Seven Songs a Week: 04/26/21

Hello, Welcome to Seven Songs a Week

Today's song is my favorite song from one of my favorite new school rapper, Rico Nasty. Rico Nasty is a Washington D.C. based rapper, who i love so much. I love how she is so effortless in mixing metal and Hip-Hop, a genre that Nasty calls "Sugar Trap." I first found out about Rico Nasty when I watched her video for her hit single "Poppin" and its accompanying Genius Verified video. I fell in love with Nasty's vivaciousness, attitude, sound, fashion and her covers for "Key Lime OG" and "Sugar Trap 2." The covers consisted of child-like anime drawings of Nasty, which reminded me of art that would also be on YouTube lyric videos or burned on CDs as the album cover for when we used to do that. I never seen anybody embrace this kind of art, nor have I heard anybody mix rap and metal while making it still sound cutesy and feminine.


Single Cover for "Roof"

"Roof" is a stand-alone single released on January 29th, 2019 and the lyrics are not too complex. "Roof" deals with money, status, haters all while Nasty drives her car. Nasty's starts "Roof" referencing Batman and his Batmobile because her car looks like it and people call her "Rico Bruce" because of it, as Batman's true name is Bruce Wayne. Nasty shares how her coupe is a Drop Top, referencing the roof in "Roof" and she doesn't commit with the lyric "It's a new day, I need me a new boo." Nasty then "[counts] blue faces," referencing the color of the 100 dollar bill. After referencing the dollar bill, Nasty references another blue symbol which is Blue from "Blue's Clues" Nasty threatens the listener and once again shares her wealthy status with her diamonds and how she's "ballin' on em, Calliou" referencing other children's show and how "ballin'" sounds like balding. Nasty continues the verse speaking on her beauty, drug use and how the person she is speaking too sleeps around a lot as she calls them a "rollercoaster" because they always get ridden. Nasty tells her hater to get a job and to stop worrying about her job, which she is very good at. However, Nasty does give her hater some advice on how men should treat her with respect if she will sleep with them. The chorus is Nasty reiterating her status and how she doesn't care about her hater because she sleeps around. Nasty continues bragging about her money and status with showing her body while people are mad at her, she doesn't care however because she's "smilin' on my way to the bank like I just walked out the dentist." She threatens her hater once again while also while talking about her success. The rest of the song is essentially just more flaunting and threats.

The lyrics may be problematic and slut-shaming but where the song really shines is with the video. The video begins with a computerized head and voice recalling "the ballad of Rico Nasty." Nasty paints herself as a sort of god or deity while the voice claims that "She shall one day walk among our mortal coil. To bring forth light to the nasty mob..." which the name of her fanbase. Luckily, the video portrays the day that Nasty has risen while tribal women await her arrival in a desert. After arriving via comet, Prophet Rico Nasty begins her ballad. After the first scene, we see archive footage of pageant contestants followed by Nasty tearing through the image metaphorically and literally. To match the "I look good in every angle," Nasty is in a sort of security room but all the cameras are footage are of her. What follows is Rico Nasty in various vaporwave-like locations and outfits cut with Nasty in godly images like her in the sunlight while people bow to her.

In hindsight, this song probably wasn't the best to dissect but I just love it and Nasty so much, this song should have definelty should have been part of her mix-tape "Anger Management." I remember watching the video for "Roof" everyday because it was just so striking and awesome. The video is still her best one in my opinion and the song lyrics bother me a little after realizing how much slut-shaming there is, but one may consider it to just be something mean to say to something you don't like. I recommend checking out other songs like "iPhone," "OHFR?" and "Rojo" which are some of my other favorites if you enjoyed Nasty's sound.

I give "Roof" 4.3 Genius Verified videos out of 5

I hope you enjoyed my review. How do you feel about "Roof"? Leave a comment and a request for Saturday down below.

I listed my sources below in case you are interested in reading more.

Take Care,

Jonathan