No one sounds like Rico Nasty, and for good reason. The DMV rapper has set the bar for her hometown, and in a new interview with Teen Vogue, Rico basks in that trendsetting.

“A lot of people tend to get intimidated by looking at a place where they’re from as empty,” she said. “I look at it like a clean slate. I could do what the fuck I want because there are no rules to go by, there is no standard here for a female rapper. Now there is. Now there’s Rico Nasty.”

The DMV sound is most commonly connected to the likes of go-go, Logic, Wale, and GoldLink, but Rico is right when she notes that there is no standard for women in the region. Now, Rico is the standard. This quote is a testament to her fearlessness and her ability to buck expectations and become the rule by thriving as the exception.

Rico's observation about clean slates is also fantastic advice to upcoming artists who do not have defined local scenes. Use your burgeoning platform to uplift your hometown instead of trying to break out. Become the mold. Set the standard. Use the freedom Rico identifies to define your local scene and who you are in no uncertain terms; it will lead to a longer career.

There is but one Rico Nasty, not just in the DMV, but in all of hip-hop. That's what makes her special.