Coca Vango

Southern rapper Coca Vango earned recognition for his self-described “cocaine flow,” a fluid style that merged melodic rap phrasing with a drifting, drug-tinged vocal approach. He committed to rapping in earnest during his late teens and first drew notice within Atlanta’s underground circuit through the Jugg Rich series of mixtapes. The second installment, issued in 2016, contained guest appearances by Bandit Gang Marco and Yakki and helped broaden the newcomer’s reach. Still in that same year he joined Project Pat on the single “30” and dropped at least three additional mixtapes. Across the following seasons he refined his hazy trap aesthetic through further singles and projects, among them the 2018 release Motivational Purposes Only.

Born Rashad Best in Decatur, Georgia, in 1990, he encountered repeated setbacks before music became a livelihood: expulsion from school for misconduct and dismissal from a heating-and-cooling position after late nights at open-mike venues caused him to miss shifts. Menial employment and ongoing hardship marked the period while he chased his goals, issuing his debut mixtape, Remember the Name, in 2013. Momentum built gradually, attracting interest from established figures such as Project Pat and Polow da Don once the Jugg Rich tapes circulated. The 2016 edition Jugg Rich 2 contained “Recipe,” a heavy, uneven trap cut that circulated widely in Atlanta’s underground and paved the way for additional partnerships. That year alone saw the quick succession of Van Gogh, Cocaine Flow, and Cocaine Flow 2, followed by Runway Juggin in 2017 and Motivational Purposes Only in 2018, the latter featuring contributions from Jazze Pha, Bigga Rankin, Asian Doll, and other prominent names.