Rico Nasty: Can a Bad B*tch Be Soft Too?

Can a bad b*tch be soft too? This week on HIGHKEY!, Yvie Oddly sits down with genre-bending rapper and alt-icon Rico Nasty for a raw and riotous conversation about self-love, survival, and the power of staying niche. They talk about rage, queerness, and letting yourself rot when you need to recharge. Rico opens up about her new album, Lethal, her soft girl era, and why being “too weird” can be your superpower.

 

Plus: the power of crafting, why she might get a BBL, and what it means to be culturally queer in a world that still doesn’t know where to place you. Come for the baddie wisdom, stay for the hiking, glitter gloss, and fast food confessions.

 

If you’re HIGHKEY! vibing with us, come hang with us on Patreon! We’re dropping bonus content, behind-the-scenes tea, exclusive group hangs — basically, the HighKiKi: patreon.com/HIGHKEY

 

Watch HIGHKEY! on YouTube at youtube.com/@highkeyhere

Follow along on socials @highkeyhere 

 

HIGHKEY! is a production of iHeartPodcasts, as part of the Outspoken network. The show is created and executive produced by Ben O’Keefe, Ryan Mitchell, Yvie Oddly, and Spoke Media.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I honestly want to say this on the fucking record.
If I had another kid, I might get a bab
out like I don't care.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Thank you, Happy Friday friends, and welcome to High Key.
I'm beno Keys, I'm Ryan Mitchell, and I'm Evie Oddly
and today I'm extra excited.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
You better listen up because it's reco nasty dape.

Speaker 4 (00:29):
Wow, it happened, y'all, It.

Speaker 5 (00:32):
Was lit and I just love her.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
We talked about fame, lip gloss, change, growth, softness, queerness,
and Mick Lovin.

Speaker 5 (00:43):
So y'all ain't gonna want to miss it.

Speaker 6 (00:44):
Oh my god, I cannot wait. But first, you know,
we gotta do it. We gotta get into the high
Key Key. I do have a real serious question that
I've been thinking about.

Speaker 4 (00:55):
What is y'all's relationship to like riting?

Speaker 5 (00:58):
What a wedding?

Speaker 6 (00:59):
So when you are like bedriding, couch rotting, you're not
doing anything. This past weekend, which was a holiday weekend,
and we had all this time off because you know,
we got to do all these wonderful things. Tormally was
on the show. Shout out to her. Everyone loved the episode.
I was supposed to have plans with friends, because you
know that's what normal people do, right, They all could
link up and not necessarily celebrate the holiday or whatever.

(01:22):
But I was just in like mode isolation and all
I wanted to do was like make sweet love.

Speaker 4 (01:28):
And rot on my couch, and like.

Speaker 6 (01:31):
I felt sort of bad about it because I washed,
for sure I'm always going to be a riter who
watches their body, But I just felt like I did
not do anything.

Speaker 5 (01:42):
Do you not do it often?

Speaker 4 (01:44):
Not?

Speaker 6 (01:44):
Not really, because even if I I most recently, maybe
in the last year, just became a nap person, and
snapping for me is quite interesting because I will like
try to take a nap and then like be like
waking up in sweat and my heart beating because I
feel like I should be doing something. And it's been

(02:04):
something that I felt like I've dealt with obviously as
an adult, because when you're a kid, you can you
can sleep until you're probably fucking diad.

Speaker 4 (02:12):
I get out of me.

Speaker 6 (02:12):
You have the responsibilities, so I just I don't know.
I wanted to know if it was a relatable experience.

Speaker 3 (02:17):
Okay, I thought you were coming for me, because like
legit rotting is actually how I recharge in between all
the shenanigans I do. Like people see me backflipping and
bopping around the country and doing this and that, and
oh a five thousand person meet and greet, and you're
so full of energy.

Speaker 5 (02:34):
That's cause like, when.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
I have a little bit of free space to myself, bitch,
I decay.

Speaker 5 (02:41):
I decay.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
I was laying in the same spot in my bed
for literally the better part of the weekend. And I'm
so glad that you shouted out that you're a person
who showers, Like even when you're rotting, you have to.

Speaker 5 (02:53):
Uh, no, girl, you do not.

Speaker 6 (02:57):
No, not me, not my husband. Let me say, if
you're black, you have to. I just I just feel
like black people shower.

Speaker 5 (03:05):
White people don't wash their legs and stuff.

Speaker 4 (03:07):
And that's what I'm saying.

Speaker 6 (03:07):
If I feel like I start to feel gross, like
my skin starts to feel gross, or like I haven't
like brushed my teeth, I'm like, oh, immediate to the bathroom,
Like I cannot.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
I brush the teeth because I'm not trying to have
these shits fall out just because I don't love myself. Okay,
like that that's not gonna happen. Okay, So I understand
that in black culture, the most important thing to do
is to look good, smell good, be moisturized.

Speaker 4 (03:34):
Period.

Speaker 6 (03:34):
Big did that's my big three shout out to Cocoa butter.
My favorite compliment is getting to getting told I smell.

Speaker 3 (03:40):
Guy, Like, oh yeah, right, that's how you get this
puss right, Like, oh you smell delicious things.

Speaker 5 (03:45):
Let's fuck right now.

Speaker 4 (03:47):
Period.

Speaker 3 (03:47):
But the thing is, I feel like a lot of
that is also this like Okay, maybe this is too deep, y'all,
but like that, it's like performance. It's performance to show that,
like I'm worthy enough, and look how shining my skin is. Like, bitch,
if white people are allowed to like walk around half
of their lives secretly Ashley as fuck girl, I.

Speaker 5 (04:06):
Deserve one day just to smell like I smell.

Speaker 6 (04:10):
I don't think that's the equality Martin Luther King was
talking about. And I actually want to take that off
the record, because everybody needs to be showering, moisturizing. And
also I judge white people who don't, and I think
that's why there is such an ongoing kind of like
joke about it culturally. I mean it's kind of it's,
you know, a little problematic when you think about it now.

(04:30):
But like even in the South, like there was this
thing when it rains, and like people would be like,
you know, white people smell when it rains, and that's
completely like it's a false moment.

Speaker 4 (04:38):
And I'm not trying to be problematic.

Speaker 6 (04:40):
I'm just saying that's what black people would say at
the kitchen table when it would be like, all right,
now it's rain and stay inside. You don't want to
smell like what dog or something like. It's a Southern
thing that has always been a part of like cultural
conversation when it comes to like southern black people.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
Are also sometimes it's true, Okay, I know we're not
going to cancel. Not every white person smells like dog
when they're wet. But there was one time one time
when when it was raining, my husband was outside.

Speaker 5 (05:07):
He came in and I was like, it's their hair.

Speaker 6 (05:13):
You're like, sometimes we just have I just have to
sacrifice this because I love my partner.

Speaker 4 (05:17):
But they might just smell every now.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
So that's why I buy that good chitel perfect. But
my relationship to rotting, it's like I am great at rotting,
but terrible at relaxing. Okay, And so I love a
good rot. How else would I have caught up on
Love Island to you know, be here with Ryan if
I wouldn't have rotted and watched.

Speaker 6 (05:39):
You know, no bullying works, that's how you were going
to do it. Bullying works.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
It sure does take that, Sierra, you know, a whole
nother story. But relaxing, well, I'm doing it. This is
what I'm hearing from you.

Speaker 5 (05:51):
Ryan.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
It's the guilt and the shame for me. It's just like,
I don't relax. Working is how I relax. And so
I might be watching a show, but I'm like checking
my email, but I'm like thinking about my proposal, but I'm.

Speaker 5 (06:02):
Working on a list.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
And that's where I feel like we're doing ourselves a
great disservice. There's so much conversation around like rest and
the power of rest and how rest is a right
and it's important and it's critical. I think we hear
it all the time, and we're going to hear it
in EV's interview later, where it's like we have to
put on the mask before assisting others. Just means like
sitting in my bed, ordering in, smoking some weed and

(06:27):
having a good time, and that's okay.

Speaker 6 (06:29):
I mean for a long time. I feel like I
always viewed rest as a privilege. It is because I
never was in the place in my brain that felt
like I had the time to rest. I mean, even
when I moved out to La I'm hitting ten years
next month, and I've been like really reflective and thinking about,
look at where you are right now. But even then,

(06:49):
I can't really even sit into that because it's just like, bitch,
you're not even you're checking your bank account, You're like
trying to figure out your work. There's all these personal
situations going on where I'm like, if you are really good,
you would be able to rest, and then that kind
of fuels this constant cycle of just pushing through.

Speaker 4 (07:08):
But I've really had to.

Speaker 6 (07:09):
Like un learn this idea that, like, you know, to
rest is a privilege and you're not there yet to
accept that privilege when at the end of the day,
that is something we all deserve.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
You need it, Like that's the thing you're talking about
all this life that's taking you on, And instead of
like resting and giving yourself the strength that you need
to do it, what we end up doing is we
just burn ourselves out. So not only do we not
bring our fullest to the circumstances that we're facing. Yeah,
but then we're burnt out and tired and feeling terrible
and feeling dejected and needing more rest than ever.

