“Big Dick Energy”

Before we had a name for it, Rico Nasty carried herself with the energy of a thousand Dirk Digglers. Her usage of different personas on her mixtapes— from the rock misfit named Trap Lavigne to the sensual R&B diva Taco Bella—demonstrated both a supreme confidence in her identity and a fearlessness when it came to exploring new sounds. Paired with her liberty spikes and nü-metal aesthetic, these traits endeared her to fans quickly and established her as a genuine radical.

On her latest single, “Big Dick Energy,” the 21-year-old Maryland native is able to momentarily rejuvenate the beaten-to-death meme by simply being herself. The song arrives after Rico’s excellent new album, Nasty, and sees her flaunting her newfound fame while also declaring that she’s merely just getting started. “I can’t even go nowhere no more, cause they want a picture/If money made of lemonade, then I need me a pitcher,” she snarls over thudding lo-fi synth chords and a booming bass line. It’s a lyrical bludgeoning, with Rico hardly taking a moment to breathe. “Big Dick Energy” is her victory lap, and probably the first of many to come.

(Rico Nasty photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Atlantic Records)