While I’m not sure if I’m a full-on member of Rico Nasty’s Nasty Mob fanbase just yet–she certainly got my attention this year with her late summer makeup collab with Il Makiage, and a few days ago, the release of her album, Nightmare Vacation.
The night before it would become available at the strike at midnight on December 4, I saw her name trending on Twitter as the Nasty Mob was EXCITED about Nightmare Vacation. The mob is strong! They were salivating.
Nasty’s name has been in circuit for awhile, and if you haven’t heard of her, it’s probably because Nasty doesn’t do radio-friendly hip-hop. No ma’am. Her serving in the genre is undeniably a mish-mash of sounds and styles. If I had to describe what I ended up hearing on Nightmare Vacation, it would be thrash-rap with dollops of dark pop and Brooklyn drill. (Categories!) And Nasty growls as much as she raps and occasionally sings and talk-rap. She even got Sukihana, Rubi Rose, and ppcocaine on their rock shit roars for the “Smack A Bitch” remix, which was fabulous because it went against Sukihana and Rose’s IG baddie and OnlyFans shenanigans. Both were hyper and sexual in ways unexpected, unexplored or attempted in their own catalogs as rappers. (I,nonetheless, sense a bit of rock star in both of them).
Rico Nasty is also not alone in her cluttercore meets goth aesthetic. Yet I feel her male counterparts have gotten more press and credit for it. And I say that as someone that until this year hadn’t given her music much of a chance. But I’ve always appreciated seeing her, as the more women in hip-hop and any of its lanes, the better. I applaud her experimental disposition and enjoyed her “Tia Tamera” collab with Doja Cat. Now that was a blast! One time for the alternative Black girls, please.
Oh, and her collab with Kali Uchis is a jam.
So in honor of Nightmare Vacation, I not only listened to the full album, I’m going to list my favorite songs and review her Neon Rage palette with Il Makiage.
The Neon Rage pressed pigment was released as a part of the Full Nasty collection this past September. Selling out immediately during its first run, and only available online, I actually got mine from eBay for the exact same price of $38, and shockingly, free shipping. For someone who knew little about Nasty’s music, shit, I still wanted that bright six-pan palette.
It was an eyes-only collection, with a cooler-toned, 12-pan “Lowfi” palette, (I lowkey want), two eyeliners, and one dual-ended brush.
I actually wore Neon Rage for the first time yesterday, though I’ve had it since early fall. And to be honest, your girl wore it to the grocery store because I had worked from home earlier that day. #PandemicLife
For her first how-to tutorial using “Lowfi”, Nasty admitted to preferring her fingers when it comes to eyeshadow application, I reached for my Ulta x Black Widow flat precision brush to apply Trance (purple) and the flatter end of my old Urban Decay Full Spectrum dual-ended brush for the drop shadowing of Revenge (lime green).
Impressed from the jump, STFU is bold with a bit of sheen, just like Revenge. I was actually surprised by how pretty Revenge was as there is a hint of gold in it, and I amplified that some more with Danessa Myricks’ Colorfix in Titanium. I lashed up with Morphe mascara (read: underrated) and I was satisfied with my look! Staying power seems decent too.
The palette itself is well-made with minor weight to it and that standard for maximalist Il Makiage. Very easy to open, and a mirror is inside! Also cruelty and paraben-free, oddly on the back of Neon Rage in fine print the following was stated: “Warning: not intended for immediate eye area.”
This warning is not at all mentioned on Il Makiage’s website, and continues to be promoted as eyeshadows, so I was like…
I’m sure it’s fine, however. If you’re a mainstream makeup wearer, like me, you’ve been wearing eyeshadows or “pigments” not meant for the “immediate eye area.” Ingredients are listed at least for both palettes, which is great.
Below, I’ve listed my favorite songs from Nightmare Vacation, as I actually listened to it twice as I wrote my Neon Rage review. An easy listen as far as the album just flowing, the bops are absolutely mini rages. Come on Nasty! I know the nasty Mob can’t wait to get lit to it live once we can party for real again.
- Don’t Like Me featuring Ton Toliver and Gucci Mane
- IPHONE
- Back & Forth featuring Amine
- Girl Scouts
- Let It Out
- Loser featuring Trippie Redd
- Smack a Bitch (Remix) featuring Rubi Rose, Sukihana, and ppcocaine
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