Speaker 5 (07:41):
And so that's when you crash and burn.

Speaker 2 (07:43):
And that's where the real guilt and shame came from,
as opposed to like, wow, if I would have just
acknowledged the fact that I deserve a moment that I
deserve to like I there's the weight of the world
is always on our shoulders. I don't need to be
thinking about dead babies and how I'm going to pay
my bills and all of these things at every second
of the day. Yeah, well, sometimes I'm allowed to sit
and just worry about was Sierra kicked out of the villa?

Speaker 4 (08:06):
Don't steal my Love Island brand?

Speaker 5 (08:08):
That's me okay.

Speaker 3 (08:09):
But seriously, though, that's that's exactly why I feel like
to go into full rought mode, like to be able
to not only just like sit in a place, but
also not be oh my.

Speaker 5 (08:20):
Gosh, did I text my grandma back? What are we
doing next week?

Speaker 3 (08:23):
I need to be fully distracted, So like, like, my
rest really comes when my brain is not allowed to
be attached to whatever this reality is. And when I
tell you that, I spent almost an entire twenty four
hours glued to my PlayStation five.

Speaker 6 (08:39):
Which, speaking of that, can I just say I'm gonna
do a hike my high key early. But I am
high key obsessed with the fact that I'm using our
company iPads to play Fortnite now with my controller because
I found out I could do it. I am on
the move, i am on the go anywhere I'm connected
to Wi Fi. I'm playing Fortnite, and I'm beating you hoes.
It's been so fulfilling speak of being like burnt out

(09:00):
and everything. We've launched this full on show and everyone
has kind of felt the heaviness around that. And it's
not like, you know, our incredible producers and team are
only working on our show. They got like seventeen other shows.
And I have literally never, i guess, worked for a
company or been a part of a company that like
actually tells people, all right, you need to like chill,

(09:21):
take some time for yourself, Like we value your talent
and we want that to be like shown you. We
don't want you to lose your spark. And I feel
like any place that I've actually worked.

Speaker 4 (09:31):
I feel like.

Speaker 6 (09:32):
The company actually takes advantage of the fact that they
see someone that is willing to like sacrifice themselves for
them and it's really important to acknowledge that that's not
the space that we're in and I'm able to actually
see something different, Like that's that's beautiful because when I
look back at my career, people for sure took advantage

(09:54):
for the fact that I was the probably the youngest
one on the staff and I was like hungry to
learn and hungry to like move up. And yes, those
are all really positive things about myself and how I
feel like I've grown.

Speaker 4 (10:05):
But when I knew I probably.

Speaker 6 (10:06):
Couldn't say no because I felt like I would miss
out on an opportunity.

Speaker 4 (10:11):
Yeah, that's really hard.

Speaker 6 (10:12):
Yeah, and mixing that with like your intersectionality and your identities,
that is that gets very difficult and very tricky.

Speaker 5 (10:20):
People don't realize how the forces that be like really
are trying to keep black queer people off of the airwaves.

Speaker 4 (10:28):
Right now or are sure out of the newsrooms.

Speaker 2 (10:30):
And so we can't burn out because there's not much left.
When we talk about queer media spaces, queer journalism spaces
or just queer cultural spaces.

Speaker 5 (10:39):
They're not a lot left.

Speaker 2 (10:40):
And then when you put the black level on top
of it, they weren't really there to begin with. And
so I think it's so special that we do really
take care of ourselves, we look out for each other.
What a sick, twisted world that we live in that
we're like.

Speaker 3 (10:54):
Really quickly, I just want to say, shut out to
other people at my workplace, who let me have a weekend,
who let me take a nap? Well, yeah, shout out
to the corporate structure.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
Well, yes, whatever it is, what it is, let's feel good,
let's be happy.

Speaker 6 (11:10):
I think that's why I'm so excited about our guest
today on the show.

Speaker 4 (11:15):
I mean, she's an icon.

Speaker 6 (11:16):
Huh what eedie, you're in the hot seat, You're in
the interviewer seat this week.

Speaker 4 (11:20):
Tell us who's coming on?

Speaker 3 (11:22):
All right, y'all, I had the pleasure of sitting down
with one of my favorite rappers. If you don't know
Rico Nasty, it is because Rico Nasty isn't for you.
She is the mother of rage rap. She popped out
onto the scene in twenty eighteen with Smack a Bitch
and her new album Lethal Just dropped last month.

Speaker 5 (11:39):
I've been blasting it on repeat.

Speaker 3 (11:42):
She represents weirdos, she represents queerness, and she represents like
what a bad bitch can do when she owns her
power and also softens up a little bit.

Speaker 2 (11:53):
And it was such a great interview, So let's get
this started. Ev and Rico nasty right after the break.

Speaker 1 (12:03):
Luckily, I do love the fact that like my fans,
like they they still come out to the shows like
it's it's I'm still able to like tour and stuff
like that, because it is very hard to make money
in this industry. You're either gonna like compromise a little
bit with yourself or you're gonna like rush stuff. But
like going through that feeling of like oh like oh
so people like linked up with people and that's how

(12:25):
they stay relevant, Like they like they hang out with people,
And I'm not really a social person, Like I really
just love to like do my shit and go like
I'm not here for the small talk, I'm not here
for the key, I'm not here for the drinks. After bitch,
I want to go home. I got two pets and
a son, Bitch, I'm ready to go. So it's like
being like that at nineteen, though, bitch is just like

(12:48):
you don't.

Speaker 7 (12:48):
Want to party.

Speaker 5 (12:49):
I hate that, like making music on my term.

Speaker 1 (12:52):
Yes, like I'm making music on my term, but I'm
also blessed that I don't have to be a part
of every little thing and like my name is still
brought up.

Speaker 6 (13:01):
You know.

Speaker 7 (13:01):
I love that.

Speaker 1 (13:02):
I actually love that it's very niche, and I think
that there's power in being niche.

Speaker 7 (13:07):
Every bitch want to be mainstream. That'shit's not cut.

Speaker 5 (13:09):
By exactly fucking it. Okay.

Speaker 3 (13:13):
The ship that I've been like telling bitches and interviews
for years is that I would never want to be
like straight famous, like like right now, I'm gay famous
as fuck. If I go into a mall, oh bitch,
it's over, I'm taking a picture.

Speaker 5 (13:28):
But like, but It's never been.

Speaker 3 (13:30):
My goal to appeal to everybody, because I think the
things that make artists the most interesting is like when
you're able to throw yourself into something that everybody else
around you would be like this shit is mad, uncomfortable,
like why are you doing that?

Speaker 5 (13:45):
Like how do you express yourself that way?

Speaker 3 (13:46):
And the crazy shit is that is usually what builds
the strongest connection to you with the people who like
see that.

Speaker 7 (13:54):
And gravitate towards that.

Speaker 1 (13:56):
People gravitate towards you because they want to like they
want to be like that part of the time. Maybe
I'll care tonight when I'm in the shower, but maybe
that's only for thirty minuteses like bitch, I'm I don't
give a damn Like yeah, okay, And it does attract
people who are like minded, who like shit in the
same things as you, and I feel like so much

(14:17):
better than like pretending to be something. And that's the
attention you grab. And you're bringing a bunch of people
who literally.

Speaker 7 (14:23):
You don't even relate to.

Speaker 1 (14:24):
You don't even know the lore behind the things that
you're trying to act like you down with.

Speaker 7 (14:29):
It's like, just be a down bitch, I just like
the things you like.

Speaker 3 (14:33):
I think it's also really strange because like there is
always this external pressure I think in our respective feels
for me and drag for you. In the rap world,
it's very easy to get pigeonholed in as the weird one,
like the alt one, and like obviously that's like a
very strong part of identity.

Speaker 7 (14:51):
Who I am.

Speaker 5 (14:52):
Yeah, but also there's.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
Something like when when everybody on the street is coming
up to you and it's like you're such a weirdo.
You're like, okay, well then you don't really see all
of me, do you.

Speaker 1 (15:02):
I hate certain words that people will use to classify
what I am. Like I remember people be like, oh
my god, like you're so like god, you're so god,
You're so punk, You're so.

Speaker 7 (15:09):
This, and I was like, you know what I am
right now?

Speaker 1 (15:13):
But like, deep down inside, what I feel like I've
tapped back into with this album is like, bitch, I'm
not all screams and rors, bitch, I like colors.

Speaker 7 (15:21):
I'm a pretty bitch. I don't know, you know what
I mean. Like I'm not a scary bitch all the time.
Like I'm a sexy bitch. I like cute. Shit.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
You get so much thrown at you that you're like,
oh so, like if that's what's working, then that's what
I'm gonna do. And like I feel like you lose
like yourself in that, bro, because y'all not seeing sugar trip.

