Coi Leray Collins (born May 11, 1997) is an American rapper and singer. The daughter of rapper and media executive

Benzino Raymond Scott (born July 18, 1965), better known by his stage name Benzino or Ray Benzino, is an American urban media proprietor, television personality, rapper and record producer. Benzino produced records (as part of the production team Hang ...

, she began her musical career in 2018 with the release of her debut mixtape, ''Everythingcoz''. She signed with

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

to release her second mixtape ''EC2'' (2019) and debut

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

, ''Now or Never'' (2020). In 2021, the

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper. Regarded as a pioneering artist in the Chicago-based hip-hop subgenre drill music, he is often considered the subgenre's most commercially suc ...

remix of her song "

No More Parties "No More Parties" is the major-label debut single by American rapper Coi Leray, released on January 22, 2021, through 1801 Records and Republic Records. The song was Leray's first release of 2021. Leray wrote the song alongside its producers ...

" peaked within the

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and received

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music Sound recording and reproduction, recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video ...

certification by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). Her 2022 single, " Blick Blick" (with

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

) found similar chart success and preceded the release of her debut studio album, '' Trendsetter'' (2022). Later that year, her song " Players" peaked within the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, received platinum certification, and served as lead single for her second studio album, '' Coi'' (2023). Her 2023 single, " Baby Don't Hurt Me" (with

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...

and

Anne-Marie Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson (born 7 April 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. She has attained various charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's " Rockabye", which peaked at number one, as well as "Alarm", " Ciao ...

) entered the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.

Early life

Collins was born on May 11, 1997, in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, and raised in Hackensack,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. She is the daughter of rapper and media mogul

, and has five brothers. Leray's parents divorced after her father left ''

The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...

''. She started making music at age 14. In 2011, inspired by her father, she started rapping and released her first songs under the name Coi Leray—"Bow Down", with her brother Taj, and "Rock Back"—via YouTube. However, both Leray and her brother stopped rapping shortly after. At age 16, Leray dropped out of high school and started working in sales.

Career

2018–2020: Career beginnings

After quitting her job, Leray released her debut single, a response to

A Boogie wit da Hoodie Artist Julius Dubose (born December 6, 1995), known professionally as A Boogie wit da Hoodie or simply A Boogie, is an American rapper, and singer-songwriter. He released his debut studio album, '' The Bigger Artist'', via Atlantic Records in ...

's song "DTB" titled "G.A.N.", in 2018 through

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

. Her breakout single, "Huddy", and her debut mixtape, ''Everythingcoz'', were both released in 2018. Coi Leray 2018

In December 2018, she was included as a featured artist alongside LouGotCash on the track "Save the Day" by American rapper

Ski Mask the Slump God Stokeley Clevon Goulbourne (born April 18, 1996), known professionally as Ski Mask the Slump God, is an American rapper. He is best known for his association with XXXTentacion, with whom he formed the hip hop collective Members Only in 2014. ...

and singer

Jacquees Rodriquez Jacquees Broadnax (born April 15, 1994), known mononymously as Jacquees ( ), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. He signed with Birdman's Cash Money Records in 2014, and first gained recognition with his 2016 single, " B.E ...

from the soundtrack album for the 2018 film '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse''. Her second mixtape, ''EC2'', was released on January 18, 2019, through 1801 Records and

. She accompanied American rapper

Trippie Redd Michael Lamar White IV (born June 18, 1999), known professionally as Trippie Redd, is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, he has contributed to the progression of emo rap and rage, a subgenre of trap music. His de ...

on his Life's a Trip Tour in early 2019, and released the single "Good Days" in March 2019. She appeared as a featured artist on the song "Everything BoZ" by Trippie Redd from his second studio album, '' !''. In April 2020, she released the single "Better Days" with American rapper

Fetty Wap Willie Junior Maxwell II (born June 7, 1991), better known by his stage name Fetty Wap, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He quickly rose to mainstream prominence after his 2014 song " Trap Queen" peaked at number two on the ''Bil ...

, and was featured on the remix of American actress

Keke Palmer Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer ( ; born August 26, 1993) is an American actress, singer, and television personality. She has received numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award and a Screen Act ...

's single "Sticky" in May 2020. Leray released her debut

, ''Now or Never'', in August 2020.

2021–present: ''Trendsetter'' and ''Coi''

Leray's single "

" was released in January 2021, and became her first song to appear on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 26. A remix of the song featuring American rapper

was released in February 2021, for which a music video was directed by Reel Goats and released the following month. "No More Parties" was

certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

(RIAA) in May 2021. Leray released the single " Big Purr (Prrdd)" in March 2021, featuring vocals from American rapper

Pooh Shiesty Lontrell Donell Williams Jr. (born November 8, 1999), better known by his stage name Pooh Shiesty, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records in 2020, he rose to promi ...

, which debuted at number 69 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. She starred in the music video for American rapper Mooski's single " Track Star" in April 2021, and is starring in the

Whistle A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of Fipple, fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a s ...

series ''Coi Vs.'' as of April 2021. Also in April 2021, she made her television debut, performing "No More Parties" on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

'', and was featured on the remix of

Pressa ''Pressa'' was an International Press Exhibition held in Cologne between May and October, 1928. As German exhibitors were barred from participating in the ''Exposition International des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modern'' held in Paris in ...

's song "Attachments". In May 2021, Leray released the single "Bout Me" and appeared as a featured artist on

EarthGang EarthGang (stylized EARTHGANG) is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu (aka Johnny Venus; born Olu Onyemachi Dakarai Fann) and WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dot; born Eian Parker). They are co-founders of the musical collective S ...

