By Sean Leonard
Staff Writer
Hip-hop artist Rico Nasty performed as a part of the College Union Board’s (CUB) “On Your Campus Virtual Tour” on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 9 p.m. Rico Nasty blends a unique style of hip-hop with her self-described “sugar trap” genre. The show lasted about 45 minutes, followed by a brief Q&A session.
Surrounded by dim purple lights, cobwebs and skeletons, Rico wore a leopard print fedora on top of bright orange hair and sat in front of her large microphone for the whole show. The audience enthusiastically interacted with each other through the chat section of the viewing room, which was active for the entire show.
Sophomore communications major Cassie Malnick watched the show as a casual fan, but she said she wants to get more into Rico Nasty’s music after listening.
“When I first read the show was virtual, I imagined it was gonna be her on a Zoom call in her bedroom rapping to the camera. It was a funny image, but the real show was more professional with the setup and lighting like a real concert,” Malnick said.
Sophomore accounting major Nicole Lange said she enjoyed the chat feature because it allowed her to meet people she has never spoken to before, but said that the setup was unexpected for a virtual concert.
“I don’t know why, but when I thought of the performance, I thought she was gonna be dancing and moving around, but I liked the chill environment,” Lange said.
Malnick also said she liked the setup, which felt different from a normal Zoom call. She said she was surprised by Rico’s quiet and timid personality following the show, considering her outspoken attitude as an artist.
“It was almost more intimate than a concert because there was no screaming crowd, just Rico and the mic. ... The only downside was that she couldn’t hear us and we couldn’t cheer for her,” Malnick said.
Rico Nasty is well known for her feature on Doja Cat’s “Tia Tamera,” and Malnick said it was exciting to also hear her perform the 100 gecs remix “Ringtone” because it is not on Rico Nasty’s album. The tracklist also included “Popstar,” “Countin’ Up,” “Lightning,” “Guap (LaLaLa),” “Time Flies” and “Poppin.”
In the Q&A session following the performance, Rico Nasty revealed that superstar Rihanna is her biggest inspiration, and her favorite collaboration is in an upcoming song with rappers Don Toliver and Gucci Mane.
“I liked a piece of advice she gave during it, which was to go to your closet every day and pick out clothes that speak to you, even if they don’t match, and by the end of the week you’ll have a new sense of style,” Malnick said.
For anyone who missed out on this event, future live shows can be accessed through LoopedLive.com. Students should create an account using their email address from the College and then use this link to reserve a spot for all of the shows. The remaining shows will also be on Wednesdays at 9 p.m., and the artists include Jonathan Van Ness on Oct. 28 and Chloe Fineman on Nov. 4.