Speaker 3 (15:42):
Honor that to be like, y'all bitch like I did that.
That is a part of my story. Yeah, you are
allowed this space to grow, And I really want to say,
like not even on some as kissing Shit. I think
Lethal is probably my favorite album of you, like not
only like, you know, feeding the people for what they
know you for. In another interview, you said, I don't

(16:03):
have to make them music for every mood. People who
got into my shit for a vibe. It's important that
you honor that. That's a part of what makes you
such a unique, radical, bad bitch.

Speaker 7 (16:13):
Everything is not gonna be Beyonce level.

Speaker 4 (16:15):
Girl.

Speaker 1 (16:16):
I listened to the Smiths, I listen to the drums,
I listen to the Cure, I listen to jonk Jet
Like that's what I listen to on a regular basis.

Speaker 7 (16:25):
They don't sing like Beyonce.

Speaker 3 (16:27):
No, Like your voice is what it is because it's
this beautiful instrument that was made to be the way
it is.

Speaker 1 (16:34):
Yes, And I feel like at first you hide behind
what works. I'm hiding behind like, Okay, I can scream,
I can do that.

Speaker 7 (16:39):
Y'all love me for that.

Speaker 1 (16:41):
But I definitely feel like I can sing a little
bit and I could carry it to them, and I
damn sure can.

Speaker 7 (16:46):
Sing my own song.

Speaker 1 (16:48):
Like you know, it just gets to a point where,
like you, you fight so many nerves of just like oh,
are they gonna like it? And then you you definitely
step back into my younger self. How if they like
a bitch, I like a bitch. I felt good doing it.
You feed off that monster inside.

Speaker 3 (17:05):
You exactly well, and I think as an artist they
both feed you like it's it's amazing to have people
like be on board with what you're doing and you know,
to be shouting your praise and shit. To have people like, yes,
like everything, mother, I'm gonna love you forever or whatever.
That feels great, but it also does it's important to
like have honor the fact that that little insecurity, that

(17:27):
little monster is where like a lot of our shit
comes from.

Speaker 5 (17:30):
Is like when you start anything, you're starting.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
It because you're scared to do it and you don't
know if it's something that people will like take you seriously.

Speaker 7 (17:39):
It's at risk.

Speaker 1 (17:40):
It gets you vibrating, it gets you feeling like if
I don't, who will?

Speaker 7 (17:45):
Because that always happens to me as well.

Speaker 3 (17:48):
The song that I literally wake up singing in the
mornings is can't win them all.

Speaker 5 (17:53):
I'm just they're like, good morning, will can't win them all?

Speaker 4 (18:01):
I did not know you were a soft.

Speaker 3 (18:03):
Bit underneath it. But that's why why I appreciate this project.
It's important to honor the shit about you that makes
you so radical. But bad bitches. Bad bitches have feelings.

Speaker 1 (18:14):
And I honestly feel like that song is literally what
we're talking about right now. I am not walking in
this room to win everybody over and make everybody like me.
And I think that's the part that really gets me
down to my core, is like I do want to
make people happy. I do want to lift people up.
I used to be so quick to just not even

(18:34):
digest the situation at hand, like what is really going on?

Speaker 4 (18:38):
Why is.

Speaker 3 (18:41):
That radical empathy where you exactly like I feel like
a part of it is processing in your head being like, ooh,
it's so fucked up how the world treated me. Ooh
what that person did is so wrong. Do that enough
and you're just like, okay, but what about what you did?

Speaker 1 (18:55):
Bitch exactly and dick deep like that is ugly?

Speaker 3 (19:01):
You know when you blow up like that, when you
are in the blow up of it all there, I
feel like there's this major part of you that like
also does want to be like y'o.

Speaker 5 (19:09):
I know shit is changing.

Speaker 3 (19:11):
I know, like the way that we're going to like
be around each other is gonna change, and shit, you just.

Speaker 7 (19:16):
Don't want to be a bitch, and that's right.

Speaker 5 (19:18):
You're like, no, I can do it all.

Speaker 1 (19:20):
I make confident, bitchy music that I do hate when
people meet me and they're like, oh my god, I
thought you were gonna be a bitch.

Speaker 7 (19:28):
I thought you're gonna be so mean.

Speaker 5 (19:30):
I'm a bad bitch, but I'm a good person.

Speaker 3 (19:37):
On drag Race, but specifically on this season, it was
like the bad Girls Club of Drag Race, and I
was like just the shit stirring bitch who won it.
But like, I feel like that's a lot of the
same vibe that you were coming up on, like where yeah,
you took a lot of these like creative risks on Lethal,
but you're never really scared to do something wild and new.

(19:59):
I know acting also feels like a new world, but like,
how's how's this process going for you?

Speaker 7 (20:06):
It's been going really good that you gotta get up
early as fuck.

Speaker 5 (20:09):
Though, Oh that's why it's like real job shit.

Speaker 1 (20:14):
It's fun, it's new, and I think that that's what
keeps me like inspired.

Speaker 7 (20:18):
And ready to keep doing it. But it feels good.

Speaker 1 (20:21):
And like, you know, one thing about acting that I
will say is, like you you get to do stuff.

Speaker 5 (20:25):
Over acting in film. Maybe I'm a theater actress.

Speaker 7 (20:29):
Girls, I was gonna.

Speaker 1 (20:29):
Say for you, like being on drag Race was probably
insane because you can't hide your facial expression, like the
side conversations.

Speaker 7 (20:38):
That's like literally being miked up all fucking day.

Speaker 3 (20:41):
And it's kind of wild because there's so many things
that you think you're gonna be able to bring in
there that you don't like. When I thought that somehow,
not even I was gonna make you a funny character
for that snatch game, but that I was gonna feel rico, nasty,
bad bitch confident.

Speaker 5 (20:56):
That's the thing is I was blaring your.

Speaker 3 (20:57):
Music for years being like, oh my god, thank god
I didn't have to smack a bitch today.

Speaker 4 (21:02):
Ah.

Speaker 3 (21:03):
And then I get there in the moment and that
quiet ass set in that big ass room.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
People are always asking, we go, why you nasty?

Speaker 6 (21:11):
Because I keep your man like toilet paper in my
ass Jesus. Okay.

Speaker 3 (21:18):
Something I'm always trying to reveal to people who maybe
have misconceptions about the lifestyle is where do you find
the space to make new art for you and stay present.

Speaker 7 (21:29):
I feel like.

Speaker 1 (21:29):
I'm the most inspired when I just keep things going.
I try to write music every day, if not every
other day, I mean like I'll write like a couple
of bars, a couple of lines. I'm not in here
trying to make a whole fucking song. But if I
think of something that's witty or I heard it, I
like the conversation that I had with somebody and inspire

(21:50):
me to feel some type of way. Or even if
somebody tells a story on TikTok that makes me feel
emotional and invoke something in me that feels like relevant,
I might make a poem or something. It's not always
a song, and I feel like just honestly letting the
creativity flow through you all the time, like not making
I used to be like, oh, I only write at
nighttime or I only go to the studio at nighttime.

(22:13):
But now it's like, I wait, I'll wake up and
I'll go to the studio. By noon, I've done a song.
People are very very keen to genuine things, like they
can tell by body language, by everything. They can literally
tell when a bitch is faking it.

Speaker 3 (22:28):
They can read you better than you'll ever be able
to read your say they can read.

Speaker 7 (22:33):
So it's like, just do you and move at your
own pace, motherfuckers, go and see with.

Speaker 3 (22:37):
Your Russian Relaxing is so hard because that's like the
first shit I like want to brag about, at least
in my music. I'm like, yeah, I'm on vacation. I
fucked a million sluts, some on the beach. I'm not
giving a single fuck like like and then and then
I get back to like the real world, and I'm like,
that is not your life, girl.

Speaker 7 (22:56):
I love to work and I don't want to go
on vacation to make my life seem fun.

Speaker 1 (23:01):
My life should be fun every day, Like it should
always be an experience or something, you know, like I
really love doing like crafts and stuff with my friends,
or even like having some wine and we all come
in here and make a song.

Speaker 5 (23:14):
What's your favorite crafty shit you've done recently.

Speaker 7 (23:17):
I have like a little mini sketch book. It's literally this.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Big and I've been working on this since twenty twenty
two and I finished it. And it looks like a
fucking witch book because it's like sick and looks spooky looking.
It's falling a partner shit As a kid, that was
my first love.

Speaker 7 (23:32):
Like I used to draw and stuff like that.

Speaker 1 (23:34):
I feel like somewhere when the music part started taking
over and I started reading more, I really stopped painting.
And now I feel like just relieving myself the pressure
of working on some big ass canvas.

Speaker 3 (23:47):
I have so many sketch books lying around. Wow, like
I'll buy and I'll be like, yeah, I'm just a
drawing a day, Like your teacher said, like you got
to flex that muscle.

