La Coka Nostra

Born between Boston and New York in the mid-2000s, La Coka Nostra took shape around Danny Boy O’Connor and DJ Lethal, former members of House of Pain. They were joined by Boston rapper Slaine, and later by Big Left, Ill Bill and, for a time, Everlast. La Coka Nostra occupies a frontal, dark strain of hip-hop at the intersection of hardcore rap and boom bap, with lyrics shaped by the street, politics, social tensions and a marked taste for abrasive atmospheres. The project first emerged online, notably via MySpace, before stabilizing as a group and releasing the EP 100% Pure Coka in 2009, the same year as the debut album A Brand You Can Trust. After Big Left’s departure and then Everlast’s in 2012, La Coka Nostra continued as a quartet with DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, Slaine and Ill Bill. The collective followed with Masters of the Dark Arts in 2012 and To Thine Own Self Be True in 2016, maintaining a compact, heavy and direct musical approach, nourished by the legacy of American underground rap and the members’ solo careers.