Hnst Talk: Coop

Seventeen years old, released his debut album, and now he is the 2019 FiveTwenty Rookie of the Year – this is Coop

Lil Coopy Trill is a young man on a mission. He has a goal, is focused, and is showing the ability to see his purpose through.

In 2019, he dropped a handful of singles and his first project ‘Unveiled’.  Along the way, he worked with the likes of Jarry Manna, Lael Turner, NXTMIKE, OnBeatMusic, and others as part of the Oklahoma based Ministry Over Industry.

“2019 was a dream come true!”

“God opened a lot of doors in connecting me with the right people.”

“I was confident heading into the year that this would be my introduction to the scene (CHH). Still, the response has been beyond incredible. It’s still weird to me waking up and looking at how many people streamed the album. So much happened in one year.”

“Dropping a single with Jarry Manna produced by OnBeatMusic has to be at the top. Two heroes of mine.”

“I’ll never forget some encouraging DM’s from some of my favorite artists. Also, just the experience of finally seeing your hard work released in a project. It was a crazy year.”

“Truthfully, it was tough. I think there’s a lot of learning that goes into a first project. I had no idea what to expect. I reached the point where the goal became to simply finish the project, see it through, and release it. It was a rollercoaster experience but well worth it. Now that the first one is out there, things are already moving much quicker.”

“It’s been a surreal experience. The streaming exceeded my expectations, but there’s much more to music than streams.”

“I sold out physical CD’s, received countless texts, calls, DM’s, and personal messages of how the album impacted others. It caught me off-guard. People really do believe in me and my future in music…the response has definitely motivated me.”

For a soon to be 18 year old, in February, that motivation is a big factor especially considering that it is a different life experience than a lot of teenagers go through.

“It’s a weird feeling. I think friends just view me as the same Cooper they’ve always known.”

“Anytime a fan or new friend interacts with me, I notice how quickly things are changing. I’m treated differently. I’m definitely not used to it yet.”

“As far as family, I feel like they’ve always believed and supported my dreams. I’m a homebody, very family-oriented, so they get to see me for all that I am. To me and my family, this year has really just been a manifestation of what we knew would happen eventually.”

One of the things that came as a result of the hard work, was Coop being named the first ever FiveTwenty Collective Rookie of the Year.

He was one of ten artists selected and then a fan vote placed him in the Top 5 finalists. The award was then voted on by the FiveTwenty staff and announced on December 31, 2019.

“To me, it means people are beginning to understand.”

“I’ve had the dream of being a fulltime musician since I was 12 years old. Winning this award is awesome and it just means that the world is starting to see what I have to offer. Hopefully, God allows me to continue expanding my audience and impact.”

“My dad was a rap fan when I was young, I guess it’s just always been a part of my life.”

“My uncle used to play super old school Lecrae, so me and my cousins always loved that. I grew up in a very inner-city cultured church, secular rap was all around me. That influence, mixed with my family – faith – and hearing guys like Lecrae, really inspired me to be a rapper with a clean and positive message.”

There is no slowing down on the horizon for Coop either as he is already hard at work on his next project.

“[In] 2019, the goal was to get my foot in the door with my first project.”

“I’m very confident that a lot of things are going to change for me in 2020. I’m wrapping up a project that I have a lot of faith in, with help from a lot of really talented people. Expect better quality music, better rollouts, my first music video, better social media engagement, etc.”

“I also want to branch out more vocally.”

“This new project, along with rap, has some experimental stuff. I want to push the boundaries of rap and pop.”

“I have a lot of rapping on the album, but there are some interludes involving more singing from me. I’m learning to trust my voice more as I connect with better music engineers and learning how to tune my vocals. Songwriting has always been one of my favorite hobbies, I’ve just never felt confident enough to sing the songs. 2020, I hope to change that.”

“I’m going to shoot for the stars. Since I’ve worked with Jarry, I gotta work with some more Indie Tribe members. I definitely want to work with Jon Keith, ‘Olympus’ was my album of the year for CHH.”

“I want to work with Parris Chariz since he is from Oklahoma as well. Other than that, I’d really just like to meet and tour with some people. Just being around more creatives really inspires me. Ooooh, and Paul Russell. I gotta get a hook or verse from Paul sometime!”

“I want to be more than just a rapper, I want to branch out musically.”

“I want to be a part of a movement.”

“I want to use entrepreneurship and partnerships to build more than just a rap platform. Music is what I want to do for life, so I want to do it big!”

“I think just making more purposeful music is how I’m going to start the process. This new album has a theme, a ‘brand’ of sorts, that I want to carry with me in the future. Merchandise, short films, many things that I can build off this theme. Hopefully, that will lead to partner deals. Really nothing specific in mind, I just know that it’s the direction I want to go. Joey Vantes is a good example if you look at what he’s doing with Signature Sound.”

“That’s another one, I really want to work with Joey sometime!”

You hear it often, but this is truly a starting point for Coop. Not only as an artist but has a young man, one of faith as well.

I know that we here at FiveTwenty consider ourselves lucky to have been able to connect and build with him. We will certainly be paying close attention to what God has in store for the future.

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Check out Coop’s new album ‘Unveiled’ and let us know what you think of it in the comments. What is your favorite track? Where do you place him on your personal list of up and comers for the year?