Speaker 5 (23:57):
If it's like whe you love.

Speaker 1 (23:59):
That's the thing I hate when people are like a
drawing a day, a song a day.

Speaker 6 (24:03):
You know.

Speaker 1 (24:03):
With art, it's definitely like oh if you practice every day,
you get better. But I also feel like art is
something that just like it.

Speaker 5 (24:09):
Just it flows. It just flows. See.

Speaker 3 (24:11):
I only have like three or four big half finished
paintings done because like you go in that like a
meth head just be like, oh yeah you're doing bro.

Speaker 7 (24:22):
No, that's why big campus is scare me.

Speaker 3 (24:25):
And what's something that you told yourself realistically recently, Like
my dude is just a hobby.

Speaker 7 (24:30):
I like to build shit.

Speaker 1 (24:32):
I am venturing into like trying to like make my
own furniture, and then I started doing these like Japanese
bosnooks and things that you can get on like TikTok
shopping shit. And then I started looking at like architectural
design like basis where you can kind of like build
your own stuff, and I'm like, I love them, but.

Speaker 3 (24:54):
It's like hot and the sun's out, and it's like
the higher you go, there's less air, you.

Speaker 1 (25:00):
Know, the confidence. First of all, I look at my
fucking arms, but.

Speaker 5 (25:04):
You rip, WHOA are your muscles bigger than my?

Speaker 1 (25:09):
I don't know, man, I'm doing the weighted best. If
you do your arms and you do back, then your
butt looks bigger. And that's really what I'm seeing, Like,
my butt is looking bigger, my waist looks smaller because
I'm working out my arms and my back more.

Speaker 5 (25:21):
Not you doing this all for the booty.

Speaker 3 (25:22):
You're like, I'm not doing a fucking BBL, but I
will go the natural route.

Speaker 7 (25:27):
I honestly want to say this on the fucking record.

Speaker 1 (25:30):
If I had another kid, I might get a BBL,
Like I don't care. Like again, I think it's so
funny that people are like, oh, like stay skinny, thad
a line and I'm like you know what, Okay, I
love the body that I'm in. I love the skin
that I'm in. But say I have another child and
my boom get abnormally big?

Speaker 4 (25:48):
Or my butt?

Speaker 1 (25:49):
Am I my back so I get big if I
work out and that shit don't go away. If you
think I'm not, let me on another missus look good.

Speaker 3 (25:59):
Yeah, I was holding a great bbl this weekend, being
like this is the best ass in this underwear party
on a Thursday night.

Speaker 7 (26:07):
When it's done, well, what can you say?

Speaker 3 (26:10):
Right right, I'm not gonna hate on you for what
looks beautiful on you. It's just like you know, I'm
gonna do what feels right for me. And like you said,
and every.

Speaker 7 (26:18):
Stidy is gorgeous in its own way.

Speaker 1 (26:20):
Like I still feel like I have a t as body,
Like I got ass, Like I feel like it's tea
is not getting ruby bos, but it's still tea.

Speaker 5 (26:28):
It's still tea.

Speaker 7 (26:29):
Like you just can't take that for me.

Speaker 1 (26:31):
I think that's just like the kind of like the
funniest part about being a girl is how they really be,
Like you.

Speaker 7 (26:36):
Need to gain weight.

Speaker 1 (26:37):
Take my ass to the gym so that when I
get up on that stage I can give y'all a show.

Speaker 3 (26:42):
That's why you doing like feel good for you or
for your health.

Speaker 1 (26:47):
I think the confidence from like going a six mile
hike inclined. You're going up up, you get to the
top of that mountain and it's like, baby, I could
fight a fucking bear. Bitch loky. That's where that's where
it came from. The song gall you were just like
up the bear pops out. You're like, it's like it's

(27:12):
a different type of like confidence and like self love
when you like literally are the whole time like bitch,
iBOT the die, I can't do this, and you keep
push yourself.

Speaker 7 (27:21):
Yes you can, Yes you can, Yes you can. You
get up there and you're right, and you did.

Speaker 1 (27:25):
The next time you go through something, you're gonna be like,
oh I can't, girl, you just didn't.

Speaker 7 (27:29):
You just walked up a whole mountain. Shut the fuck up, let's.

Speaker 5 (27:31):
Go lis it. Okay.

Speaker 3 (27:33):
But I still live in the hood at La or
at least whatever Denver's version of the.

Speaker 4 (27:36):
Way it is.

Speaker 7 (27:37):
You're in Denver. First of all, No, I believe there's
a hood.

Speaker 3 (27:39):
In Denver where there's a light skin, there are real
niggas and where they're real niggas there the streets.

Speaker 1 (27:48):
I've done small venues, I've done big venues. I've done
my tours, I've done openings. And when I tell you,
I've seen hoods in the most random.

Speaker 7 (27:58):
Places, places you're like where do fuck?

Speaker 1 (28:01):
When you are queer and you are in a space
where you just look a little bit different, Oh my god,
it's so hard sometimes, like to just not get attention
and on the days, especially where you're like, bitch, don't
say nothing to me. I just came to get one
thing last week.

Speaker 3 (28:18):
I got some groceries. I'm like carrying them with my
little gayass roommate. We're going in and there's some dude
likes selling powder in front of our house and I'm like, no, dude,
I live here, like it's likely whatever, and he whips
a knife out on us, like while all I have
is my little bag of bread.

Speaker 5 (28:34):
I'm like, just take me now.

Speaker 7 (28:37):
And it's just it's just crazy to see.

Speaker 3 (28:40):
Well, Okay, I like that you you talked about like
queerness though, because I've been I've been arguing this with
people for a while now that like queerness is like
a bigger idea than like the LGBTQ, like pride flag,
Like it doesn't matter whether you've ever touched someone of
the same sex or like or even intentionally playing with
like gender or whatever. I think queerness is really about,

(29:02):
like what it feels like to be the other in
a space. So for you, I would my question for
you is like, would you call yourself at all queer? Yeah,
Rico Nasty's that queer ass bitch.

Speaker 1 (29:13):
I honestly feel like I've had my fair share of
female experiences.

Speaker 5 (29:20):
Girl.

Speaker 7 (29:21):
I've talked about being you know, a little visation.

Speaker 5 (29:25):
Oh yeah, you know enough.

Speaker 1 (29:26):
But I do feel like I don't rep my queerness
in the way that my brothers and sisters do. And
I feel like the ones that wear that shit on
their sleeves, those are the ones that I always worry
about because I feel like people always see them and
they are like so drawn to their confidence and so

(29:47):
intrigued it like breaking them down that It's like I
always feel the need to like protect my gay friends
and just be there for them when I can. But like, honestly,
I'm not. I hate queer baity and I hate when
people are like, oh, yeah, I gay and it's like, yeah,
you had like a couple of girlfriends.

Speaker 5 (30:02):
Got you kissed the bitch wants me too, girl.

Speaker 7 (30:04):
Exactly don't make you gay? I thought, you know what
I mean, you had a crush.

Speaker 4 (30:10):
Cool bitch.

Speaker 1 (30:12):
There are people really dealing with like, oh my god,
I have so many fans who are you know, obviously
like get put out for their queerness and get put
out of space as they were raising, get put out
of friend groups, get put out of religious groups, just
just getting like kicked to the curve. And I got
a lot of that when I made the song Popping.

Speaker 7 (30:33):
That was my Black Sheep moment. That was the moment where.

Speaker 1 (30:35):
I had a lot of people calling me weird and
I was like, and what I'm weird? And I stand
alone And it attracted so many people who went through
that growing up having a circle of friends love you,
love you, love you. Now they find out that you're gay.
These are like your brothers, and now they won't say
a word to you. Things that just were really like
really like permanently alter a person's confidence and self love

(30:58):
and like self word than like relationships with other people,
you know what I mean, Like it's just it's so
much deeper than a flag.

Speaker 4 (31:07):
Bro.

Speaker 1 (31:07):
I swear wrap the flag, of course, but like, are
you really doing the work?

Speaker 7 (31:11):
Like are you actually an ally?

Speaker 3 (31:13):
I'd like to believe that I'm not out here thinking
at least my first instinct isn't thinking about who I'm
trying to represent or like, yes, what communities like I'm
trying to lift up?

Speaker 5 (31:23):
I'm thinking about me living for me. What is it like.

Speaker 3 (31:26):
Being embraced by so many different people for concepts about
what you are?

Speaker 5 (31:31):
How do you stay fresh? How do you decompress from
all that?

Speaker 1 (31:34):
When your confidence is fueled by what everybody says about you.

Speaker 7 (31:39):
That is something that I still battle with.

Speaker 1 (31:41):
It's just like understanding, like, yes, all these people think
all these great things about me, and I think I'm
a good person. I think I'm a better person than
I was a couple of years ago. I'm not perfect,
but I think that I'm doing better. That's how I
keep myself grounded.

