rico nasty 66 maria koch 032c 76 natasha lyonne 82 angelyne 88 charli xcx 94 rina sawayama 102 collina strada 106

OYS -116 features photography Logan White fashion Henna Koskinen words Alexandra Weiss

When I dial in for my phoner with Rico Nasty, I’m not quite sure who’s going to meet me on the other end. It could be Rico, the spikey-haired shit-starter who spits on tracks like ‘Smack Rico A Bitch’ and ‘Countin Up’; or Tacobella, the sensitive singer; or the loud, metal-blasting Trap Lavigne. When she answers, though, she’s just Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly: the 21-year-old single mother from Baltimore, who started rapping when she was in high school and is now gearing up to release her debut album later this year. Despite the unapologetic brashness of her personas, the real Maria is apprehensive about her sexuality and outright afraid of rejection — just like everybody else. She tells me how these different identities have created a distance that allows her to connect with people without worrying about how they’ll respond to her. “They don’t have to like all of me, but I give them so many options, they have to like one [of me],” she explains. As part of a new wave of female rappers, Rico Nasty is capitalising on her feelings of being a perennial outsider — as a woman in the male-dominated world of hip-hop; as a black girl who’s into metal and emo; as someone whose teen pregnancy dismantled her coming of age and made her feel judged by the people around her. Undefeated, she's using her narrative to appeal to more than your usual hip-hop hungry teenagers. Rico is here for the outcasts and the weirdos — the ones who are nasty, just like her.

Nasty

66 OYS own bodysuit dress, stylist’s Maria's own jewellery; Jacobs opposite page: Marc 116 67 Priscavera coat and pants, Maria’s own sunglasses and jewellery, stylist’s own hat and bandana “I was made for the weirdos, and I don’t mind being an outcast, because at the end of the day, it’s how I stay sane.”

Alexandra Weiss: How did you get into rap? You have your three alter egos: Rico Nasty, ing weirdo. I hate myself.’ It’s always a Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly: When I was Tacobella and Trap Lavigne. Do you think constant battle, but I’m okay with it be- in high school, somebody made a diss they’re a kind of security for you? Like, ‘If cause it just pushes me to go harder about me, and I posted my response you’re going to think I’m an outsider, then and constantly get out of the box and on SoundCloud. It literally just started I’m going to be the most outside outsider not be so afraid of shit. I’m definitely my with a girl talking shit about me online. you know.’ own biggest critic. After that, I just figured, ‘Hey, why don’t Definitely, and especially with Trap I keep doing this? This could be fun.’ Lavigne. She’s — is it called an exhi- What are the other differences between bitionist? — someone who just seeks your personas? You’ve said before that you’ve always felt constant attention. That’s what she is. Tacobella is a more sensitive woman, like an outcast. With your music, you draw She’s loud, she’s crazy and she always and Rico is more of a cocky, ‘Get the inspiration from so many different genres, wants to be seen. But I call that a per- fuck out of my face’ type of woman. and you often wear your hair in punk rock sona instead of being completely who Trap Lavigne is the brash, unapologetic spikes — you’re definitely not a traditional I am, because I’m only like that some- in your face type of girl. They’ve all been rapper, in that sense. So, do you still feel like times. Sometimes, I wake up and I’m pretty prominent and obvious in my mu- an outsider, particularly in the rap world? like, ‘Oh my god I want everybody to love sic. Tacobella sings and Trap Lavigne Yes. But being content and being ac- me,’ and other times I’m a total hermit plays rock and metal, and then we have cepted is not something I want or have crab and don’t want anybody around. Rico Nasty who sings songs like ‘Coun- ever wanted. You know that idea of the tin Up’ and ‘Bitch I’m Nasty.’ golden child? I’ve never been that. I’ve Are you a Gemini? never been someone’s first choice. So, I’m not. I’m a Taurus, but everyone Who are you IRL? if I am an outcast, that’s just because of thinks I’m a Gemini. Maria. She’s the person who is in who I am, and how I am, and because charge of all of them, and Maria is noth- people don’t understand me or my mu- I only ask because I’m a Gemini and you ing like them. Maria is a mother. But sic. People are boring. They don’t want seem to be describing the kind of Gemini she wishes she was more like them in to listen to someone who sounds weird duality. a lot of ways. Honestly, it’s a subcon- or dresses weird, especially a girl. But Some days I feel like the world be ow- scious thing, and I don’t necessarily see I was made for the weirdos, and I don’t ing me shit. I’m like, ‘Everybody needs any of these characters until I’m at a mind being an outcast, because at the to appreciate how awesome I am,’ and show or in the studio. It’s a defence end of the day, it’s how I stay sane. then other days I’m like, ‘What a fuck- mechanism for me.

