Rico Nasty Releases Rap-Rock Album ‘LETHAL’

If there’s one thing Rico Nasty refuses to do, it’s be boxed in. So, when the Maryland rapper teased that she had her most “liberating” project yet on the way back in February, fans were excited. Now, the wait is finally over: LETHAL dropped on Friday (May 16) at midnight.

The album opens with “WHO WANT IT,” on which Rico Nasty finds herself “way up in the mountains” and daring anyone to challenge her, much like the track’s title suggests. From there, it segues into “TEETHSUCKER (YEAH3x)” and “ON THE LOW,” two promising records that listeners were treated to in advance.

To fans’ pleasant surprise, the musician experiments quite a lot on the 15-song effort. “PINK,” for instance, leans slightly into hyperpop territory while staying faithful to her alt-rap roots. Then there’s “SMILE,” which is a notably slower cut. However, if there’s one genre that is very prevalent on the LP, it’s rock.

Rock Is More Prevalent Than Ever In Rico Nasty’s Music On ‘LETHAL’

Two tracks in particular, “SON OF A GUN” and “SMOKE BREAK,” really crank up the rock energy. On the latter, she screams, “I don’t want nothing, I don’t have nothing / I don’t need nothing, get the f**k away.” The sonic direction makes perfect sense considering that LETHAL was released via Fueled By Ramen, home to Fall Out Boy and twenty one pilots.

Not only that, but Imad Royal, who’s known for his work with Doja Cat and alternative acts like Panic! At the Disco, is credited as a producer on all 15 of LETHAL’s songs. Before the project’s release, Rico Nasty opened up to Rolling Stone about working with the beatmaker.

“At first, I’m not gonna lie, I was like, ‘Bro, this n**ga hates me. He literally hates me,’” she joked in regard to him insisting they record just one song per day. “Then I had this realization. I made ‘BUTTERFLY KISSES,’ ‘SAY WE DID’ and ‘ON THE LOW.’ Those are all one-song sessions. I made the songs, and I left the studio. And do you know how liberating that is?”