No Coco: The Inevitable Herbalist Answer to OT Genasis

Words by Natalie Weiner—

For better or worse, “CoCo,” the fairly self-explanatory ode to yayo by rapper OT Genasis, has really struck a chord, becoming a favorite anthem of clubgoers worldwide since debuting last fall. Genasis, who hails from Belize by way of Long Beach, California, struck gold with his eminently chantable chorus and enthusiastic refrain (baking soda or “bacon soda”…who’s to say). Unsurprisingly the song has become fodder for countless parodies and answers, including one by Jamaican artist Andy Frass called, you guessed it, “No Coco.” Following in the long-running reggae/dancehall tradition of anti-cocaine, pro-weed anthems like Wayne Smith’s “Under Me Sleng Teng,” Frass turns the tribute to white stuff into a hearty endorsement of the green. Baking soda becomes marijuana, the video relocated from a Cali kitchen to a lush location in the Jamaican countryside.

And this is hardly the only “Coco” parody with a Caribbean twist: “I’m In Love With Coquito,” courtesy of Que Bajo?!’s DJ Geko Jones and Zilla Vodnas, takes the tune to Puerto Rico (and has a very festive, puppet-filled video).

Check out the video “No Coco” below—who knows, you might start singing these lyrics next time that beat inevitably comes on in the club.