Coco Peila

Berkeley, CA-based Bay Area native Coco Peila is more than just your standard, run-of-the-mill emcee. And as an indie artist, she has to be. The grind for independent artists is a real as it’s ever been. But Peila, a graduate twice over of Full Sail University, an educator, a world traveler, an event curator, emcee, poet, singer and feminist that embodies the long tradition of creativity, activism, inclusion and the progressive spirit of California’s Bay Area in her music, seems to take it all in stride. Recently featured as part of Hip Hop Historian Davey D’s “Three Dope Songs” series on his Hip Hop and Politics blog, and having dropped her independently-released freshman album last year entitled I Still Love Him Part 1: Misses Shoot ‘em Down, and I Still Love Him Part 2: Bad B!+@#es 101 tentatively set to drop next month, Coco Peila is poised to take an even greater stance in helping move the art and culture of Hip Hop and black music continuously forward. And judging from her latest single and video, “Misses Shoot ‘em Down”, she’s taking no prisoners in doing so. Check out the video below and visit http://www.Youtube.com/cocopeila for more information, see videos and purchase her album! - The Nerdvocate

As we continue our 3 Dope Song series designed to turn folks on to underplayed and new artists, we turn our attention to Coco Peila who is a dope emcee/ singer who comes from Berkeley, California. She’s been putting in work for a minute, both as an activist , student and artist doing everything from winning Poetry slam championships (2005) to graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Recording Arts and a Master of Science Degree in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University in Orlando Florida, to performing on stages all over the world including in Guatemala and New Zealand.

She first caught a lot of people’s attention back in 2007 when her song Any Day was chosen by Youth Noise to be the face of a campaign they had launched to raise awareness about body image.

A couple of years ago Coco released her first mixed tape entitled “Can I Reminisce…Progress Not Perfection” .

She recently dropped a banger of a song called ‘Misses Shoot ‘em Down‘ that deals with female empowerment and respect. It’s the first single from her debut album as she takes a firm seat at the table of dope emcees making moves from the Bay.. - Davey D

There’s a lot of talk about the feminist (or not so feminist) stylings of women mainstream artists—from Miley Cyrus to Beyonce—it seems like folks are constantly arguing about just how much these ladies are pushing the envelope in a man’s world.

But what exactly does it mean to unapologetically confront misogyny through music and creativity? And how often have we noticed the divas in our own midst?

Which leads me to my next point…

Joyful MC/Songbird, Coco Peila, has something to say. She stands about six feet tall, has a smile as broad as the Nile…oh yea…AND a Master’s degree under her belt. I’ve got a lot of love for this sister, not only because she just put out her debut album, but also because she is a lioness dedicated to spreading love and empowerment.

Raised in the Bay Area, Coco Peila is known for asking tough questions, all with the intention of uplifting her community. In a region where most songs that make it out the Bay and into the mainstream degrade the sisters, Coco dreams lofty dreams. She dreams of a better world for women and men. When she hits the stage, she makes this dance of creativity and grit look effortless. But it ain’t effortless people. I know all too well the blood, sweat and tears that goes into writing, recording and pushing a professional project. So, I decided to ask Coco some questions about her muses, and what drives her to keep creating. What I discovered is that Coco can teach a college class on Hip Hop.

Yep, she’s still got love for him.

Interview (conducted over the phone):

(Me) Your debut album, I Still Love Him, P1, is a refreshing take on one queen’s journey through the culture of Hip Hop. Common claims that Hip Hop is a H.E.R… Why’d you choose to personify the culture as male?

(Coco) First of all, one of the things that I find really interesting about Sexism and male domination…you know the whole story of Adam and Eve—Eve eats the apple and encourages Adam to eat the forbidden fruit…

The thing that I see in our culture is when something get’s personified as a female often times it’s negative. I used to love H.E.R. by Common…I love that song, but I find it interesting that he chooses to personify Hip Hop as a her. She’s loose and she’ll mess with any dude…metaphorically speaking it was on point, but for me—let’s keep it real. Hip Hop is a male dominated culture/genre/industry. Just because it’s run by men doesn’t mean women aren’t running things behind the scenes. Just like society, the world, it’s run by men…that doesn’t mean we’re not present.

Fifty percent of the world is made up of women, but it’s dominated by men, so just like how in Hip Hop they talk about the first block party…Kool Herc was the DJ, but his little sister came up with the idea (ya feel me?) Within Sexism and male domination there’s a way that…there’s this idea that there’s not enough of them (woman who are MCs) out there. That’s actually a choice by men and women to not acknowledge what’s going on. The truth is there’s probably just as many male MCs as female ones.

