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Philadelphia Turns LETHAL with Sadboi and Rico Nasty

Rico Nasty rages with Union Transfer as she continues her 2025 Tour

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It’s a gloomy Sunday evening for the city of Philadelphia as concertgoers line Spring Garden Street outside of Union Transfer. Between a combination of mist and wind, it would be easy to get uncomfortable. However, the line simply could not whip the smiles off their faces knowing in near moments, they’d finally get to see Rico Nasty perform! The fans came ready, bringing the style, energy, and passion that has become a staple of Rico’s shows; and damn did they bring the heat! 

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Following the release of her third studio album ‘LETHAL’ on May 16th, 2025, the critically acclaimed rapper and singer Rico Nasty announced her “LETHAL Tour” for North America, consisting of 24 stops. One of those stops was Union Transfer, locking her first performance in Philadelphia since 2023’s “Monster Energy Outbreak Tour”. With new merch, new music, and a new set; fans flocked to every corner of the venue as doors opened for the building. The nearly sold-out crowd had many eager to secure a good spot up front or on the balcony for watching the show. 

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Taking the stage first was Sadboi, joined by her hype man performing backing vocals after giving her a warm introduction. Ebhoni Simone Cato O’Garro, known by her stage name Sadboi, is a singer, rapper, and model who’s known for fusing alternative rap, R&B, and hyperpop to deliver raw and electrifying sound for listeners. Hailing from Toronto, Ontario, she citined emo and gender-bending influences as inspiration for her stage name. Her music often explores themes of self-doubt, heartbreak, and resilience.

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Breaking into the scene in 2018 with her mixtape ‘Hoodie Szn’, both her and the record earned buzz for its storytelling and blended lo-fi trap beats. Gaining wider recognition in 2020 with singles like “Im Sad” and “Bed”, she amassed millions of streams gaining loyal followers in underground circles. By 2022, she was appearing in campaign brands for Nike and Vogue, and in 2024 released her first studio album ‘Dry Cry’ which went on to generate millions of streams more on DSP. Tracks like “Wet Dreams” and “Ghost” were especially popular amongst fans hailing Sadboi as a “rising alternative-rap icon”.

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Iconic she was, as she took to stage in a magnificent fur coat. Performing the likes of “Johnny”, “Potential”, and “Bitches Over Boys”, among more, Sadboi made it her mission to turn the crowd up as they warmed up for Rico. Commenting on the energy in the room, she made sure people knew they came right, and they were in for a real treat.

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As goodbyes were said, and Sadboi left the stage you could tell she gave her all into what was an exceptional performance. Her words were very true though, Rico Nasty cooked up a treat for concertgoers that evening, and this came in the form of an over 40 track setlist that could feed generations!

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After taking a second to get composed, DJ Miles came out to hype up the crowd ahead of the headliner. The subs turned up, and the lights in the room faded to a dark blue as he played crowd pleasers; next everything had gone back as he stopped the tracks. Opening with an extended instrumental of “WHO WANT IT”, the guitarist made his way onto stage to help introduce the woman of the evening herself, Rico Nasty! 

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Going from dimed black, lighting began to illuminate along the guitar riffs until the place exploded with color, smoke machines, and impressive flashes. The crowd didn’t just get excited when Rico came onto the stage, they exploded! Hands raised in the air as they jumped up and down with her, Rico rapped, screamed, and sang her ass off as her hair whipped around like a rockstar. One by one Rico nasty snaked through her impressive discography that would make alternative heads lose their minds! 

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Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly, who goes by Rico Nasty as her stage name, was born in Largo, Maryland in 1997. The American singer, rapper, and songwriter is known for her electrifying blend of rage rap, punk, trap, and hyperpop. Influenced by her fathers rap career, and her mothers love for electric music, she began getting involved with music herself as she moved between Maryland and D.C in 2014. After high school graduation, Rico began focusing more seriously on her music career. Uploading two mixtapes in 2016, her song “Icarly” was the first to gain steady traction on youtube, amassing hundreds of thousands of views in a few months. 

