5 Facts about Rico Nasty Who Became Pregnant While in High School

Rapper, singer, and songwriter Rico Nasty became pregnant in high school and gave birth to her son Cameron when she was eighteen.

Punk-rap princess Rico Nasty is known as a genre-bender bundle of energy that can light up a stage and sell a million records. People know the music, but not the woman who felt compelled to make it or the emotions that inspired her songs.

Fans want to know the facts about Rico Nasty, who, as it turns out, is not nasty at all. She is a massively talented, ambitious young mother who nevertheless always puts her son first.

Rico Nasty on stage with her son at the Fillmore Silver Spring. in 2018. | Source: Getty Images

Rico Nasty was born in a biracial family on May 7, 1997. Her mother is Puerto Rican, and her father is African American. Her childhood was haunted by economic difficulties, her parents’ divorce, and her rapper father’s prison stint.

Rico experienced the loss of her boyfriend and best friend, Brandon, who died from an asthma attack.

The troubled young girl she once was overcame her past and is now a successful rap artist, a fashion icon, and a devoted mom. Here are five quick facts about Rico Nasty.

She’s from DMV

Rico was born in New York, but her family moved around a lot, which meant that she went to many different schools around Washington, D.C, Maryland, and the Virginia areas (DMV), including a boarding school from which she was expelled for misbehaving.

The rapper is fiercely proud of her roots but admits that it’s not easy to come from the DMV and get recognition as a musician. Rico said:

“We got the mambo sauce, we got the Go Go. If you don’t bump Go Go then you not from the DMV.”

Rico Nasty Is Not Her Real Name

Rico Nasty’s real name is Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly, but when she had to choose a stage name, she decided on Rico Nasty. There is a story behind it, and it all started when a boy tried to insult her.

Rico was wearing a lanyard with the words “Puerto Rico” emblazoned on it in honor of her mother’s country, and a boy sneered at her and called her “Rico Nasty.” When the time came to give herself a rapper name, Rico Nasty seemed to fit her like a glove.

She Became a Mother in High School

Rico realized she was pregnant when she was 17 and still in high school. The rapper admitted that she was afraid to tell her parents she was expecting a baby.

She revealed that knowing she was about to become a mother was the most frightening experience in her life, but once her son, Cameron, was born, she confessed:

“I wouldn’t trade this for the world.”

Rico Nasty’s Mother Was Disappointed by Her Pregnancy

Her mother was disappointed in Rico and particularly upset because she felt that her daughter had compromised her future and that being a teen mother would limit her possibilities.

Rico surprised her parents by becoming a responsible young mother, living independently, getting a job, and supporting her baby without asking them for money. The rapper revealed that her parents love little Cameron and are doting grandparents.

Her Boyfriend Passed Away before the Baby Born

In her teens, Rico experienced the loss of her boyfriend and best friend, Brandon, who died from an asthma attack. Rico discovered she was pregnant after his death and was devastated to think that he wouldn’t even know he was a father.

Motherhood, her love for her son, and her sense of responsibility helped Rico pull herself out of her depression, but to this day, tears flood her eyes when she speaks of Brandon’s death and all he meant to her.

Rico Nasty’s Parents’ Divorce Plunged Her Into Depression

Rico confessed that she battled depression for most of her life. She felt that her parents’ relationship caved under the pressure of raising a child together, and that pushed Rico to try and excel so that they would get back together.

As an only child, she was profoundly lonely and became an exhibitionist, extravagant in her behavior and wearing bright colors to attract attention. Rico blamed herself and revealed she believed being #1 would reunite her parents and give her back the family she loved.