, screaming the lyrics back to her as she consumed the whole venue with her electric and eccentric stage presence. The uniqueness and impressive variety of her beats was on full display all night. From more hardcore, bass-thumping beats in songs like “Smack A Bitch” and “Black Punk,” she moved to more experimental songs like “Gotsta Get Paid” (my favorite of the night). The beat in “Gotsta Get Paid,” championing a cartoonish sound, reminds the listener of a hammer coming down on the head of an animated villain. It filled the venue and gave Rico’s experimental lyrics space to shine.

Rico undoubtedly has a special skill when it comes to connecting to the audience and filling up a venue with an undeniably angsty energy. Walking into this venue with my previous knowledge of her music and stage personality

, I knew she couldn’t disappoint, but I didn’t know it was going to be that spectacular. When I found my friends at the end of the show, the look on their faces told me that they too had just experienced a night they would not forget. One greeted me at the exit with a look of awe and excitement on her face, with no words to say except “DUDE, that was insane.” The whole journey home we blasted each of the songs she played, exclaiming to each other how amazing she was live. If Rico is ever playing near you, even if you don’t know a single song, go. You will not regret buying that ticket.