Jessica Hansell (born December 23, 1979 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand independent electro-rapper, singer, producer and half of the electronica hip hop duo Parallel Dance Ensemble. She released her debut album Rock N Roll in 2003 and has since released 2004's Denim & Leather, 2005's Erik Ultimate presents Denim & Leisure, 2006's Gentlemen Prefer Bombz and 2008's The Radical Bad Attack. Coco Solid received the APRA Professional Development Award for song-writing in March 2009 and New York rapper Princess Superstar has sampled Coco's song Denim & Leather in her song Monday Morning.

Coco Solid is the New Zealand underground electro-rapper who’s seducing and shaking live crowds worldwide with her psychedelic raps, cut-throat style and lo-fi beats. The sound: a bossy 80’s electro rap, mixing a tough voice with a trademark wit.

“like Peaches, but its far more clever and has a cheeky exuberance that most hip-hop of any flavour lacks. This shit is cool.” - Austin Chronicle

www.myspace.com/cocosolid
www.cocosolid.com

"like any truly original record, Denim & Leather rewards with multiple listens and gradually gets under your skin. This is hip-hop with a difference and its kicking" - TNT

“Smart as Stephen Hawking, sexy as Brigitte Bardot, full of monster techno riffs and truly seismic bass it’s the most exciting local album I’ve heard all year, and the funniest.” - Grant Smithies, Sunday Star Times (NZ)

Princess Superstar has paid homage to COCO SOLID by covering a hook in recently released Monday Morning single, her youtube clip with Flight of the Conchords and Erik Ultimate has almost hit 500,000 views and she is currently recording an album with Denmark hip-hop producer Robin Hannibal (Owusu & Hannibal fame) after meeting him at the 2008 Red Bull Music Academy.

Alongside the original Malaysian gangsta DJ Han Baby, Coco is the musical shape-shifter. She has supported Girl Talk, Avenue D, The 5,6,7,8’s and King Brothers in NZ. Overseas she has rapped alongside Sway, TTC, O’mmas Keith from SA-RA, Spankrock and The Roger Sisters. In the London Time Out she was murkily likened to MIA and SXSW awarded her best lyricist of the festival in 2006. German crowds have packed out factories to hear her lo-fi ghetto-tech and she was a welcome addition to the LA art scene the following year which applauded her ‘droll lyrics’.

Back in NZ Coco Solid was named in the top 10 albums of 2005, 2006 and 2007 in the Sunday Star Times, The Listener and on Radio NZ. In 2008 alongside her favorite local rappers she played a packed MySpace Secret Show and sold out of her limited edition 12” release. This year she was featured at New York’s CMJ festival and has tracks released on Serato’s Whitelabel.net.

www.cocosolid.com
www.myspace.com/cocosolid

100% New Zealand Music Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.