After releasing her two mixtapes, The Rico Story andSugar Trap, Rico Nasty quickly rose to prominence in the rap game (also, shoutout to Nasty, her first mixtape with Atlantic). Now, Nasty returns with another mixtape, appropriately titled Anger Management, and her rage is alive and well.
Despite the mixtape as a whole being rather short, landing at just over 18 minutes, there are definitely some bangers here. "Cold" and "Cheat Code (feat. Baauer)" really show off the chemistry Nasty and her producer Kenny Beats have in the studio. His explosive, hard-hitting beats and her "psycho-but-cute" flow combine to form something incredibly fresh. I love the sound effects on both tracks as well, and can definitely see these becoming Summer 2019 anthems. "Hatin" and "Big Titties (feat. Baauer and EarthGang) are fine tracks as well, although I feel like on the latter Nasty clearly demonstrates more talent than her contemporaries. Nevertheless, "Hatin" feels like the unapologetic SoundCloud generation's take on Destiny Child's "Jumpin Jumpin", and I am more than pleased.
The skit ("Nasty World") is a cute/funny addition to the mixtape, which slides right into "Relative". I actually love this track, but at one minute and twenty seconds it leaves a little to be desired. It's a good thing, because the beat is banging and she sounds great, but both Beats and Nasty could have definitely explored the song further.
"Mood (feat. Splurge)" is probably my least favorite track on the album. Splurge's cameo feels lazy and irrelevant (as well as slightly off-beat), the beat isn't that original, and it sounds like Nasty delivers a couple regurgitated bars here. "Sell Out" and "Again" are OK tracks. I do like the message of "Sell Out" despite it being slightly corny, but I just wish the song went somewhere - it kind of plateaus throughout. And while Nasty isn't going to be crowned singer of the year anytime soon, "Again" is a nice ending to the mixtape for Beats.
Overall, I enjoyed Anger Management. However, I would like to see Nasty work with more female rappers in the future (you guys heard "Tia Tamera", right?!).
Rating: 7/10
Favorites: "Cold", "Cheat Code (feat. Baauer)", "Hatin"
Least favorite: "Mood (feat. Splurge)"
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