Rico Nasty’s Chicago concert hardly had a dull moment

Rico Nasty performed at Metro Chicago Wednesday, drawing an amped-up crowd that matched the energy of the performance.

Melody Xu, Development and Recruitment Editor

October 2, 2025

When I left Evanston to cover American rapper Rico Nasty’s Chicago concert on Wednesday, I wasn’t particularly tickled by the assignment. Rap isn’t my favorite genre, and skimming through the setlist didn’t yield any lightbulb moments.

But, after witnessing her infectious energy — and the most amped-up Wednesday night crowd I’ve ever seen — it’s safe to say that Rico’s Metro concert was a success. Her return to Chicago marks nearly one year since she headlined Northwestern’s 2024 A&O Blowout.

The crowd consistently delivered the energy, but it was especially electric during songs like “EAT ME!”.

“Where my freaks at?” Rico said as she transitioned into “SOUL SNATCHER” — the chorus of which got everyone chanting as red and blue stage lights glittered.

A standout was “ON THE LOW,” a song released this year on her album “Lethal.” It made me wish I knew the lyrics — as the stage lights transitioned into a bright white, I couldn’t help but think that this song was bringing out middle school-esque joy to a room full of adults. The playful lyrics reminded me of an image of two people kissing under the bleachers.

Rico’s smiley demeanor was infectious. At that point in the concert, I noticed the bouncy beats layered under forward lyrics that are a signature of hers.

The energy picked back up at “Buss,” a song whose style almost reminded me of the popular track “FE!N” by Travis Scott featuring Playboi Carti. Even without knowing this song, I could tell it was a fun diss track aimed at someone that had wronged Rico.

The same was true for “STFU.”

Leading into the song, Rico encouraged the crowd to “Get that s**t off your chest.” It didn’t take long to realize this was a critical point in the show.

“Talk your shit, b****,” the crowd yelled back to Rico as she sped through the chorus as fast as the blue and red lights flashed fast enough to mix into purple.

Many onlookers weren’t playing around — based on their facial expressions, fans all around me were truly letting anger off their chest.

The rapper also gave her signature “Ricooo” chant leading into some songs, like “KEY LIME OG” that were vaguely familiar. A few lines from “SMOKE BREAK” were recognizable from TikTok.

Her performance of Doja Cat’s “Tia Tamera” — which Rico is featured on — was the absolute highlight of the night. I couldn’t not be excited to hear the certified-platinum social media certified classic performed live, as it reminded me of a certain pre-pandemic era during freshman year of high school. The lyrics popped into my head as if by some sort of muscle memory.

While it’s weird to say that the highlight of Rico’s concert wasn’t really her own song, Rico ended the song with an homage to the major artists that helped her rise to fame: “Shoutout Doja Cat and Doechii.”

While this concert didn’t change my sentiments on rap as a genre, Rico Nasty was undeniably fun to watch. I’m convinced that she’ll make it big.