To me, the way that Hip Hop is…it IS actually the state of the male psyche. First of all, most of the voices we’re hearing are male, so why is Hip Hop a female? Even if what we’re hearing is what the record executives want us to hear…this is part of what he (Hip Hop) is going through right now.

If Hip Hop was a woman I think she’d be saying something completely different right now. Ok Common…thank you for that…but what’s happening in Hip Hop has to do with male domination and how men are really struggling.

Also, it helps me to be able to write about the relationships that I’ve had by personifying Hip Hop as a man. Married to the game and so forth.

As someone who dates men, has male partners, that helps me.

Who is your Hip Hop muse? What artist(s) inspire your work?

I go through phases, but people who really make me wanna write or get super hype…I’m on an intense Nas kick. I’ve been on a Nas tip for a couple years now. He’s definitely a muse. I’ll be talking out loud…washing dishes and I’ll be like, RUN THAT SHIT BACK! He makes me really like…feel it, feel it. He’s someone who reconnects me when I’m feeling disconnected from Hip Hop.

Lauryn Hill of course. She was singing on her hooks, and she makes me feel it all the way down to my soul! Lauryn is so grounding. She reminds me to be who I am and not worry if people are thinking, like “is she a rapper or a singer?” When I first listened to her at a very young age…I didn’t even realize that she was a rapper. Just because she was female. I was thinking I was listening to a singer because the way they marketed her was R&B, which is crazy because she got BARS.

OH MY GOD…Sexism is so deep. It literally messes with your ability to notice what’s right in front of your face.

I didn’t want to say this because now everyone is on his jock but I’ve been falling in love with Kendrick Lamar’s mind for the last 4 years. I think I have almost every song he’s recorded & keep them in the whip on blank CDs entitled “More Kendrick”…His writing usually stretches and challenges my mind & inspires emotion.

Nicki Minaj is a muse for me too. Her and I are not the same person. We don’t have the same perspective. It’s not the same message. But she’s a woman and has faced ridiculous levels of Sexism. We have to be appreciative of who has come before us. She is really paving the way. It’s easy to say she’s over-sexualizing herself, and in a way she does. But first of all, we’re each standing on someone else’s shoulders. And people make sacrifices. I appreciate what she’s doing. For her to be that visible…as an immigrant, as an African Heritage female—to be that visible as an artistic…

She’s one of those artists that I look to like ‘”what is she doing?” People get so mad. We talk about what’s so messed up about her… that’s what she wants to put out as her perspective. Her job is not to put out the thinking of all women in the world. That’s why there needs to be enough female MCs to pick from…

I appreciate her (Nicki Minaj) and her grind and how much she’s accomplished. I listen to her when I try and dream big. I’m dreaming outside of the underground scene…

You and I both started rhyming as teens. At that time there were very few female MCs that had reached the mainstream. There’s a lot more out nowadays (Nicki Minaj, Angel Haze, Azealia Banks, Nitty Scott, MC, Snow the Product, Iggy Azalea…etc) What, in your opinion, has changed about the music industry from the early 2000s to now?

I think that what happens when Capitalism…when some part of the industry realizes that they can make money off of something… “Nicki Minaj is out…then shoot, girls wanna rap about their pussies? Sure!” Then a million girls are available to rap about their pussies. I think it’s a mixture within Capitalism…it sells…other girls see it…

Part of it is that nothing get’s through that isn’t gonna make money. Capitalism and oppression are tied together, so the things that sell are often the same ideas and beliefs that oppress us.

I listen to Nicki Minaj, but part of it is that there is already confusing messages in our society about women and our bodies. When we’re talking about bodies—women’s bodies being objects to be bought and sold…sex is a commodity to be exported and imported. That dates back to very early times. So it makes complete sense to me that people are better able to respond to a woman when she is selling her body and sex than when she is trying to put out her mind. For most of us, it’s easier to digest. I believe that Nicki Minaj is really deliberate about how she’s doing it.

I don’t think that Nicki is the only one paving the way. All these women and girls are out here pushing and paving the way. And it’s changed. Because it became apparent that there is a market.

If you’re really being who you are, and really speaking your truth AND you have grind… If you’re being human then there’s other people that will identify with that.

Part of it has to do with living in a society that conditions you to believe that there’s no possibility of breaking the glass ceiling.

When someone breaks through then all the sudden you’re like: “it IS possible. It’s possible for me.”

How can men be allies to women in Hip Hop?