Speaker 5 (31:56):
Okay, my dud, well, I don't.

Speaker 3 (31:58):
I don't want to bug you for too long forever,
So like, what are what are you hikey about this week?

Speaker 5 (32:03):
What's pumping you up? What's getting you through this shit?
And then what are you a hikey hater?

Speaker 1 (32:08):
On right? Now, so hike Tea for me is the
mac gloss Like I'm just a clear glass ass bitch.

Speaker 7 (32:16):
I really am, maybe a little bit of glitter yourself.

Speaker 1 (32:19):
Dong slippers like dong slippers, Dong slides, you know.

Speaker 5 (32:22):
The ones that like like fuck your big toe and little.

Speaker 7 (32:25):
Yeah, like those. I love those.

Speaker 5 (32:27):
You must have some like really good slipper fee.

Speaker 1 (32:29):
Okay, I just feel like it's just give Hawaii, like
how we were saying vacation.

Speaker 7 (32:33):
It gives vacation every day.

Speaker 3 (32:35):
They're like, you look at your toes and you're like, okay, girls,
y'all are on vacation.

Speaker 7 (32:39):
My girls are out.

Speaker 1 (32:40):
I'm at the Whole Food with my little crop top
getting my stuff toes out. It feels like I'm the
cobo bitch. And then, oh my god, I love Love Island.
Oh I'm a slat for Love Island. We'll flip it
hate hate and you used to love Batties. He watch

(33:02):
it anymore because it makes me sad. It's so traumatic.
It's so traumatizing. I'm like these girls.

Speaker 3 (33:10):
I've like never been about it. I know that's like
fucked up with me. All of my sisters always watched
it around the house. Holy time of it.

Speaker 7 (33:17):
I love Batties, I do.

Speaker 3 (33:18):
But that was the thing is I used to be
that like I could never watch this this is but
then I watched it because girl, it's it's like this entertaining.

Speaker 4 (33:28):
It is entertaining.

Speaker 7 (33:29):
It's entertaining.

Speaker 3 (33:30):
But I will say something about watching these bitches go
to Africa and be like, oh.

Speaker 5 (33:34):
No, no, no, not in the mother Lamb.

Speaker 3 (33:35):
It's the one the girl the Bad Wild where she
literally ripped a bitch's hair out.

Speaker 7 (33:42):
That's the one and only.

Speaker 1 (33:43):
I literally watched that episode and I was waiting for
the new episode to come on, so I cut on
fucking Batties and bro. I was literally like I had
tears in my eyes for that girl. I was and
and I was like, oh my god, Love Island. Don't
make me feel like this.

Speaker 7 (33:58):
You guys are invoking spirits out of me. Like I
didn't like that, Like I was dead. I was about
to cry for that girl. And I don't know her
from a campaign, you know what.

Speaker 1 (34:06):
We were just talking about being on set right and
how that feels. You already feel very alienated in shows
like that. You have to push past that and push
past the fact that you will be embarrassed and that
we'll be a camera in front of your face being black.

Speaker 7 (34:23):
Your hair is your crown, bitch.

Speaker 1 (34:26):
So to go through something like that on TV girl
and maybe two people felt genuine sympathy for you and
couldn't even show it because they don't want to get into.

Speaker 7 (34:37):
Fights either, right, I cut it off. Other things that
I hate.

Speaker 1 (34:41):
When people fucking drag their dogs when they're taking their
dog on a walk.

Speaker 4 (34:44):
That dog.

Speaker 7 (34:47):
They live inside with you, he get to be outside
for thirty.

Speaker 3 (34:49):
Minutes, right, And that's like their social media, that's how
they know about the world. They're outside being like, oh
my god, another dog just said this here.

Speaker 7 (34:57):
I think that's fucked up.

Speaker 1 (34:58):
Like that's literally like them scroll getting a phone time
and you yank off the phone.

Speaker 4 (35:04):
We have five minutes.

Speaker 7 (35:06):
I hate fast food right now.

Speaker 1 (35:09):
I have not eaten fast food in so long, Like
I can't even and even if somebody asked me do
I want it, I'm gonna get a salad from whatever
place that.

Speaker 7 (35:17):
I can't eat it.

Speaker 5 (35:17):
No.

Speaker 7 (35:18):
Literally, the last time, bro.

Speaker 1 (35:20):
I had burger king, And when I tell you, it
felt like I gave birth on the fucking toilet.

Speaker 5 (35:26):
You're like, oh nah, this is hard.

Speaker 3 (35:29):
Okay, is it wild though, because I feel like it's
just like a pattern of getting into healthier eating that
gives you that mindset. Because my whole last life no
issues with like any fast I am made of fast food.
But like I went grocery shopping a week ago before
I got a knife pulled out, before that happened.

Speaker 5 (35:49):
Yeah, before that happened.

Speaker 3 (35:50):
And that's why I was so enlightened and did not
get stabbed because I was like, no, I'm gonna eat
healthy all week.

Speaker 5 (35:56):
And you know what I did.

Speaker 3 (35:58):
I did until I ran out of my easy solution
green hit like I don't have any vaids. I don't
have like some snack veggies. I slutted my ass back
to McDonald's this morning for her nasty.

Speaker 5 (36:10):
Disgusting breath.

Speaker 1 (36:11):
I was just like, oh, yeah, I'm gonna so that
is one thing that I still crave. And I'm pretty
sure they put crack in that food. We'll save that
for another time. I know that they're putting. I'm two
years clean from McDonald's and I still get cravings for
their French fries, like mouth watering cravings and put me
in a bad mood.

Speaker 3 (36:31):
Well, you are not giving me very much. Hope for
my addict future. I have to say, you are you
are letting me in.

Speaker 7 (36:37):
Her lapsing because you're eating the big dog.

Speaker 1 (36:39):
If you get clean off McDonald's, get into Wendy's.

Speaker 3 (36:43):
They do have some dank salads. Okay, I was a
Wendy's worker. That was my first real job. Wendy's will
fuck up a salad for good gas.

Speaker 7 (36:49):
That was your first real job. Mine was Popeye's.

Speaker 3 (36:53):
Okay, Rico, thank you so much for talking with me.

Speaker 5 (36:57):
This is legit and a pleasure.

Speaker 3 (36:59):
If I was at her stand girl, I would cry, die,
throw up on you right now. Listen to your new
album Lethal you Steal the bitches.

Speaker 1 (37:10):
I'm just so happy that I got to be a
part of this and talk to you because I'm a
fan of what you do. I love your licks, bitch,
so this is just insane and very full circle.

Speaker 3 (37:19):
Like bybe you hear that bitches? Rico likes it. Yeah,
you were my first time. I forgot to tell the
people that I just lost my interview Jinity. Really yeah,
unless you count like talking to like hookups afterwards, I'm like, yeah,
so what's your name?

Speaker 5 (37:38):
Thank you?

Speaker 3 (37:38):
I hope you you have a delicious, healthy dinner and
a hike.

Speaker 5 (37:42):
Go craft something, Go build a chair.

Speaker 7 (37:44):
They'll see my chairs. I'm gonna be selling them. I'm like,
I'm gonna send you one.

Speaker 4 (37:47):
Bye bye.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
She was incredible the way that Rico was talking with you.
It's like some interviews you have to really work to
get something out of someone, and some interviews, like the
vibe is so there where you're like, oh my gosh,
like this interview could have been done in fifteen minutes
because we already talked about so many incredible things.

Speaker 3 (38:08):
She was really fun to vibe with because I've watched
her other interviews. Okay, I did my little bit of
research going into this.

Speaker 4 (38:14):
Uh huh.

Speaker 6 (38:15):
I was in my kitchen literally fry air frying up
some salmon while listening to this. It was absolutely like fabulous.
There was a moment, I mean one, this is just
a personal moment of me. I think you said nigga
on the podcast for the first time, my dad. I
kind of felt emotional, but I also was like I've
ever heard Evie say nig and I was like, oh
my god, like this is actually like this is our pie.

Speaker 4 (38:36):
We can say nigga. Do we all say it? On
the counter.

Speaker 3 (38:43):
To ya, listen, I can and I will my nigga,
I can and I will.

Speaker 7 (38:52):
No.

Speaker 6 (38:53):
But I think one of the beautiful things to kind
of start off with that I guess opened up for
me was you both talking about the power being like
a niche yes, and also like everything doesn't need to
be Beyonce level. I thought that was super interesting because
I I think oftentimes, especially when you're in this like
content creator or you're being told you gotta do this

(39:15):
and that and the numbers really matter and all of
the data and all the bullshit, it was really refreshing
to hear like, I know, I'm not going to be
this like mainstream like person. I don't even want to
be that, but like I found my community and that's
what matters. And I think that really resonated for me
because there's just so much pressure that you can kind

(39:35):
of really drown in when it comes to what this thing,
this stupid industry stuff that we all are dealing with
in different ways, And it was really refreshing to hear
Rico kind of like continue to affirm the way that
she's been her entire career, like being able to tour.
I don't need to sell out stadiums. I'm not Beyonce
refreshing to hear that.

