MUSIC

Rico Nasty Show Us How She Works and Plays "Hard"

It's one of the Maryland rapper's many new singles of the year.

Photo by: arstyy / Unsplash

As long as she's been recording music, Rico Nasty has found her success in not caring what others think of her.

On the heels of April's Anger Management mixtape and her cameo in the music video for the world's favorite country-rap crossover hit, "Old Town Road," the Maryland rapper is celebrating her momentum. She's inimitably feisty, relentlessly angry, and most of all, dedicated to the hustle. Or, in her words, she goes "Hard," the title of her latest single.

Rico Nasty - Hard [Official Video]www.youtube.com

In this context, "Hard" describes many things Rico exemplifies in the wake of her accomplishments: her work ethic, her marijuana, her set of wheels, and—ahem—something a little more X-rated. Her unmistakably gravelly voice feels as unrestricted as ever, joyous with pride in her own "started from the bottom, now we're here" prose. "How the f**k did I get rich when I was just poor? / All of these blessings, I'm thankin' the lord," Rico boasts with gratitude, though she knows her fame wasn't a total accident: "I work hard so I get to play hard." Entirely unbothered by the haters, "Hard" sees Rico reveling in a plethora of material acquisitions—designer duds, heavy chains, men who "dig [her] like a graveyard"—but the most rewarding matter is knowing that she got here all by herself.

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