68 OYS 116 69 also experimenting with emo and pop, but I don’t really see that with all the big male rappers. Why do you think that is? Because they’re tired, and they’ve been doing this shit for so long. This has been a male-dominated industry since the be- ginning — since the root of hip-hop, it’s always been about men. Every now and then you might have had a woman who got the chance to say something, but we’re finally living in a time where social media gives everyone a voice and a plat- form. So, now we can’t be stopped. It doesn’t even matter what goes on with men. Females will always rise to the oc- casion. And I feel like that’s what’s hap- pening right now. The men are getting winded from running around and steal- ing each other’s concepts and names and ideas for personas, and the girls have just been quietly studying all of it. People don’t want to buy the same shit over and over — I mean, how many ‘Lils’ can you have? At a certain point, people want diversity, even if it’s just one new Right. If Rico Nasty fails, Maria doesn’t. voice... and right now, there’s so many Exactly. If people don’t like Rico Nasty, of us. We out here, and we’re not going they’ll like Tacobella or Trap Lavigne. I anywhere. created them so people could cling to whichever one they connect with most Do you feel like you get copied a lot? — they don’t have to like all of me but I Yeah, I feel like I get copied way too give them so many options, they have to fucking much. But at the end of the like one [of me]. day, if they don’t copy me, how will I set trends? How will I ever grow? Plus, I’m Are you afraid of failure? a creator and a creative person. I can Aren’t we all afraid of failure? Or am I always recreate and redo something if really the only one? I mean, I know I defi- someone takes it from me. So, I don’t nitely am. But I think the better ques- really get mad over the copying shit too tion is, ‘Are you afraid of rejection?’ Be- much anymore. I feel like it’s just sur- cause I’m constantly afraid of that. I’m vival of the fittest at this point. But with slowly getting over it, though, because my fans, I love that they find confidence in this industry you can’t necessarily put in dressing like me. I’m happy I can be on a superhero cape and be liked by a fucking costume, bro. People need to everybody, even though you wish you get away, they need relief, they need to could. be someone else for a day. I get that shit, one hundred per cent. A lot of musicians actually tell me they aren’t afraid of failure — that they make You mentioned earlier that you’re a moth- music for themselves because it’s their er. What role do you think that’s played in way of processing things. Why do you write shaping you as an artist? songs? I speak for myself and nobody else when I make music because I’m trying to get I say this, but I feel like being a mother people to be more comfortable with has made me more honest, and more themselves and their emotions, espe- understanding of the fact that my body cially the emotions people are scared to is a temple. Also, I’m not the most sex- feel, like rage and wanting to smack a ual person and I don’t sexualise a lot of

bitch, and sometimes having a big ego, things, because I have this weird little own bodysuit dress, stylist’s skirt; Jacobs Zana Bayne top, Discount Universe opposite page: Marc like I do. I just want people to feel better fucking baby boy looking up to me and I because I remember some really dark don’t want him to grow up and think, ‘Oh times when I wished I had an artist or look, mum has been popping her pussy someone that cared, or at least under- this whole time.’ Music lives forever and stood, what I was going through. But I’m very cautious about what I put in my that’s where the fear of rejection comes lyrics — I try to make most of my music in — when you’re sharing so much and as fun as possible because he listens to being so vulnerable with people, it can a lot of it. I try to make everything as get really scary being an underdog. I vibrant and happy as I can because life also make music for my kid — he likes is what you make it and I want my art to what I do. imitate my life.