's remix of their song "Options". A clip of her performing to a motionless, silent crowd at H-Town Memorial Day Mayhem in May 2021 went viral. The following month, another clip of her performing to an unresponsive crowd at Rolling Loud Miami went viral. She was featured on

Rich the Kid Dimitri Leslie Roger (born July 13, 1992), known professionally as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper. After a number of independent mixtapes, he signed with Interscope Records in 2017 to release his debut studio album, '' The World Is Yours'' ...

's song "Boss Bitch" and the remix of YN Jay's song "Triple S", and released the song "At the Top", featuring

Kodak Black Bill Kahan Kapri (born Dieuson Octave; June 11, 1997), known professionally as Kodak Black, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He gained initial recognition following the release of his 2014 songs " No Flockin" and " Skrt", both of ...

and

Mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, small, round seeds of ...

, in June 2021. She was included on the ''XXL'' Freshman Class of 2021 that same month. Her participation in the 2021 ''XXL'' Freshman Cypher was widely mocked across social media and by critics. Leray was nominated for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1960 (except in 1967) "for a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that ar ...

at the

BET Awards 2021 The 21st BET Awards took place on June 27, 2021. The ceremony celebrated achievements in entertainment and honors music, sports, television, and movies. The ceremony's theme was "Year of the Black Woman" and was held in-person with a vaccinated ...

. She also appeared on the song "Ocean Prime" from Bfb Da Packman's debut album, ''Fat Niggas Need Love Too'', in June 2021. In July 2021, Leray was featured on the remix of

Sleepy Hallow Tegan Joshua Anthony Chambers (born December 20, 1999), known professionally as Sleepy Hallow, is a Jamaican-American rapper and singer-songwriter who specializes in Brooklyn drill. Born in Jamaica, Chambers was raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn, ...

's "

2055 In contemporary history, the third millennium is the current millennium in the ''Anno Domini'' or Common Era, under the Gregorian calendar. It began on 1 January 2001 (Roman numerals, MMI) and will end on 31 December 3000 (Roman numerals, MMM ...

", and appeared on the single "What U Want" with Lil Xxel and

Tyga Micheal Ray StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson

. She released the single "Okay Yeah!" in August 2021. In September 2021, she released the single "Twinnem" with a music video for the song. The song went viral on TikTok, and a remix of the song featuring

DaBaby Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he signed with Interscope Records in January 2019 in a joint ...

was released in November 2021. Also in September, she began touring as an opening act for

Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes ''Harder than Hard'' and ''Too Hard'' — the for ...

's The Back Outside Tour alongside Lil Durk. She was featured on Lonr's song "Cuffin" from his mixtape ''Land of Nothing Real 2'' in October 2021. At the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards, she was nominated for Best New Hip Hop Artist. On March 18, 2022, Leray released a collaboration with

, titled " Blick Blick", which debuted and peaked at number 37 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Leray released her debut studio album, '' Trendsetter'', on April 8, 2022. In November 2022, Leray released " Players". It became her first solo song to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as her first top-10 hit on the chart when it peaked at number nine in 2023. The song benefited from remixes, including a

Jersey club Jersey club (originally called Brick City club) is a style of electronic club music that originated in Newark, New Jersey, in the late 90s/early 2000s. It was pioneered by DJ Tameil, Mike V, DJ Tim Dolla, and DJ Black Mic of the Brick Bandits ...

remix by DJ Smallz 732. In January 2023, Leray was featured on the song "Happy Fools" from

Tomorrow X Together Tomorrow X Together (; Tomorrow by Together, stylized in all caps), commonly abbreviated as TXT, is a South Korean boy group formed by Big Hit Entertainment. The group consists of five members: Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and HueningK ...

's fifth mini album, '' The Name Chapter: Temptation''. Leray's collaborative single with

and

, " Baby Don't Hurt Me", was released in April 2023. The song peaked at number 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. She also collaborated on the track "

Self Love Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, ego ...

" with

Metro Boomin Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), known professionally as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer and music executive. Widely acclaimed for his dark and cinematic production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential p ...

, which was included on the soundtrack of ''Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse''. On June 23, 2023, Leray released her second studio album, '' Coi.''

Influences

Leray has cited

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is a key musician in popularizing pop-punk music, as she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. List of awa ...

Doja Cat Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began making and releasing music on SoundCl ...

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

Chief Keef Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago's South Side, he began his recording career as a teenager and initially garnered re ...

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

, and Slick Woods as inspirations.

Personal life

In 2021, Leray received an honorary diploma from Montclair High School in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

. As of 2021, she lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Leray briefly dated rapper

in 2019. They rekindled their relationship in August 2024. On January 1, 2025, it was announced that Leray and Redd were expecting their first child. Three weeks later, Leray revealed that she had been cheated on by Redd. In June 2025 their daughter Miyoco was born.

Discography

* '' Trendsetter'' (2022) * '' Coi'' (2023)

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leray, Coi 1997 births Living people African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters African-American women rappers Musicians from Hackensack, New Jersey Rappers from New Jersey Universal Music Group artists American hip-hop singers East Coast hip-hop musicians Singer-songwriters from New Jersey Republic Records artists American child singers American child musicians 21st-century American women rappers American musicians of Cape Verdean descent American musicians of Puerto Rican descent 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century Puerto Rican women rappers 21st-century Puerto Rican rappers Pop rappers Montclair High School (New Jersey) alumni Hispanic and Latino American musicians