Coi Leray Is an Icon in the Making—and She Knows It

Coi Leray has fallen in love—with herself. Since the release of her debut album Trendsetter last year, the 26-year-old rapper has been leaning heavily on self-love. And she’s got the music to show for it.

One of her most recent songs, aptly titled “Self Love” from the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack, is slowly climbing the charts and currently sits on the Billboard Hot 100. Her single “Players,” the female empowerment anthem about girls being players, too, was her first top 10 hit. But it’s her upcoming self-titled album COI—out today—that shows Leray at her most self-assured. “This is the era of an icon being made,” she says over Zoom. “And all the icons have self-titled albums.”

Since she released her debut mixtape Everythingcoz in 2018, Leray has been recognized as one to watch. In 2021, the rapper was featured on the coveted XXL Freshman cover, alongside fellow female rappers Flo Milli and Rubi Rose. Her hit single “No More Parties,” which was released the same year, became her first song to appear on the Hot 100. And since then, she’s collaborated with rap heavyweights like Lil Durk and Nicki Minaj, as well as the R&B singer H.E.R. Though her upcoming sophomore album is still more of the same, Leray is also flexing new skills.

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On COI, she transcends the box that fans and critics have put her in, and formally introduces herself, and her versatility, to the world. Take “Black Rose” for example, an infectious and brazen rock song that repeats the refrain, “Why they wanna push me? / They know they can’t shush me.” “As a young Black female artist in the industry, it’s important for me to relay the message that they can’t silence me,” she says. “It’s a friendly reminder. Bitch, don’t play. You can’t stop me.”

“Man’s World,” which features a sample of “It’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown, is another standout. And it came together in the 11th hour. As Leray was finalizing the album, she felt like something was missing and needed a song that would show her fans a different side of her. “Like, yeah, we’re talking about being sexy and shaking ass, but what about Black empowerment?,” she asks. “This is a Coi album so there needed to be a worldy record by Coi. I thought to myself, ‘How are we gonna go crazy?’”

As Leray continues to excel at her craft, she’s focusing on performance, too. “I see myself evolving on stage,” she says. As time goes on, she wants to incorporate more choreography, as well as glitter, spotlights, gowns, and a live band. And one day, she also wants to fly above the crowd. “I was trying to fly for Summer Jam, but that shit was $150,000,” she says in disbelief. “It just shows how heavily invested artists are in their shows. It costs. But for my next show, I’m gonna fly. And make sure you capture that money shot when I’m in the air.”

Since Leray debuted, she’s often been discredited and seen as the underdog. And at certain points in her career, she would listen to the noise. But now? Not so much. “Since I’ve accomplished so many things at this point, I don’t feel like the underdog anymore,” she says. “I’m really fire. Like, I’m really that girl. I’m a silent assassin in this industry. Every year has just been a stepping stone in elevating. In the time between these two albums, I’ve fallen in love with myself more and more. The energy behind this album is ‘Bad Bitch Energy.’ You can hear it in the music.”

And, according to her, you can see it, too. “Right now, the color of my aura is chrome with some glitter,” she says. “I’m shining, baby. And I’m here to stay.”