Coco is one of those artists who gets called out as ‘one to watch’ outside of London. Having moved from Sheffield to London in 2015, he hasn’t lost his accent or his infectious energy. You probably know more of his work than you think; he’s put out Big Bou Yah, Big N Serious (remixed with AJ Tracey and Nadia Rose), as well as consistently working with fellow Sheffield lad Toddla T.

After a string of big singles, the No Rehearsal EP is more than welcome. Especially in a time when grime has taken a bit more of the backseat, it’s a reminder of how energizing it can be. All five tracks are winners. My personal favourite is Troffin, produced by Toddla, with its ska-like beat and catchy hook, but there are absolutely no skip-overs. Coco is running head first into summer with this, and I can’t wait to see crowds buzz off his live performances. He’s just one to watch, full stop.

UHH: You’re from Sheffield, which is outside the grime hub of London. But especially in the past few years’, regional MCs have been getting a lot more attention, like MIST and Jaykae. Do you feel it's as important to underline which cities MCs are from, or has it moved towards just everyone being part of the scene?

Coco: I think everybody still wants to represent where they come from. Me being from outside of London, I want to scream it even more so people know that I'm not a Londoner. I think a couple of years ago it was a bit harder for regional MCs to get noticed because London is the epicentre of UK music, especially grime. But I don't think it's much of an issue now.

Because there are so many London MCs, do you think being from outside gives you an advantage in cutting through that sound? For instance, your accent sounds different, or you get put on lists of ‘artists to watch outside of London’.

Yeah, I think it does help. I was saying to someone earlier it's catch 22 because other people look at me and think, ‘oh this guy's like a London MC, I can't be bothered to take the time out to see what he's doing.’ Like you said, with my accent, I can just perfect my style and jump into that pond with something different. It’s better to switch it up and try not to take note of what else is coming up.

You’ve been in London for a few years now. What made you move down?

Predominantly, I just wanted to get out of Sheffield and see what the world had for me. I just thought I've got a gift for a reason so I might as well see where I can take it.

You and Toddla T are like a little duo. He's of course from Sheffield as well, but you actually linked up when you got down to London?

Yeah, it's so ironic. It was like the first or second day I actually came down to move, and I saw him at XOYO. We've got a mutual friend who said if you're gonna go to London you might as well meet him. So I saw him briefly after his set and then the day after I was in the studio with him and Danny Weed. That was the moment; I'd just come from Sheffield a few days ago and now I'm with Toddla T, do you know what I'm saying? It was a bit overwhelming, but I thought, I know what I've got to do in terms of just keeping up the momentum and hopefully it can pay off.

You also produce. Every MC needs that producer to really take them to the next level. You can be an amazing lyricist if you don't have good production, it doesn’t alway work.

It's true.

Is the new EP all produced by Toddla?

Two of them tracks are mine, One Step Ahead and Gimme The Mic, and Toddla did Troffin.

That's my favourite. I'm addicted.

I made that in Ibiza actually. I think now is the time to show people that Coco the producer's here, as well as the spitter.

Do you produce for other artists too, or just your own music?

I do, yeah. I've just been trying to branch out because, touch wood, let's say the MCing thing doesn't go as far as I want it to, at least I've got another avenue.

How did you start producing? You can start rapping in your bedroom with nothing, but production involves knowledge and equipment!

It is a bit more technical. I was just really fond of wanting to learn more skills within music and I think a big part of that was down to Skepta, Wiley, JME, and just seeing how those guys are sick at MCing, but they're also sick at beats as well. Until this day I love producing just as much as spitting, proper.

It’s definitely a good look to be self-sufficient, you can always do your own tracks.

I can engineer myself too. I want to say I can DJ, but don't book me.

I was listening to your older tracks and Foreign Light on Toddla’s album (of the same name) is probably my top track of the project. Out of all the tracks you've done with him, what's your favourite?

I like Ingredients. It just shows off the Coco that everyone predominantly knows, with the fast flows, with energy. Scrufizzer really helped me go back to that place, and the beat just speaks for itself.

Not necessarily in grime, but which producers do you really rate right now?

There's a lot man. I like Jevon. There are that many producers it's hard to be like, ‘just this one’. Audio Slugs, he's a grand producer, I've just made a track with him. But I'm always on the lookout for people who've got a sound that catches my ear.

Big N Serious has probably your biggest tune so far, and the remix with AJ Tracey and Nadia Rose was a good look. What does that track mean to you now?

Financially probably it did do the most for me. But before that release, we did Big Bou Yah, which is quite a grimey sort of track. To some people that was my entrance to the game, so I thought, I've done this and everyone's feeling it. I went on to Big N Serious and I was like, ‘I don't know bro, the sample’s not as grimey’. He's saying, ‘Coco, trust me’, and it went the furthest.

Looking back at YouTube clips, you’ve been heavily supported by radio DJs like Target, Sir Spyro, and Charlie Sloth. How did it feel when you first started appearing on stations like Rinse, and the national ones?

It was overwhelming, if I want to describe it in one word. In Sheffield, I was doing all the same things but I wasn't seeing the benefit of it as much. It was like there was no rehearsal for everything that's happened up until now, and that's why I called the EP No Rehearsal.