Speaker 2 (39:57):
I was literally like shouting at the screen lifelast night
when I was listening to this, like so many times
where I was like, exactly, I can be niche, I
can have my own communities, but I struggle with people pleasing.
I know it's wrong, I know it's not right, but
it's still something I struggle with. And I think those
two things go hand in hand as well.

Speaker 3 (40:12):
What I really enjoyed about talking with her, she is
somebody who has done things I never could. In the
capitalism ladder, you know, we're not making art so that
you can get to the next level, and there's always
this pressure on you that's like, oh, well you're about
to fall off, or like no one's gonna pay attention

(40:33):
to you. And it's like when I started painting my face.
I didn't start doing that because I thought because I
needed a bigger paycheck, because I needed more people's eyes
on me.

Speaker 6 (40:44):
And to be honest, every time I think of like Beyonce,
who I love, She's my queen. We all know this,
I think about the unachievable expectations of like black excellence
and how unfortunate it is to be like wrapped in
another cycle. That's just another thing of white supremacy. It's
like trapping us on to think like, oh, to be

(41:05):
accepted and to be worthy, we have to like wear
fucking blood diamonds and own baskiyadds.

Speaker 4 (41:10):
Like that's just not the case and that's not what
I want.

Speaker 2 (41:13):
Even though our show has to be perfect, and it's
like we're not all working with Beyonce level resource here.
Most black folks aren't, most most people of color aren't,
most queer people aren't. What we're doing is like trying
to make something for the people, And I think that's
what's interesting about you, ev as as a drag artist.
You know, I remember going to Diego Montoya, you know,

(41:34):
he's making a nine thousand dollars dress for Sasha, and
then I was running overt Isley to get some two
three hundred dollars sungla and looks like that was cool
and that's one person's thing, but that's not what you are, Like,
your drag isn't about that first.

Speaker 6 (41:47):
But that's why I feel like it's the difference between
the July Leo and August Leo. Like I am for sure, Leo,
but like, I just don't feel like I'm as a
Leo as like an August Leo. Like I also have
my own imaginary feud to August Leos.

Speaker 5 (42:02):
I've like never seen July Leo's as reel Leo's.

Speaker 4 (42:06):
A lot of people feel.

Speaker 6 (42:06):
That way a lot of people, And I feel like
August Leo's are team Virgos.

Speaker 5 (42:12):
That's so funny.

Speaker 2 (42:14):
My phlebottomist yesterday, but my phlebotomist, who is the person
who draws blood from your arm, was a Virgo, and
I thought she was a Leo because of her energy,
but she was cuspy.

Speaker 5 (42:28):
And I think, like we do in Ryan.

Speaker 2 (42:30):
Sometimes you give off a cancer softness for sure, but
then you get really annoyed by more cancer softness than
the amount that you have, Like not, do you know
what I mean?

Speaker 6 (42:41):
That was beautiful, It was kind of poetic. I've never
felt more seen in my entire life.

Speaker 2 (42:46):
It's by the way that you talk to me around
certain circumstances, you know what I mean. I've gone over
the cancer threshold because Ryan's like, stop, you're annoying.

Speaker 5 (42:59):
I are Ryan.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
No one is talking about you, nobody hates you.

Speaker 5 (43:04):
You hate everyone.

Speaker 4 (43:05):
Yeah, Oh my god.

Speaker 6 (43:08):
Yeah, yeah, wow, I'm such an open book, you know.

Speaker 2 (43:14):
I could just see that you were so excited and
filled with so much inspiration and a lot of our
loosener here too.

Speaker 4 (43:20):
You could hear so many excited noises.

Speaker 2 (43:23):
But so many people listen to it because they're inspired
by ev right, Like that is where a lot of
folks have come in. And then you listen to her
talking about the types of music she's listening to and
you're like, oh, that's not what I expected.

Speaker 5 (43:34):
It was like a moment where you're like.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
Oh, actually, do meet your heroes, and your heroes can
be your peers and it can be reciprocal.

Speaker 5 (43:40):
That was actually one of my favorite favorite.

Speaker 3 (43:42):
Things that like we delved into a little bit was
how important like collaborating is in her form, Like you
have to like meet people, and we touched on it
and the people pleasing. You have to meet people, You
have to like have friends, you have to be surrounded
because ultimately, even if you're at home rotting all week
and art is meant to connect you to others. It

(44:03):
was just really rad to get to see somebody on
like the same like wavelength as me.

Speaker 5 (44:09):
Somebody I want to shout out real quick.

Speaker 3 (44:11):
The fact that the whole reason like we even were
able to get Rico on the show was just because
I was really jazzed about her new album.

Speaker 4 (44:19):
Yeah. It was a high key moment, wasn't it.

Speaker 3 (44:21):
That was enough for us to be able to like
start this really good conversation. And that in itself was
only brought about because when I got on Drag Race
in twenty nineteen, half of my tags were you look
like Brandon Rodgers and the other half.

Speaker 5 (44:37):
Where you look like Rico Nasty.

Speaker 6 (44:41):
I loved, especially when it came to the people pleasing
conversation that you also talked about the boundaries versus being
a villain. You both were talking about, and she specifically
was saying, like, I've had to like not have as
many people around me, and I also had to try
to find the balance of being the bad guy but

(45:02):
also being like sweet and good because people come to
me and they like, oh, I make music for folks
who are like claim themselves to be bitches, and they think, oh,
oh my god, you're just so much nicer than I
thought you would be.

Speaker 4 (45:12):
To know, like there's a there's a world where you.

Speaker 6 (45:15):
Can you can get to like I don't give a
fuck and just kind of be like, well, actually, this
is just a boundary, and this person just has to
be cool with the boundary of not like fine, I'll.

Speaker 4 (45:25):
Be the villain villain in your origin story.

Speaker 6 (45:27):
It's kind of transformative when you finally get to that
moment in your life.

Speaker 3 (45:31):
Well, especially because I think it's something that has to
be practiced all the time. It's it's not like you
learn it and then suddenly you're like a bad bitch
who has your boundaries.

Speaker 5 (45:40):
Because she acknowledged that, yeah.

Speaker 3 (45:43):
Yeah, it was really dope getting to speak with her,
because it was a reminder that like, oh, yeah, that's right,
this is something that we're all still going to be doing.
We're all still going to be resetting our boundaries all
the time, We're all gonna be letting people in, We're
all gonna people please.

Speaker 5 (45:57):
A little bit every now and then, but.

Speaker 3 (45:59):
All at the end of the day, like she just
wants to do this shit that's like chill too with
and for her and not be motivated by the pressures
of like trying to please people or like trying to
get to that next.

Speaker 5 (46:14):
Level in your career.

Speaker 2 (46:16):
I went in with an expectation of who she was
that immediately was erased. And I think that's so important
when we think about anyone, when you think about the
three of us, when you think about any celebrity we
talk to, is that people contain multitudes. And that's not
just saying like, oh, that's a character. No, like she said,
that is her, but it's just one part of her.
And just because you don't get to see all of

(46:38):
her doesn't mean that all of it exists. And you
have to give people the grace and the space and
in the freeness to like show you who they are.
And that's what she's starting to do in this new album,
which I was listening to last night and this morning,
and it's like, there really are those moments and you
call it a couple of the songs where that softness
comes through. And I'm so happy that she's able to

(47:00):
do that in her work and that she was able
to do that in the conversation with you, Evie, because
the trust was there, and so like, just because you
don't see someone's fullness doesn't mean it's not there. Maybe
you just haven't earned it yet, and like, yeah.

Speaker 6 (47:13):
Can I also acknowledge I love the accessibleness. And I
don't even know if that's the right word for this
of the queer conversation, the queer baiting conversation, Like there's
something to me that I love about black people and
when I feel like I've worked in so many queer
spaces that lean into like the academia of talking about
queerness and intersectionality, and they use all the fucking big words,

(47:35):
but then when you really get around like kind of
low key like regular people, especially regular Black people, and
like she's just talking about like queerness and hating to
queer bait and like talking about having queer experiences.

Speaker 5 (47:45):
But not being queer in her art.

Speaker 6 (47:47):
Yeah, there's just something very special about that, And like
hearing the accessibility of like it doesn't need to be
this high flute conversation, right, it doesn't. We don't need
to be like naming, you know, like academic texts when
we're talking about like something that's just as simple as
like wanting to be there for a community that you
have seen go through way more and the privilege that

(48:09):
you have and how you you deal with that. Like,
I don't know, I thought that was really really interesting.
Did that jump out to anyone else?

Speaker 5 (48:14):
As well.

