A line of well-dressed concertgoers wrapped around The Opera House, bathed in a strangely warm October sun. An infectious energy flowed onto Queen Street East as eager fans fired compliments back and forth. Rico Nasty’s Lethal tour touched down in Toronto, summoning combat boots, fishnets, meticulously parted cornrows, winged liner, and alt Black girls with its arrival.

Once inside the unfamiliar Edwardian-style venue, underneath the fanciful light fixture stood the Blackest concert crowd I’ve ever seen. I noticed the tension between the aesthetics of an old Opera house and the rap-rock album soon to be performed, between Blackness and our belonging in alternative spaces. I considered the importance of Black artists validating all the identities I saw waiting in that room. 

Rico Nasty has been a huge figure in pop culture to me for years, and to see that her fans are ‘weird’ Black girls like me deepened my respect for Rico Nasty’s sound. The realization that she caters to a niche, racialized audience explained why she played a relatively small venue that only holds around 1,000 people, despite my previous perception of her widespread popularity.

The pre-show music — to which a man on the balcony danced all the way through –– came to a halt an hour after doors, and MC TK masterfully warmed up the crowd with some 2010s pop and a few West Indian songs. 

After about twenty minutes, TK introduced the opener, SadBoi. I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know of her before the Lethal tour announcement. 

SadBoi is a Toronto native of Jamaican-Antiguan descent who incorporates dancehall, baile funk, ragga, and rhythm and blues (R&B) into her sound. I was in awe of her when she stepped onstage. 

I admired Sadboi’s style from the top of her oversized fur hat and gold grill down to her sheer micro shorts and tabi ruched boots. She mostly performed from a mix of her two albums, DRY CRY and BARE CHAT, while TK adlibbed, danced, and hyped up the crowd for the entirety of the performance. The stage presence of the two wildly impressed me. 

Standout songs from the set included: “Johnny,” “Ackee,” “Baddies,” and “Give Me 10’s.” SadBoi and TK maintained a playful rapport with each other and the crowd. They borrowed a lighter from a fan for a gimmick in “Bitches Over Boys” and seemingly dedicated “Complicated” to someone in the crowd. 

Wrapping up her set, SadBoi asked that we sing every word to her favourite song, fun.’s “We Are Young” featuring Janelle Monáe. The disco ball was put into use for the first time of the night, and SadBoi exited the stage after the first chorus as we belted under the crystal lights.

A new MC took to the stage with an electric guitarist. Anticipation built as the MC periodically echoed the iconic “Rico” adlib throughout the venue while the crew set up the stage for the main act. 

The overhead lights dimmed, the tall rectangular stage lights lit up yellow, and Rico Nasty entered the stage to “WHO WANT IT” in over-the-knee slouchy boots, an asymmetrical skirt, a crop top, and a studded cuff. Rico dominated the stage, stomping from left to right, rapping harder than she does on her recorded tracks. 

The setlist featured some of Rico’s most intense songs, such as “Smack A Bitch,” “Tia Tamera,” and “TEETHSUCKER.” Rico invited a fan on stage to sing the entirety of “OHFR?” along with her. The crowd’s excitement, the fan’s confident performance, and Rico’s amusement brought the entire room closer together for the rest of the show. 

Purple stage lights welcomed my personal favourite, “ON THE LOW,” a song about a secretive sexual relationship that Rico assures her lover she can keep private. It was one of the biggest sing-alongs of the night. 

The peak of the night arrived with the performance of “SON OF A GUN” and its mosh pit. Rico instructed the crowd to run in circles rather than fight, and in the midst of an intense show, this instruction sounded much like something she’d tell her son. I was suddenly reminded that the woman dancing, yelling, and cussing on stage is an experienced mother.

Near the end of the show, Rico announced that we were the biggest crowd she had experienced in Toronto, which was shocking to me, considering the ubiquity of “Smack A Bitch” and “Tia Tamera” in the past. Rico Nasty created a space of pure catharsis where I could dance, scream, and mosh, amongst one of the more respectful crowds I’ve experienced.

When Rico left the stage, we called for an encore, and although Rico didn’t come back out, the MC played us one last song, and we applauded the dancing man on the balcony before we left.