Taking a bigger leap in 2018, hitting viral status through tracks like “Smack a Bitch” and “Pussy Poppin”, which both went on to garner millions of streams; she would sign with Atlantic records soon after. Featuring these tracks on her debut mixtape with Atlantic, Nasty, she had been able to find success while showcasing her range in both punk-rap and hyperpop vocals. This time period would culminate with her debut album “Nightmare Vacation”, which was critically praised for its unique blend of electro-punk and high energy rap. 

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Her raw attitude, edgy lyrics, and sound grew her fanbase which resonated with her fans. Versatile and unapologetically punk – she had found her audience. Over the next 5 years, Rico would drop consistently – releasing projects that pushed her lyricism and genrebending style to an even higher level. In 2021, she released a collaborative EP with Boys Noize blending rap with techno, and in 2023 a trap-metal EP titled ‘RX’. Two more albums, Las Ruinas (2022) and Nightmare Vacation 2 (2024), were released to similar praise highlighting the maturity in her production over time. 

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That brings us to the album that has us together tonight, LETHAL. Described as a “freeing celebration of self-confidence and defiance”, the project was the most commercially and critically acclaimed album by Rico since Nasty in 2018. Drawing influences from Bloc Party, Robyn, and punk acts like descendants. Rico delivered a project that was very herself, raw, and punk. 

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The album was a perfect celebration and declaration of all the sounds and genres Rico has found success in over the years. Performing most of the album including tracks like “BUTTERFLY KISSES”, “EAT ME”, AND “SMOKE BREAK”, it allowed Rico Nasty to flow with in and out her greater discography with ease. Structuring the setlist in a way that highlights her hyper-pop/trap and punk-rap sound extremely well. Even if this was your first introduction to Rico-Nasty – there was truly something for everyone! 

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Dancing, raging, and smiling all night long, Rico made sure her fans felt acknowledged throughout the show – Interacting several times with fans for lovely moments. One fan who was facetime her friend, was able to be greeted virtually by the artist onstage. In another instance, she could be seen going bar for bar with a fan rapping with her; even holding out the microphone to give them the spotlight. A while into the show, Rico had slowed it down for tracks like “YOU COULD NEVER“, then afterward revealed she had saved most of the ragers for the final act. “I wanna see a moshpit, what the fuck going on!” The crowd proceeded to form a pit, coming together for a killer beat drop during “OHFR?”.

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At this point the finale was primarily punk rap! Unleashing tracks like “SMOKE BREAK” “Vaderz”, and “Rage”. Everyone had their hands in the air and were getting lost in excitement within the atmosphere. Everything from the crowd, Rico, the lighting, and instrumentalists turned it up a notch; with the guitarist laying down a sick guitar solo during “GRAVE”. It was easily the most electrifying I’ve seen this year! 

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Right before her last track, Rico wanted to drop some lore regarding Philadelphia with a story of perseverance and growth. “When I had my first show in Philly, I rode the train here, I wore a fucking hoodie because it was cold, and I got there was 6 people”, said Rico Nasty. “LOOK AT THIS FUCKING ROOM, now all these people”. She went on to say how blessed she is to be able to touch so many people through her music, and that they are the reason she never gave up. It’s always inspirational hearing stories like these as they remind both the audience truly nothing is impossible. A lesson I could tell many left with that evening. Performing her last track, “Trust Issues”, Rico Nasty waved goodbye to Union Transfer completing a full circle moment for both fans and the artist. From the insane setlist, to tons of unforgettable moments, this was a show that was truly LETHAL. 

See the Full Gallery of the Evening Here!

If you captured any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.

Rico Nasty Setlist Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, USA 2025

If you’d like the chance to catch Rico Nasty LIVE yourself! Check out the remaining tour dates below:

Remaining show dates: 

US DATES:

October 15, 2025 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
October 18, 2025 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
October 19, 2025 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
October 21, 2025 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
October 22, 2025 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville
October 24, 2025 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live
October 25, 2025 – Orlando, FL – The Beacham
October 27, 2025 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Houston
October 28, 2025 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
October 29, 2025 – Austin, TX – Empire Control Room & Garage
November 2, 2025 – Pomona, CA – The Glass House
November 4, 2025 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre



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