Speaker 2 (48:15):
It honestly made me want to do a big idea
episode on cultural queerness as well, because to the point
that Evie was making and then for her to kind
of take it but then also be like a lady boy,
I'm not you know, you know, I'm not. I just
I just flipped from my wrist for the listeners. And
that's important because I feel like, for a moment, queerness
was becoming really popular in society, and everyone and their

(48:36):
mom was taking on this queer moniker, and it was
hard for me to be like, oh, I'm so happy
for you when it's like, oh, you're taking up so
much space that me and so many others that came
before you have had to occupy in the past in
a way that was violent, in a way that was scary,
in a way that was hard. Yeah, and now you
get to come in and wear it like it's this
this this cape, and as we're now seeing queer identities

(48:57):
be eradicated, it's like, oh, interesting, and this is not
by rature, like we got to get into this at
some point.

Speaker 5 (49:02):
But it's like so and so it's.

Speaker 2 (49:03):
Not dating girls like she said, she was, Oh, now
you're not using them pronouns anymore. Oh, and it's like
I'm glad that my identity was a cute costume for you,
and she wouldn't go there, And I was real thankful
for them.

Speaker 3 (49:16):
I was too, especially because I was just trying to
be like, yo, like would we chill at a gay
club and ever?

Speaker 5 (49:23):
Like could we.

Speaker 4 (49:25):
Can I invite you to one of my gigs?

Speaker 5 (49:27):
Yeah? Like like yeah, can we link up like that?

Speaker 3 (49:30):
But I think it was like really important because the
conversation that stemmed out of was about how you can
ultimately end up representing people who are things that you're not,
even like how Rico is queer.

Speaker 5 (49:46):
She may not identify as queer, and.

Speaker 3 (49:48):
She is culturally queer. Yeah, she is culturally queer. What
she represents for people is queer. I think it was
really dope to get to see someone be like in
like Ryan said in her own terms, you know, we're
out here like almost.

Speaker 5 (50:02):
Sexual child experiences. You know, sometimes it's like shut up.

Speaker 3 (50:06):
She was just like I've kissed a little girl every
now and then I've like dune my little geishous.

Speaker 6 (50:11):
She's like, I love the gays, like I just I
don't know, there's something about like like a straight black
person that's trying to be progressive and they aren't progressive,
but like they're trying to speak progressively and they just
be like the gays. It's just something funny to me
about it because I think about it's about.

Speaker 4 (50:24):
Meeting people where they are, and I.

Speaker 6 (50:26):
Genuinely have been on a journey of just like meeting
people where they are, and it really has kind of
giving me a completely different like viewpoint around it, while
also still making sure my boundaries are in place of
being like, don't fuck with me, but if you're on
the journey with me, I'll most definitely be your passenger, princess.
But can I also ask y' all, because y'all had

(50:46):
a conversation about fast food, what is your go to
McDonald's order?

Speaker 2 (50:50):
This is such a ridiculous order. I get a big
Mac with no mean so.

Speaker 4 (50:54):
You what you're doing? Bread, cheese, lettuce, and a thousand Islands.

Speaker 2 (50:57):
Onions and big Macs. It's not a thousand Eyes, it's
big Mac sauce.

Speaker 4 (51:01):
I hate that.

Speaker 3 (51:01):
What it is though, That's what every special sauce is.
They're like, oh yeah, we got our own special sauce. Bitch,
you just put a little more orange in it. I
really only eat McDonald's like when I'm at the airports
on the you know, like gigging in that life, knowing
that my ass is not probably going to eat another
meal in the next twenty four hours.

Speaker 5 (51:21):
I legit order like the left half of the menu.

Speaker 3 (51:24):
I'm like, give me, give me the double cheeseburger meal
because I want the fries, I want the drink, but
also I'm gonna need the spicy chicken sandwich. Shit you
got And if we're in one of those states that
hasn't discontinued the spicy mic crispy or whatever the.

Speaker 6 (51:40):
Shit mine is, the McNuggets with the French fry, and
maybe like a MG double on the side.

Speaker 2 (51:48):
Oo, okay on the side, Yeah, like Chase whose double
on the raide?

Speaker 6 (51:53):
Me hearing it out of my mouth? Maybe like big bag,
big bag.

Speaker 2 (52:00):
Oh you're bullying yourself. My god, this interview was incredible.
You're so multifaceted, and you also this person with a
beautiful brain, but also so much to.

Speaker 6 (52:10):
Add Foreshore and all of us are in my dream
blunt rotation.

Speaker 2 (52:14):
Oh so, so I know what, Maybe we need a
cute Maybe we need a cute blunt Rotation episode with
some of our highest high key past guests on one day.

Speaker 6 (52:25):
Actually, what we're doing like recaps of like all of
our guests. Maybe that's what we name our thing, our guests.
I'm like just playing things, our dream rotation, the rotation.

Speaker 5 (52:36):
I like the you know that's kind of cute.

Speaker 4 (52:39):
Okay, all right, we'll be back.

Speaker 6 (52:40):
We got our high key coming up next.

Speaker 5 (52:44):
I'm gonna go hit the dream blunt.

Speaker 4 (52:50):
Hike.

Speaker 5 (52:51):
It's time for our high key moments of the week. Ryan, first, right.

Speaker 6 (52:56):
I will say my first high key is I'm super
excited Big Brother is coming back.

Speaker 2 (53:01):
My strengths coming into the game is the fact that
I read people's auras.

Speaker 7 (53:05):
For a living.

Speaker 3 (53:06):
Oh well, I bring to the show a bull riding
some of them.

Speaker 5 (53:09):
That means business.

Speaker 6 (53:10):
That seven hundred and fifty thousand is mine another reason
to be completely captivated by my television and not want
to make any social plans because I'm just only watching
Big Brother. I go from Love Island to Big Brother,
like that's my summer. That's literally my summer. But my
real high key is shout out to you. After four
long years, after an album that a lot of people

(53:34):
say was not her best. Lord has officially entered back
into my ears and playlists.

Speaker 4 (53:41):
She just released Virgin a couple of weeks ago.

Speaker 6 (53:44):
Lord has been on this like journey this with this
album of talking about like her gender fluidity and also
like her relationship to her mother on Favorite Daughter, which
is one of my.

Speaker 4 (53:55):
Favorite songs on this album.

Speaker 6 (53:57):
There was a lot of expectations on what she was
going to do, especially after like the big summer moment
with her and Charli XCX, and I think that was
actually just a little inside of what we were going
to expect into like this larger product that is Virgin,
and it's it's just so so good. Honestly, it might
be one of my favorite albums of this year so far.
And I'm like a creature of habit when it comes

(54:19):
to music, Like I love finding out about new artists,
but once I really love something, I'm kind.

Speaker 4 (54:23):
Of stuck to it for like the next three months.

Speaker 6 (54:25):
I'm just like strictly listening to like Lord right now,
and I'm so obsessed, high key living for it.

Speaker 3 (54:33):
I just think it's amazing because that album cover is
gonna introduce so so many snobby, little stuck up faggots
to Pussy for the first time.

Speaker 5 (54:43):
Oh you mean I have to look at Pussy if I.

Speaker 3 (54:47):
Want Lord's album, And then they're gonna have to face
their fears and realize we all got holes.

Speaker 4 (54:52):
Based I didn't mind you.

Speaker 2 (54:54):
Maybe maybe we'll see twinks move away from the hatred
of of pussy. You're licking assholes and you want to
come over here, get out of my face. I don't
like all the misogyny in the queer community, and that
is one instant.

Speaker 5 (55:07):
So thank you Lord for doing the Lord's work. I'm
so high key about King of Drag taking.

Speaker 1 (55:12):
Back like a part of masculinity through doing something really
absolutely ridiculous gives me wholeness.

Speaker 5 (55:18):
We're like three or four episodes in at this point.

Speaker 3 (55:22):
Number one, there are some really fantastic kings on that show.
At number two, there's some really crunchy kings on that show. Yes,
number three, that is exactly what the fuck our community
is like. How have we literally been in drag race
world so long that we forgot what it looks like
when some scrappy queers decide to start a project for themselves. Yes,

(55:46):
it is so beautiful for me to watch TV where
not only am I watching drag excellence, like shout out Molasses,
shout out big d my kings right now. It's also
so fucking important to see actual people doing actual things
that you can see in real spaces.

Speaker 7 (56:07):
You know.

Speaker 5 (56:07):
It's like that Marsha P.

Speaker 2 (56:08):
Johnson letter from last week where she's like, do you
really want to get free fagots? If you do, then
you got to You gotta support all the things, not
just the girls who are putting one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars down the stage.

Speaker 6 (56:21):
I think that's also why we love that first season
of Drag Race that premiered.

Speaker 4 (56:26):
On Logo all those years ago.

Speaker 3 (56:28):
Thousands applied, but only nine have been invited to compete
for the crown.

Speaker 4 (56:34):
And as beautiful as these dolls are, it's.

