''Anger Management'' is a collaborative

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

between American musicians

Rico Nasty Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly (born May 7, 1997), known professionally as Rico Nasty, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Maryland. She rose to prominence in 2018 with singles such as "Smack a Bitch" and "Poppin". While in high schoo ...

and Kenny Beats. It was released independently on April 25, 2019 through Rico Nasty's label Sugar Trap as a

surprise release A surprise album or surprise release refers to the release of an album with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion. The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in the f ...

. Featured artists on the record include Baauer, Splurge, and EarthGang.

Background and release

Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats recorded the entire project within a five day session in early 2019. On March 24, 2019, Rico Nasty announced the project on Instagram live and noted that it will "probably come out in April 019" On why she kept the project a secret from her fans, Rico said: "I want you guys to really enjoy it and I want you guys to let me enjoy creating it and not be rushing to finish." She announced its imminent release on April 24, 2020 and released the promotional single, "Big Titties". Anger Management was officially released on April 25, 2019.

Cover artwork

The mixtape's cover art was created by Keith Rankin, and was inspired by the cover of the 1991 psychology book, ''The New Primal Scream'', by Arthur Janov. Dom Glover, the creative director of the project, originally approached Rankin with this cover as inspiration. Rankin told '' The Fader'', "As soon as I saw that idea I had a pretty clear image of what it should be, just a straight up view of Rico’s face with the gradient background." The cover art was created using the pen and airbrush tools on Photoshop.

Composition

Musically, ''Anger Management'' was noted by critics to be a hip hop record with elements of

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

, punk rap, metal, and nu-metal.

Critical response

Reception

Anger Management received positive acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the mixtape received an average score of 79, based on 4 reviews. Album of the Year collected 6 reviews and calculated an average of 74 out of 100. Kyann-Sian Williams of '' NME'' described the mixtape as a "bracing, addictive record" which "takes the listener on a journey through anger to acceptance, finally arriving at a sense of calm. It's a great concept, and a great album." Lakin Starling of '' Pitchfork'' described the record as "a hell of a rap-production slapper, but most of all it's a turning point in Rico's evolution," noting that " icoremains one of the heaviest hitters in the no-rules arena of rap." Nathan Ma of ''

Highsnobiety Highsnobiety is a global fashion and lifestyle media brand founded in 2005 by David Fischer. It was bought by German e-commerce giant Zalando in 2022. Highsnobiety is headquartered in Berlin and has offices in Amsterdam, London, Milan, New York ...

'' wrote "At its heart, ''Anger Management'' is an overwhelmingly visceral, engaging, and consuming project," and concluded that "Rico Nasty is, among other things, a professional." Danny Schwart of '' Rolling Stone'' praised the collaborative efforts of the project and the energy between the duo, writing, "This overpowering 18-minute release reveals Rico and Kenny to be the most high-voltage rapper-producer combo around. ..the progression they've achieved on ''Anger Management'', indicate that Rico and Kenny will probably be career-long collaborators. Rico is only 21 and her future is incredibly bright — especially with Kenny at her side to help her realize her potential." In a slightly more negative review, Daniel Spielberg of '' HipHopDX'' noted that "Instead of replicating last year's

Nasty Nasty may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Music * ''Nasty'' (album), a 1996 album by Cameo * ''Nasty'' (mixtape), a 2018 mixtape by Rico Nasty * ''Nasty'', a 1981 album by Ronald Shannon Jackson * "Nasty" (Bandit Gang Marco song), ...

], [Rico Nasty] is clearly set on experimenting and expanding her sound. Even though it shows that she's a risk taker, ''Anger Management'' is unfortunately half-baked."

Accolades

''Anger Managagement'' appeared on multiple critic's lists.

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal and

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

. Sample Credits * "Hatin" contains a sample from " Dirt Off Your Shoulder", written by Shawn Corey Carter and Timothy Mosley, as performed by

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

. * "Relative" contains a sample from " Can't Be Wasting My Time", written by Christopher Martin, Lawrence Parker, Johntá Austin, Andre Evans, and Alfred Antoine, as performed by Mona Lisa.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. * Kenny Beats – producer *

– vocals * Baauer – producer * Harry Fraud – uncredited co-producer * Splurge – vocals * Nils – uncredited co-producer * Jozzy – writer * The Crate League – uncredited co-producer *

Alex Tumay Alexander Tumay (born July 19, 1986) is an American audio engineer and DJ from Atlanta, Georgia. He has recorded and mixed songs for major artists across the American hip hop industry, including Young Thug, Travis Scott, Future, Kanye West, ...

– mixer * Joe LaPorta – mastering engineer

References

{{Authority control 2019 mixtape albums Collaborative albums Rico Nasty albums Albums produced by Kenny Beats