Straight outta Prince George’s County, Maryland, Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly aka Rico Nasty, is one of the hardest female rappers on the scene, harkening back to the early days of gangsta rap of the ’80s and ’90s but mixed with punk sensibilities and straight ahead beats.
She began uploading original music while still in high school, starting with her first mixtape Summer’s Eve (2014) and following with The Rico Story (2016), Sugar Trap (2016), Tales of Tacobella (2017) and Sugar Trap 2 (2017) before signing to Atlantic Records.
Her breakthrough singles “Smack a Bitch” and “Poppin,” got the crowds going when she performed at festivals from Coachella to Rolling Loud, and on tours with artists like Playboi Carti and Kehlani.
Since the release of Lethal in 2025, she has headlined her own North American tour and recently she stepped into the Setlist studios to talk about what’s in her phone.
read more at: Setlist.fm