Speaker 5 (56:39):
Not always gonna be pretty.

Speaker 4 (56:40):
It was the lighting.

Speaker 6 (56:41):
It was like the like very much like startup energy
of it, Like oh my god, I don't know what
this is, but it's raw, it's I'm filtered, it's everything
that we need. Anyone watched it unfortunately become what it
is today, which you know, in some ways it's still good,
but it's just a.

Speaker 4 (56:56):
Lot like I still am a firm believer of like
your entire life.

Speaker 6 (57:00):
Drag race package should not be more than like the
grand prize you're like actually winning. It's just kind of
wild you really think about it.

Speaker 5 (57:08):
But people are trying to become a list stars.

Speaker 2 (57:11):
It's like it's hard because I respect drag race for
what it is. What I don't respect is the folks
who don't know that there's anything beyond it, and so
they go to a drag show and they're like, what
the hell is this.

Speaker 3 (57:21):
Exactly exactly and they ignore all the local bitches to
like hand some ruskank who is not going to remember you,
is not really going to be thankful for it a dollar,
like girl, they don't go not saying don't give me
money at my shows because obviously you fucking better. But
but the thing is, if you're if you're gonna have

(57:41):
a dollar for me, if you're gonna go out for me,
I always I know this is wrong, but I hate
to hear when people come to a show of mine
and they're like, this is my first time coming to
a drag show and they like breezed past twenty local
drag artists to get to me, and I'm like, dude,
you're spoil with such amazing artistry, such great stories around you,

(58:04):
And if you don't like the fact that that they
don't look like the drag Race girls or whatever, maybe
it's because our community should actually start supporting our community.

Speaker 2 (58:13):
These are the same people who are not listening to
anyone that's not on top forty. So if you only
see things as this hyper commodified and must exist exist
under capitalism thing, no, these are artists. Drag is an
art form and one that was built in rebellion. Drag
kings have so little resource, so little love, so little everything,
So you know why they're crunchy, because they're fucking crunchy.

Speaker 6 (58:36):
I will say there is another side to this, of like,
once something does become super popular, of course you're going
to have like the new folks who are just like
simply entertained by the show and like, yeah, they will
see ev out and be like, oh my god, I've
never been to a drag show, but I was introduced
through drag Race. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're going
to go and have like an encyclopedic knowledge of all

(58:57):
things dragon. I think, no, that's okay. It's when you
start to like do the extras of what time of
Teeter's into like staying culture, and just like the ignorance
around local drag, that's when it starts to become like
a flag. But I totally see a world where there
are people that are introduced to drag through this thing,

(59:18):
this machine that is drag race.

Speaker 5 (59:20):
Just don't say that.

Speaker 2 (59:21):
Just don't say you love drag. If you love drag race,
say you love that, because I don't agree with that,
because you don't love drag. You love drag race, that's drag.
Though I love drag race, drag, I steel drag.

Speaker 3 (59:36):
It is still drag, but it is just also like
really upsetting. Like I remember literally the like fuel underneath
my ass, Like.

Speaker 5 (59:45):
Back when I was a local girl.

Speaker 3 (59:47):
The fuel that fired me was people quantifying your worth
as a performer by whether or not you were going
to be on drag race someday.

Speaker 4 (59:55):
Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 2 (59:56):
That's not what it was rooted in. And that's what
I struggle with, where it's like you don't respect the
history and the struggle behind the thing. And also it's
older queens too, Like you know, I love so many
older queens, And when I was coming up at Paul's
and at you know, all these places in Orlando. I
love those older queens who were lucky to be alive still,

(01:00:17):
but we're still making their livelihood off of this thing.
What are you gonna do when George just doesn't look
like a little twink anymore?

Speaker 1 (01:00:25):
Girl?

Speaker 5 (01:00:25):
What exactly?

Speaker 6 (01:00:27):
I guess I'm thinking about it in the ways of like,
I like theater. I love going to see theater. I
love watching the Tonys. But I might not be like
a theater day. Does that make my like for it
any less valid?

Speaker 5 (01:00:40):
No, I'm not.

Speaker 6 (01:00:41):
Thinking of anything that feels like out of the Like Broadway.

Speaker 5 (01:00:45):
Do you like it's one thing You're like, oh, I'll
only watch Broadway.

Speaker 4 (01:00:48):
No, I mean I like I like plays in general.

Speaker 2 (01:00:50):
RuPaul strag Race is a Broadway theater. Broadway, these shows
are costing twenty million dollars, but you can go see
an incredible solo show that someone spent two thousand dollars
they borrowed from their parents on and it can be
incredible theater. And if you're like, well, I didn't like
that because the stage didn't move and where are the pyrotechnics,
then you don't like theater.

Speaker 3 (01:01:09):
You like production. And my big thing is if you
want to see more like that in the world. You
have to support it from the roots. In the very
short history that drag has been what it has to
our pop culture, King's historically still have gotten so very little.
The grand prize package is like ten dollars and and

(01:01:30):
a really nice pecker or something.

Speaker 6 (01:01:32):
You know that's premium silicon right there. Wrap that up
exactly like at the.

Speaker 5 (01:01:42):
Actually legit did. I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:01:43):
I just feel like, if you want to see some
crunchy shit, get better support it, lift it up.

Speaker 5 (01:01:49):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:01:50):
I am high key obsessed with a new project from
a friend of ours, miss Shakhule. We love shake Hul,
a friend of the Pod. I love Black Panther, but
I'm not a huge like superhero faggot. And this new
mini series is called iron Heart, and shake Hula plays Slug,
who is like this queer hacker.

Speaker 8 (01:02:10):
I play Slug and I'm the hacker extraordinair, so you
know I'm the one breaking code, shutting down systems. And
I also drive a mean getaway car and I mean
getaway speedboa Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:02:21):
And I would call iron Heart like a queer brown
iron man.

Speaker 6 (01:02:27):
Even though she's not necessarily queer, but she's queer coded
and queer coded. Exactly do you think she's hiding a
strap in her Iron Man suit?

Speaker 5 (01:02:35):
For sure?

Speaker 4 (01:02:36):
They tried to force a relationship with somebody like energy,
and I was.

Speaker 5 (01:02:39):
Just like please exactly.

Speaker 2 (01:02:40):
I'm just so excited to see queer people, non binary people,
drag queens step into roles to build power for them,
because that hasn't always been easy. Like I remember when
I was managing Sasha, I was like, well, I was
trying to get her front row at like New York
fashion meet shows, and I was trying to all these
different things, and they're like, well, is she coming in drag?
And I was like no, because she's a human, you know,

(01:03:00):
Like I want her to show up in design her
garbs and a look and aesthetic like and build this
character outside of everything. And I think that Shay has
been able to do that in a really interesting way.
She's building this mainstream power for herself. She's beautiful for
their self. Actually, I think they're using just say them
pronouns now.

Speaker 4 (01:03:18):
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:03:19):
I know I love that for them.

Speaker 2 (01:03:21):
So anyways, just shouting out a friend shouting out a
show that was actually a lot of fun. I didn't
think I was gonna like it at first, and I
really liked it and Shane did a great job. So
shout out to the queers doing big things Disney plus Iroinheart.

Speaker 4 (01:03:34):
Yeah, Yes, and I think that's the show.

Speaker 6 (01:03:37):
Everybody keep an eye out on the high Key Instagram
socials because we do have some really incredible guests lined up. Yes,
and honestly, y'all, buckle it up, ain't.

Speaker 2 (01:03:48):
Stay messy, stay obsessed, and stay hikey. Wow, it's your
high key love in our show. Then take a second
to follow or subscri so you never miss an episode.
And while you're at it, rate us, drop a review
and tell your friend sis.

Speaker 6 (01:04:05):
And of course, if you want to keep the high
key key going, join us on Instagram and TikTok at.

Speaker 4 (01:04:10):
High Key here and on Patreon.

Speaker 6 (01:04:12):
Where we're dropping bonus content every single.

Speaker 5 (01:04:16):
Wake see there.

Speaker 2 (01:04:19):
Pi Key is a production of iHeart Podcasts as part
of the Outspoken Network. This show is created and executive
produced by Pano Keep, Ryan, mitchell E, v Oddley and
Spoke Media.

Speaker 5 (01:04:28):
Our showrunner is Tyler Green.

Speaker 3 (01:04:30):
Our producers are Jonasanti, Jenna Burnett, and Tess Ryan. Our
video lead is Justin Joseph Hall, and our audio engineer
is Sammy Syrit.

Speaker 2 (01:04:39):
Executive producers for Spoke Media are Travis Samant Ballinger and
Aleah Tavicolian.

Speaker 3 (01:04:43):
Our iHeart Team is Jess crime Chich and Sierra Kaiser.

Speaker 6 (01:04:47):
Our theme music is by Kayan Hersey and our show
art is by Work by Work with photograhy by Eric Carner.

Speaker 3 (01:04:55):
Thank you