Rico Nasty is not just back – she’s lethal. The genre-defying rapper and alt-rock disruptor has returned with a vengeance via her long-awaited third studio album LETHAL, out now on Fueled By Ramen, and a fiery new NPR Tiny Desk performance filmed in-studio for the first time since her iconic 2021 at-home debut.
The release of LETHAL marks a rebirth of the 27-year-old artist born Maria Kelly – a reckoning between the teenage “sugar trap” persona that launched her and the full-formed woman she is today. “This album is about being confident and saying f*** everybody else,” she explains. “It’s an ode to yourself.”
Stripped back but no less explosive, Rico’s Tiny Desk set is a preview of what fans can expect from her North American headline tour, launching September 9 at Riot Fest in Chicago and wrapping November 4 at The Fonda in Los Angeles. With her signature blend of moshpit energy and unfiltered vulnerability, the performance puts every facet of Rico’s artistry on full display – rage, humor, softness, and an unmistakable sense of self.
Executive produced by Imad Royal (The Chainsmokers, Panic! At The Disco), LETHAL is Rico’s first full-length album with Fueled By Ramen and arguably her most fearless. Tracks like the aggressive opener “WHO WANT IT” and the searing single “TEETHSUCKER (YEA3X) set the tone for a record that toggles between trap-pop sweetness and nu-metal bite.“This been the vibe,” Rico says. “It’s not an act. It’s not a phase. This is what I do.”
But LETHAL also ushers in something softer. Songs like “BUTTERFLY KISSES” and “PINK” glow with divine feminine energy, representing the evolution of Rico’s hard-soft duality into something more mature, confident, and complex.
With LETHAL, Rico sheds the persona that defined her early years. “I felt like I was living in character,” she admits. “When I first started, that was the whole idea of it—but that gets exhausting.” A mirror moment backstage in rave gear became her breaking point. “No shade, but dude, you’re 26,” she recalls thinking. “When are you going to grow up?”
And grow up she did. Rico dove into books, therapy, and self-reflection. She wiped her phone of social media, parted ways with her management, and reconnected with her artistry. “I reconnected to myself,” she says simply.
As if redefining a genre weren’t enough, Rico is also stepping into a new spotlight. She’ll be making her acting debut in Apple TV+ and A24’s “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” starring alongside Elle Fanning, Michelle Pleiffer, Nicole Kidman, and Nico Offerman. Created by David E. Kelly and based on Rufi Thorpe’s 2024 novel, the series marks another chapter in Rico’s ever-evolving story.
LETHAL tracklist:
- WHO WANT IT
- TEETHSUCKER (YEA3x)
- ON THE LOW
- PINK
- BUTTERFLY KISSES
- EAT ME!
- SOUL SNATCHER
- GRAVE
- SON OF A GUN
- SMOKE BREAK
- CRASH
- CAN’T WIN EM ALL
- SAY WE DID
- YOU COULD NEVER
- SMILE
With LETHAL, Rico Nasty isn’t asking for the spotlight – she’s taking it. And this time, she’s doing it entirely on her own terms.
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