And how was doing Fire in the Booth? That's obviously a huge milestone for British MCs.

I was so nervous. I can't lie, because obviously it's one of those platforms where it's got that much of a credible reputation, that you have to do well, and the whole one take thing. But I rehearsed my lyrics so much, that's all I could think about. I think that was one of the pinnacle moments in my career.

I saw a video of a really long freestyle a few years’ back on Sir Spyro’s Rinse show, which was mad. How important do you think it is to still have freestyle platforms like that and Fire in the Booth? Do you think people rate MCs based on freestyles, or do you think it's more about recorded tracks and live shows now?

In regards to grime I think it's quite important because really you're still there but with these platforms. That platform's important because it's kind of like sparring, it's like going to the gym for boxers. That's kind of our thing, going on radio spitting and freestyling. I think it's just to ensure that you've still got it and practice makes perfect. You're never too good to practice.

I’ve heard you freestyle over a garage beat, and you did that amazing song Waters Runs Deep with Shola Ama. It feels like artists now aren't as afraid to switch over into other genres a bit, or at least spit over an atypical grime beat. Is that something you’ve consciously tried to do, or have you just jumped on beats you’re feeling?

Consciously to a degree, because no disrespect to grime, but I've got a lot more to give than just grime. I know that I'm an artist, I'm not just an MC, so I'm trying to hit all different spectrums. I just like to shock people and it's very important for me to make different things, because if I made the same things all the time, it limits your creativity.

There’s a conversation right now in the UK about whether grime is dead. What’s your take on that, as you’re obviously putting out a grime EP?

I don't think grime's dead at all. I think grime's probably in one of the best positions it's been, in terms of getting coverage from all over the world. Obviously, when new genres and sounds and waves come through, sometimes older ones can get disregarded. I think the people who're saying grime's dead are people that don't really understand grime, or are not true believers in grime. I started spitting in 2006, and I've seen grime from there until here, which obviously is not the beginning, but I think it's come a long way. It'll never die man, at all.

Two/three years ago grime was everywhere. Stormzy was doing everything, Skepta was big again. All these grime MCs are coming up and as you say, getting international platforms, but now Afro-swing is the sound of the UK. Are you a fan of that style of music?

I’m not a lover of a genre, I'm a lover of music. Since Drake made Controlla, there's been a flood of all these artists popping off doing that kind of style. There's nothing wrong with that because grime was the same, everyone wanted to make grime at one point. But the only thing I don't like is that because it's not such a complex sound, and artists are trying to make what people think are catchy hooks, I feel like there's a lag between what's good and what's just easy.

No Rehearsal will be out when this interview goes live - this is your first EP?

It's my first EP on this level, I released an EP before when I was in Sheffield but obviously it didn't get as much attention as this.

What are your hopes or expectations for No Rehearsal? You don't need to be humble - I played it on loop for a long time! It’s five bangers, no question.

Do you know what's mad, because I haven't released a project in so long, I really don't know what to expect. I just want my real supporters to come through, that's all I ask, and if there are new supporters, that's even better. I just don't want people sitting on the fence because it's been three years now since I've done the whole single thing, so I just want to give back to the people and hopefully they can enjoy it.

I am so excited for people to hear this EP and it's nothing to do with me. How do you keep your excitement on a level and not just send it out to everyone?

I was telling my manager before we got the release date, I was like, "Let's just do it in two weeks, please, please." I believe in it man, I believe in it 100%. This is the reason I picked these five tracks, and I've got a lot more.

On Gimme the Mic, which has already been released as a single, you say, "I'm a full-time, not a sometimes MC." What is that line referring to?

It might seem as though I'm throwing shade but it's not even really that, it's saying that this is what I'm here for, this what I've come to do, it's not a game. Music is my life, I've been working at it for a long time, and I just want people to be aware that I'm taking it serious, you know what I mean?

The beat on One Step Ahead is undeniable. The Lisa Mercedez feature is sick, but not an obvious choice for you. How did that come about?

Lisa tweeted me one time, "Me and Coco need to get into the studio." When I made that beat, I sent it to another artist but they didn't want it, but I thought, “Nah, this beat is sick. I know it's sick.” I showed it to Toddla, and he was like, "Geeze, Coco you’re on that basement vibe", and I said, “You know what, I think Lisa Mercedez will body it man”, and she did 100%.

You've been working really hard and consistently for a long time, and I guess you probably stepped it up when you came to London. How do you keep up that motivation and work ethic, especially when you haven't released a big project that people can dig into?

It's just something that's just instilled in me. My parents taught me that in order to get anything in life you have to work hard, but it makes it easier when you love it. It's not really a chore or a job it's just a passion. I knew from when I first started spitting, from when I first picked up the computer to do producing, I just knew I can't lose it.

Find Coco and his music here:

SoundCloud: Soundcloud.com/thecocouk

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7q33wxvdJ95u6w3fY2q5ai?si=hTz2NsAsR4ykiuQuaTgOAQ

Twitter: Twitter.com/thecocouk  

Instagram: Instagram.com/thecocouk

Facebook: Facebook.com/TheCocoUK