You remember the white long-sleeve shirt. You definitely remember the baking soda. In 2014, you couldn't scroll through Vine or walk into a club without hearing that abrasive, gravelly yell: "I'm in love with the Coco!" It was one of those rare moments where a song didn't just go viral; it became a cultural flashpoint that felt like it belonged to the internet more than the radio.
Honestly, the track shouldn't have worked. It’s a song about cocaine. Not just a metaphor or a subtle nod, but a screaming, repetitive anthem about "getting it for the low, low."
Odis Flores, the man we know as O.T. Genasis, basically brute-forced his way into the mainstream with a hook so infectious it bypassed everyone's better judgment. Some people thought it was a parody. Others thought he was the "rap game Luciano Pavarotti," as Complex once put it. But twelve years later, the legacy of OT Genasis in love with the coco is a weirdly fascinating case study in how a "meme song" can actually launch a legitimate, decade-long career.
The Baking Soda Budget That Changed Everything
Most people don't realize O.T. Genasis wasn't some random kid who got lucky on TikTok—mostly because TikTok didn't exist yet. He’d already been through the industry ringer. He was signed to G-Unit in 2011, but that didn't go anywhere. It wasn't until Busta Rhymes saw him perform "Touchdown" and signed him to Conglomerate Records that the stars aligned.
Then came the video.
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The original music video for "CoCo" is legendary for being "low-budget" in a way that felt dangerous. It wasn't shot in a mansion or a studio. It was a kitchen. O.T. and his crew were literally bagging up baking soda—the "CoCo" stand-in—with a level of intensity usually reserved for an Olympic sprint.
Why the "Cheap" Version Won
There are actually two versions of the video.
- The "Baking Soda" original: Raw, shaky, and wildly aggressive.
- The "TV Version": A high-budget production featuring boats, drug cartels, and cameos from DJ Khaled and Ice-T.
Guess which one people actually liked? The raw one. It had this frantic energy that felt real, even if we all knew they weren't actually packaging kilos on camera. It was the "look at me" factor. O.T. himself admitted in interviews with VladTV that the goal was to be more realistic than anything else out there. He wanted to shock you.
The Producer Who Made $200
Here is a detail that still stings in the production community: Juice 808, the producer who crafted that trunk-rattling beat, reportedly only made about $200 from the initial sale.
That sounds insane for a song that went double platinum and peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s a classic example of how "leasing" beats online can go south for a creator. While O.T. was touring the world and getting Vegas residencies, the man behind the sound was basically watching from the sidelines.
The beat itself is a masterclass in "less is more." It’s just a rattling bassline and some sharp, neo-West Coast trap snares. It leaves all the room in the world for O.T. to scream his head off. If the beat were any more complex, the vocals would have been annoying. Instead, they’re iconic.
Is He a One-Hit Wonder?
This is the big misconception. People who only know "CoCo" assume O.T. Genasis vanished into the ether of 2014.
He didn't.
Actually, his follow-up, "Cut It" featuring Young Dolph, was an even bigger radio hit in some markets. It also went double platinum. He became a master of the "viral banger."
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The Beyoncé Factor
If you need proof of his staying power, look at 2018. Beyoncé—yes, that Beyoncé—integrated his song "Everybody Mad" into her historic Coachella performance (Beychella). She didn't just play it; she had a full marching band and choreography for it.
When the Queen of Pop uses your song to anchor the most important performance of her career, you aren't a one-hit wonder. You're a staple.
Since then, he’s popped up in iPhone commercials ("I Look Good" for the iPhone 13) and even joined the cast of The Surreal Life on MTV in 2023. He transitioned from a "trap rapper" to a "personality," which is how you survive in the industry for over a decade.
The Lyrics: More Than Just Cocaine?
Look, let’s be real. The lyrics aren't deep.
"36, that's a kilo (aqui) / Need a brick, miss my free throw."
It's not Shakespeare. It’s barely even Ne-Yo, whom he hilariously references in the second verse. The rhymes are simple, often revolving around the "o" sound—Neo, Po-Po, photos, solo.
But there’s a grit underneath the "baking soda" memes. O.T. Genasis is of Belizean descent and grew up in the gang-heavy streets of Long Beach. In the R&B Money Podcast, he talked about the "gritty studio sessions" and how "CoCo" emerged from a place of genuine street frustration. The song is a proclamation of making it "for the low, low"—finding a way to win when the odds are stacked against you.
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Even the "I'm in love with the coco" line is a riff on the idea of being obsessed with the hustle. Or, you know, it's just about drugs. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes a song about cocaine is just a song about cocaine.
Understanding the Viral Formula
If you're looking at "CoCo" as a blueprint for success in the modern era, here are the real takeaways:
- Lean into the "Weird": O.T.'s facial expressions and aggressive yelling were what people made memes of. He didn't shy away from it; he leaned in.
- Authenticity beats Budget: The $500 kitchen video beat the $50,000 boat video every single time.
- The Hook is Everything: In a world of short attention spans (Vine back then, TikTok now), you have three seconds to grab someone. "I'm in love with the coco" does it in one.
- Diversify Early: O.T. moved into R&B covers (his hilarious Keyshia Cole remix) and reality TV to make sure his name stayed in the "discover" feed long after the "CoCo" hype died down.
The song might be a relic of a specific time in internet history, but the way it was marketed—accidental or not—changed how labels look at "viral" talent. It wasn't a fluke; it was the beginning of the loud, aggressive, meme-able era of hip-hop we’re still living in today.
To truly understand the impact, you have to look at the "CoCo" remixes. Everyone from Lil Wayne to Ed Sheeran (seriously, look it up) did a version. When an acoustic-guitar-playing British pop star covers a song about whipping bricks in a kitchen, you know you've reached a level of cultural saturation that most artists only dream of.
O.T. Genasis might have started in love with the coco, but he ended up being one of the most resilient survivors of the viral age.