Nasty Gal

Description

The third album by Betty Davis, originally released by Island Records in 1975. In the 1970s, Betty Davis defied genres and gender by pushing her voice to the extreme and embracing eroticism. She expressed a kind of pre-punk, funk-blues fusion that had not yet been normalized in mainstream music—a style few musicians have managed to replicate. One of the first Black women to write, arrange, and produce her own albums, Betty was a visionary who ignored the limits and constraints of the industry. Brutal, uncompromising, and fully in control, Betty paved the way for generations of future artists who said "funk you" to the music industry and social norms. In 1975, Betty Davis's star was on the rise. With the support of Island Records and a new band, Funk House, Betty's third album, "Nasty Gal," builds on the hyper-sexualized persona that so obsessed her detractors. She raps, purrs, screams, and moans over Funk House's manic funk-rock and claims the "bad girl" anthems that saturate the music industry today. Recorded from the original tapes, Nasty Gal showcases Betty's groundbreaking work as a performer, writer, and producer.