Young rapper from Puerto Rico drops inspired debut EP ‘Seven’
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – Many of the world’s most notorious artists have stories of how a lightning strike of inspiration led to a hit song being written in little to no time. Young singer/songwriter Stephano Cervantes – artistically known as Coa – is one of the few talented artists in the world who can testify to such a career-changing moment. While spending seven days in Miami, Florida over the New Year’s holiday, he found himself in the midst of one of those lightning strikes of inspiration. The end result is a seven-song EP appropriately titled, “Seven,” currently available across all streaming platforms.
The project blends influences from his home of Puerto Rico with twists on modern sounds found across all sub-genres of Hip Hop – from Hard Rap to Melodic Rap to Bubblegum Rap to Rock and more. Coa is an artist who shows versatility and whose lyrics touch on a diverse range of topics to which almost anyone from any walk of life can relate. Specifically with this EP, Coa said he’s sharing with the world some of his life experiences and goals for the future, while also touching on personal topics that he knows will connect with many listeners around the world.
“I want people to enjoy my music and to be able to relate to what I say in my tracks,” he said “I want them to find something of value in my music. If people listening to my music are inspired to affect others positively or are inspired to perform their very own craft – say paint, meditate, compose or even as simple as doing exercises and keep themselves healthy – then my goal would be completed. More than anything, I want to make music that creates a connection and inspires passion. Music has always made me feel a certain way. I feel emotionally attached to it. I believe that there is a power within music that can move people … move the masses. Therefore, I want my music to infect these masses with goodwill and have those masses spread that positivity. It’s an idea I fell in love with since I experienced it through music myself. I fell in love with it because I’ve been moved and inspired by the artists that I respect and admire. Thus, I want to spend the rest of my life making it happen.”
“Seven” is Coa’s first foray into that endeavor. The project opens with an intro skit called “Flip Phone” that is intended to put the listener in Coa’s shoes. A friend calls and wakes him up and invites him to go skateboarding. The rest of the EP should take listeners through the day in the life of a skateboarder and musician, capped with some ear candy via a poem at the end with the outro “Mind Dessert.” The five tracks in the middle take listeners on a ride from Melodic Rap to Rock Rap and everything in between.
The first is “VHS,” the debut single from the project and the one that is getting the most attention to date. It literally describes Coa’s life as a skateboarder and musician, and explores what it takes to keep that balance between his two loves. That’s followed by “Appetite for Destruction,” a song in which Coa takes on an evil alter ego and reaches into a darker part of his mind in ways that bring some grungy, aggressive vibes to the track. The third single is “City Lights,” a groovy, more laid-back track inspired by Coa’s love of Anime. The song samples Coa’s favorite Anime show, “Naruto.” Fourth on the EP is the song “1:44,” which Coa said is his personal favorite. It’s more of a Rock/Rap vibe with vocals that are reminiscent of Kurt Cobain. The song also features an electric guitar solo toward the end. And finally there’s “Give Back,” a Lo-Fi which Coa said is important in that it highlights his desire to inspire others to give back to their communities.
“I really wanted an EP with a message that people can take and apply immediately,” he said. “If this music thing goes well for me and I’m ever in a position of having a lot of capital, I should always be humble and give back to the people no matter what. I never want to let myself be drawn into greed or selfishness. That’s what this song is about.”
To listen to Coa’s music or to follow him on social media, please visit:
https://www.instagram.com/_c.o.a._/
https://twitter.com/thisisnotcoa
https://www.facebook.com/Coa-111156930456357
“Seven”
https://open.spotify.com/album/39bDbgjUiUEZW02THT4TjE?si=_EjEmyYhSGCO46Mml_IRQg