Did you grow up listening to rap? I noticed you don’t talk a lot about sex in Yeah, I grew up listening to hip-hop and your lyrics, but you do talk a lot about rage. Amy Winehouse. My mum literally loved What are you so angry about? her. I think they go hand in hand. I’m angry because no one taught me how to be That’s something so interesting in the mu- sexy. I’m a woman, and I want to be sic industry right now — the women in hip- sexy — I’d kill to be sexy — but I’m not. hop are so diverse in their musical tastes. There’s an art to it that I just haven’t Like you said, you make music that blends figured out. I’m like the girl on the out- rap and metal, and other female artists are side looking in. I think it stems from al-

70 OYS 116 71 Discount Universe dress, Maria’s own jewellery “If all the shit I’ve been through didn’t happen to me, would I be so fearless?”

72 OYS 116 73 Namilia bodysuit and jacket; opposite page, top: Lou Dallas top, Phlemuns skirt and durag; bottom: Zana Bayne top, Discount Universe skirt ways being an outcast, always being the person who people thought was weird. It almost became hard to take myself seriously enough to be sexy.

You also had your baby when you were only 18. So, you didn’t really have time to grow into your sexuality yet. Shit, I never thought of it like that. But you’re right. No one is happy when an 18-year-old gets pregnant. No one wants to think about their teenage daughter having sex. So, I think it be- came this kind of, ‘Don’t do that, do ever show anyone’ kind of thing. Like, ‘No one will ever see how sexual I am.’ I put it in a dark chest and shipped it far away. Maybe one day it will come back, but that’s funny as shit. That’s real life. Parents will make you feel bad or feel weird about some shit until you stop do- ing it. I don’t know if that means I was sexy before or maybe I was just coming into it and I would have been sexy if that What do you want people to take away from your music? hadn’t had happened. Now I want to call Not to be afraid to try new things and to always push the envelope and fucking do that my mum and ask her if it’s okay to be shit. I want people to understand that life is not promised. sexual now. How does that affect how you live your life? Right after having a child, you dove head I live every day like I’m going to die the next one. If you’re too scared to try something first into your career. What was that tran- today, you probably won’t get the opportunity to try it tomorrow. If you’re too scared sition like? to get on that stage, you probably won’t have the chance. If you’re too scared to drop It’s really amazing that I was even able that video, it won’t ever come out. If you’re scared of anything, you’ll never do anything, to get a career. Knowing I was bringing because you’re just going to be fucking scared. But the fear is only in your head. a child into the world came with a lot of fear, but I feel like that fear is what Do you have any regrets? motivated me to be a crutch for others I don’t like to say ‘regrets’ because I feel like if I take one thing out of my life, there’s a through music. I mean, shit gets hard domino effect of shit that doesn’t happen for me in the future. If all the shit I’ve been and sometimes you just want to lose through didn’t happen to me, would I be so fearless? Probably not. I’d just be a regular your shit and break something, but as fucking girl. a woman, it’s like, ‘Oh, she’s crazy.’ If you’re driving down the street and you see a man breaking something with a baseball bat, you’ll be like, ‘Damn that man is strong as shit,’ but if you see a girl breaking something you’ll think, ‘That probably belongs to her boyfriend.’ I just hate that. I hate that it’s like that because we are humans and we are al- lowed to be upset about shit. However you want to take out your rage, you de- serve to. You really do. It’s human.

How do you get your rage out? Through music? Yes. I am so passive-aggressive through- out my daily life that when I get into the studio, I think about what pissed me off so that I can channel my energy and my aggression into my delivery. It’s like whoever did me dirty is standing right there and I’m talking to them.

Do you consider yourself a feminist? No. I don’t believe that men and women Apple Bagios . Music Australia and Apple Thomas @ Warner , LA. Special Thanks to Sarah Studios production assistant Antoripa Dey . Shot at Apex are equal. I believe that — this is going to sound fucking crazy but — women

shley Lynn Hall @ Art, hair A shley Lynn Department, Koskinen Scott Osbourne , make-up , fashion Henna Weiss White , creative direction Alexandra photography Logan are always going to be more powerful than men because we create life. Wom- en carry life in their bodies. We have the option to do that and they do not. So, we will always be better than them.

You’re currently working on your debut al- bum. What can we expect from it? I just want the visuals to be fucking cra- zy, and I want it to be way more es- tablished. I feel like I’m established now, but I want everything to have a more cohesive look.

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