Coi Leray

East Coast rapper Coi Leray layers melodic sung and rapped verses across jittery production and booming low end, merging unyielding grit with an engaging presence. Her 2017 debut cuts “G.A.N.” and “Pac Girl” gained early traction and both appeared on the 2018 mixtape Everythingcoz. Tracks such as “Huddy,” taken from the 2019 project EC2, further broadened her reach, while guest spots alongside Fetty Wap, Wifisfuneral, and Gunna expanded her résumé. The Gunna collaboration “Slide” surfaced on her 2020 EP Now or Never. The following year “No More Parties” climbed to number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, after which she linked with Pooh Shiesty on “Big Purr (Prrdd)” and Nicki Minaj on “Blick Blick”; all three songs landed on her first proper studio album, Trendsetter, released in 2022. In 2023 she moved deeper into mainstream pop territory and higher on the charts with the sample-driven second album COI, which she quickly followed with the concise Blue Moon EP.

Raised in New Jersey after being born in Boston, Leray left her regular job as a teenager to focus on music and issued her breakthrough viral single “G.A.N.” in 2017. The follow-up “Pac Girl” performed equally strongly, and both tracks appeared on Everythingcoz, which arrived in 2018. That same year she contributed to the soundtrack for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Later she reached wider audiences with the acclaimed “Huddy,” included on her Republic Records release EC2 in 2019; the project also contained “Big Dawgs,” her collaboration with Trippie Redd, who in turn featured her on his album ! for the track “Everything BoZ.”

Leray opened 2020 with several singles, among them “Better Days” alongside Fetty Wap and “Lost in Time” with Wifisfuneral. The Gunna-assisted “Slide” was placed on the EP Now or Never, which additionally showcased Kiana Lede and Sevyn Streeter, and she closed the year with “Merry Xmas.” In 2021 she released “No More Parties,” which spread rapidly on TikTok and ultimately peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. Additional releases included “Big Purr (Prrdd)” featuring Pooh Shiesty and “Twinnem” featuring DaBaby, while her pairing with Nicki Minaj yielded 2022’s “Blick Blick.” These three songs joined a roster that included Fivio Foreign, Young M.A, G Herbo, and H.E.R. on the Billboard 200-charting Trendsetter. Without pause she dropped the standalone singles “Involved” and “Fly Shit,” then entered a new era with the multi-platinum, Top Ten hit “Players,” a Grandmaster Flash-sampling global success that helped push her into broader pop territory on the sophomore LP COI. The sample-laden set mixed radio-friendly pop-rap tracks with harder-edged material and welcomed guests Saucy Santana, Giggs, Skillibeng, and David Guetta, whose Technotronic-sampling “Make My Day” joined two other album cuts plus the non-album single “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” with Anne-Marie. The more stripped-down rap effort Blue Moon EP arrived in August. “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” earned a nomination for Best Pop Dance Recording at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, while “Players” was nominated for Best Rap Performance.