Go to therapy . Straight up. Go to therapy and address the times in your life when a man dominated you. The cycle of oppression happens when boys get dominated and humiliated by men, and then they grow up and they do it to women. It has to start somewhere. Work on that shit because basically we all have internalized oppression, and we all act it out on others who don’t have the same agency within the society.

Do the fucking work. It’s not like…oh its all men’s fault. NO, we’re all in this together and need to do the healing. So that’s one thing.

Make a deliberate point to find female MCs. Like, search… don’t just assume because you don’t see them on the TV that they’re not there. Another thing is…go out of your way. One of my ex boyfriends was always so good at finding MCs…he’s the one who put me up on Azealia Banks and Rapsody. It’s not gonna come to you, you have to go look for it.

Also, be quiet. Just listen. Stop talking. Another way that men dominate is taking up the fucking space. And talking. Oh but the women are so shy. Well, if you shut up or ask a question they might talk. Ask questions. that’s one of the big things about being allies. I’m gonna see what happens when I’m quiet and if nothing happens…Ima ask questions to pull stuff out.

Share your resources. A lot of my big breaks have happened because I was patnas with a dude who put me in contact with a manager or producer.

A lot of the forward movement comes from men. Sometimes I wanna work with a man, but if I don’t wanna have sex. Hello. I don’t wanna have to deal with somebody tryna hustle me for a relationship or sex. Take women seriously.

Consider the possibility that it would be more to your advantage to see women in Hip Hop as people to work with instead of as sexual objects or partners.

See us as working partners first. Instead of trying to get something out of it…

What words of advice do you have for women hoping to break into the Hip Hop/R&B industry?

Go to therapy. For real. Because it takes a really strong mind and heart to do this. There’s so much distraction and temptation. And the politics of gender relationships…there’s too little room for women to mess up. Handle your shit.

Know who you are and where you come from, and what you need to work.

Make spiritual, mental and emotional space.


Know who you are and what you will or won’t do. People will step to you with some crazy stuff. You will be confronted with the reality that you could make a lot of money with this shit. There’s millions of ways to make money. What is it that you want to stand for? It may be that people will step to you with opportunities that will give you shine…But if it don’t feel right, or you don’t trust or believe in it…you have to trust that there will be other opportunities to get that shine. Don’t compromise who you are as a human being.

It’s also about sharpening your craft. Listen to the dopest people out there…from the beginning Hip Hop legends. Write everyday. Freestyle everyday. Jump in the cipher even if you feel terrified. Basically all the great people are good because they did it on a regular basis. Nas didn’t come out the womb spitting like that he does. He practiced. Not a lot of people take women under their wing. Put yourself in the game. Insert yourself. When me and Dominique (DOMjones) first started, we’d jump in the cipher. We would spit writtens at times, but for us it was already such a big deal to put ourselves out there. So, I’d say just get in there.

Also, make artistic relationships with men, work with them, and collaborate with them.

Put yourself around people that are hella better than you. Don’t get comfortable around the people that have the same experience as you. Get your chops up.

Don’t ever say “I’m the best female.” It’s an insult to yourself and to other women because basically you’re saying you’re the baddest female…basically…you’re not an MC to me anymore because an MC by nature wants to be the baddest. Period. I don’t care if it’s a woman or man. Look to women for the wisdom, style…don’t just compare yourself to other women.

A lot of men have more experience rapping because women have to get over the initial fears. You don’t have to be like them…listen to male MCs. Believe in yourself.

Hip Hop is a conversation. Everybody deserves to step to the table with something to say.

It’s kind of like learning a language. A toddler has to learn how to speak. Get your chops up so you can learn how to communicate…say what you wanna say.

This album is FYAH and, as the title implies, it’s only Part 1!! What can we look forward to in Part 2?

The album is broken up into a trilogy…its part of a full-length album that I’ll be dropping the summer 2014 …so this is an introduction to the game for me.

So part 2 is gonna be more grimy.

I Still Love Him, Part 1 is the part of me I show to the world and to my students. And part 2 is like alright cool…we’ve known each other for a while, we been chopping it up…now this is what I REALLY think….I’m just saying.

GO BUY THAT.
This album…originally, I started writing it five years ago. When I was 22…I recorded it once in Nashville when I was 23, and I went back to Orlando, recorded it again…moved back to the Bay and then recorded it yet again.

I love this album…this is my baby…a lot of this writing is older writing though. Shit took hella long.

So, what I’m saying is, be afraid. Be very afraid. These verses are verses I wrote when I was 17, 18, 19, and basically the sophomore album that’s coming up behind it is CRAZY. - MADlines