We STAN A Sugar Trap Queen: Rico Nasty Inks Deal With Atlantic And Covers FADER– Here’s How She Did It

Courtesy of The FADER/Katie McCurdy

Black Girl Magic: Rico Nasty, Her Journey To FADER Cover And Inking Deal With Atlantic

Congratulations. Just two years ago Maria Kelly aka Rico Nasty was a pregnant high school student, dealing with the sudden death of her child’s father after he suffered a fatal asthma attack. This week she covers the FADER and signs a deal with Atlantic records. How did she do it?

Many were first introduced to the rapper after she struck a feature on the show and soundtrack to Insecure with her song “popping” (we posted her before). But, Rico, 21, has been putting in that work for years. In her cover story with FADER, she speaks about begging for studio time at 15, despite having a dad who was a rapper (he toured with Jadakiss). He was in jail during her formative music making years. She put out her first mixtape on her own. And out of survival, the mother has been pushing through, ever since.

Dealing with the death of her son’s father hurt, she tell’s FADER:

When Brandon died, Rico suddenly felt very alone, a feeling that only intensified with the condolences she received from her schoolmates. “I had to look [people] in their faces and say, ‘Yeah, thanks,’ when people would say ‘Sorry for your loss,’ like they knew what it felt like,” she says. “It made me cringe. I wish you were sorry for my loss. I wish you felt this.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/w5FXt4hCNt/?hl=en&taken-by=riconasty

Fast froward, Rico put in A LOT of work. Garnering hundreds of thousands of social media fans and millions of streams. Hit the flip for more of what she’s working on.