For a long time after his death, every Yoruba-spitting MC was likened to the great Barack O’Grin – whether male, female, Bobrisky or in between. It is indicative of the impact DaGrin had on Yoruba-spoken hip-hop that he became the guiding frame through which new entrants into the sub-genre were viewed.
Last year, Capital Hill signee Mz Kiss was one of a handful of female MC’s in hip-hop, as a whole, to release a project – her debut EP Street on the Loose came out almost a year ago. Though she’s been quieter of late, a lot is still expected of the tigerish femcee.
Kiss is the most prominent female act currently holding it down in the sub-genre that Lord of Ajasa pioneered but DaGrin helped put on the map, but she was not the first. Enter CocoIce, a female rapper of Yoruba and Hausa descent, who was initially known as Mo’ Black but later changed her stage name to a curious combination of rapper Ice T and his voluptuous wife Coco.
CocoIce has gained nationwide celebrity in the past couple of weeks as a contestant on Big Brother Naija, 2017 but sadly, she was evicted from the house on Sunday. The ever-smiling Coco was nominated for eviction alongside other housemates Bisola, Bassey, Gifty and Debie Rise but her dreams of winning the N25million and a brand new Kia Sorento were dashed when Big Brother host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu announced that she, not them, was the next person to leave the fold.
Before getting on Big Brother Naija 2017, CocoIce was an aspiring rapper and singer. She first burst onto the scene in 2005 with the single “Get Nutty” featuring May D and produced by OJB Jezreel associate Jo’Kaynie. Coco was inspired not only by OJB and the thriving pop scene but also by hip-hop music, she cites Weird MC as one of her main inspirations for getting into music. But it was another MC that would change her fortunes and give CocoIce a real chance to make it in the world of entertainment.
CocoIce met with DaGrin a few years after she first got in the industry. At the 2009 edition of the Dynamix awards, the late rapper announced that he would be signing a new female MC – that MC was CocoIce, then known as Mo’ Black. The talented wordsmith took her under his wing and helped hone her rap skills.
DaGrin was the one who encouraged me to rap in Yoruba… DaGrin was a great guy, a mentor of sort. He will forever be in my heart as a career motivator.
In order to keep her mentor’s name alive, CocoIce released a remake of “Pon Pon Pon”. The song got some radio spins and CocoIce got some level of notoriety, the ‘female DaGrin’ moniker would become an appendage to her rap name thereafter.
The two rappers, however, never got to record a song together, CocoIce was reportedly supposed to be on the official “Pon Pon Pon” remix that never came out. She never got signed to his label Misofunyin Entertainment either. Coco kept pushing her career after the rapper’s death in 2010 and after her relationship with erstwhile management team Magikal Entertainment ran its course, she signed with Golden Records in 2013. That deal, however, seems to be over as well, the rapper disclosed in an interview after leaving BBNaija that she’s currently looking for a record deal.
Whichever company signs her already has a good idea of who they’re entering into business with. Coco’s style of music is raw and direct and the MC has no qualms being labelled as a ‘bad girl’. Her persona on records is consistent with some of her behavior inside the Big Brother house. A few days before she was evicted, a scene of her getting physical with Bassey in a game of Truth or Dare went viral. Bassey was dared to suck Coco’s nipple, to which he obliged. We are pretty sure Bassey didn’t complain but a few years ago, Coco opened up about why, if she had her way, Bassey probably would have had a lot more to hold while fulfilling his obligatory sucking duties on that faithful day.
I will love to have a chest enlargement. I’ve been craving for bigger boobs since I was a teen. My current size is 36. I want big and well-rounded boobs to enhance my looks. Having a bigger chest is cool and sexier.
Guys everywhere drool over ladies with big boobs. And the ladies with heavy boobs that are in the entertainment business that I admire are Mercy Johnson, Nicki Minaj, Kim Kardashian, to mention a few
Thankfully, CocoIce doesn’t need big breasts to break through as much as she needs a big record in the next few months. The momentum the rapper has gained could all go to waste if she doesn’t find a way to remain on people’s TV screens and in their Twitter conversations.
Even if they don’t win the ultimate prize, shows like these can be a springboard for creatives who need exposure to take them farther in their careers. It might be a reach to ask for Coco to fill DaGrin’s shoes and become his female incarnate but the rapper now has a second shot at showing the world that promise that even the late, great MC once saw.