NIGHTMARE VACATION: ALBUM REVIEW
When the group 100 Gecs made waves last year, most people were just trying to figure out what the hell was going on. The music that 100 Gecs created sounded like it came from an alien world. While most of us were trying to wrap our heads around the concept of what a single Gec was (let alone 100 Gecs), Rico Nasty had already picked up Dylan Brady, one-half of 100 Gecs, to produce three songs on her newest project. I only bring this up because it shows that Rico Nasty understands things most people are still trying to grasp. This supernatural talent for predicting the sound of the future makes her one of the most creative and forward-looking artists making music today. Her new album, Nightmare Vacation, is an incredible artistic statement and the most fun I’ve had listening to an album all year.
A couple of years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine a major label rollout for a Rico Nasty project. When Rico broke out in 2017-2018, everything about her felt antithetical to the mainstream. Her early music was pretty much as weird as it got for the time. I remember first hearing her music and my jaw hanging open in awe. But, over the course of the last few years, the rest of the game caught up to her sound, and Nightmare Vacation perfectly demonstrates the years of work she has put in.
Nightmare Vacation blends all of the styles Rico has become known for. There are clubby tracks like “Pussy Poppin,” nu-metal, screamo bangers like “Let it Out,” chill-ass songs to vibe out to like “Back and Forth” and hyperpop ballads like “iPhone.” Even though each of these styles is distinct, Rico’s confident and aggressive energy holds the project together. Because Rico stays in your face and keeps experimenting, you start to get used to the fact that no matter what style she chooses, she executes it flawlessly.
Lyrically, Rico brings the energy for anyone who dares to stand in her way. On the single, “OFHR?” Rico delivers bar after bar talking shit and telling the world to fuck off. Each boast feels like it's coming from somewhere deep that we can’t quite understand. She spits, “Niggas said I’m acting different since I got the deal… I just think I’m eating different / more food for the meal.” Pretty much every track delivers wild quotes and lines that make your face scrunch up.
Nightmare Vacation is a nearly perfectly executed album. No song stays past its welcome, and it never feels like Rico left anything on the table. She sounds perfectly in control and the chemistry between Rico and her producers is absolutely insane. The transition from 10fo to Own It showcases this tight sequencing perfectly. “10fo” is one of the most aggressive tracks we’ve gotten from Rico in awhile. She describes the track as “The soundtrack to beating a nigga ass” and that's exactly what we get. The entire song feels like Rico using the microphone as a punching bag, darting in and out of the beat, and switching her vocal register constantly. The very next song is a tropical, house-inspired, pop song, but Rico transitions into it without missing a bear.
Rico Nasty is one of the few artists whose impact and influence can be felt after only a few years in the spotlight. There are so many artists (both male and female) who are currently trying to make a career out of doing a bad impression of her sound, but nobody can match the original. Nightmare Vacation cements her place in hip-hop, and I think it has a chance at being one of those albums that people point to as a cultural artifact years from now.