Rico Nasty, the 'strong Black woman' trope and how you get your power back

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4.3 • 3.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 May 2023

⏱️ 52 minutes

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Summary

Rico Nasty's music creates a haven for heavy emotions. And in a world that paints Black girls showing any emotion as too much, having a place to release anger and anxiety is essential. But when Rico joined the 2021 Playboi Carti tour, his fans harassed her repeatedly and that safety was stripped away. On this episode of Louder Than A Riot, we talk with Rico about keeping a brave face, hear from a fan who was there in the crowd, and ask: When the outlet for your anger is shut down, how do you get your power back?

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everybody from NPR Music, I'm Robin Hilton with the next installment of Our Louder Than a Riot Podcast.
0:05.6	The second season of the series digs into the unwritten rules of rap and the rural breakers who refuse to play nice.
0:12.7	On this episode, the latter team takes a look at fandom as community.
0:17.6	Fans of rapper Rico Nasty call themselves Nasty Mob and they turn her shows into safe spaces for black curls,
0:24.8	especially to mosh, scream, rage, and not feel alone.
0:29.4	But when Rico Nasty was harassed repeatedly on stage, when she went on tour with Playboy Cardi in 2021,
0:36.4	this feeling of safety was stripped away from them.
0:39.8	In this episode, you'll hear Rico recount what she was feeling on that tour,
0:44.6	what Nasty Mob members felt being in the crowd for those shows,
0:47.9	and how their mistreatment connects to the strong black woman trope.
0:52.3	And the latter team asks, when the outlet for your anger gets shut down,
0:56.7	how do you get your power back?
0:58.6	That's right now on Louder Than a Riot.
1:29.0	This video is a snack of age.
1:30.2	Definitely.
1:31.5	Yeah.
1:43.5	The music video opens with Rico alone and a low-lit hallway, chunky black boots, smeared eyeliner,
1:51.4	and Rico's expression, that smirk of defiance over screaming guitar chords.
1:59.0	Do what I fucking want!
2:03.0	It makes it hard to look away.
2:05.0	And I just sat there and aw.
2:07.8	And when was this?
	...

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