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 โRicoโ inspired outfits and makeup appeared amongst the crowdโthere 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 Ricoโs set, She expertly moved fromย 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 Ricoโs arrival onstage.ย 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 โSugar Trapโ in glowing pink and white paint, with a matching pink and black shirt that read โBlack Punk.โ 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,ย 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 setย with โOHFR,โ 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-thumpingย beats in songs like โSmack A Bitchโ and โBlack Punk,โ she moved to more experimental songs like โGotsta Get Paidโ (my favorite of the night). The beat in โGotsta Get Paid,โ 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 Ricoโs experimental lyrics space to shine.ย 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 couldnโt disappoint, but I didnโt 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 experiencedย 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 โDUDE, that was insane.โ 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 donโt know a single song, go. You will not regret buying that ticket.ย ย ย ย Article and Photos by Lucy Gleeson Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Δ