Coi Leray has connected with Pharrell Williams in the studio as her latest single “Players” helped her reach two chart milestones this week.
On Saturday (January 21), she gave fans a peak into their studio session in Paris, sharing both stills of herself with the multi-platinum producer, as well as a muted clip of the two chatting. She closed out the multi-slide post with a tweet celebrating the success of her TikTok-powered hit.
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“.@coi_leray’s ‘Players’ is expected to be the biggest gainer on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, aiming for an entry inside the top 60,” read the tweet also posted by Talk of the Charts on Saturday.
While the song’s chart performance didn’t quite meet the prediction, Coi Leray did move up 20 spots on the Hot 100 chart for the week ending January 21, landing at the No. 78 position in its second week on the listing. The song has also become the Boston native’s first No. 1 single, having topped Billboard‘s Rap Digital Songs chart for the same week.
Originally released on November 30, 2022, “Players” has seen its success bolstered by the song’s popularity on both TikTok and Instagram Reels. A Jersey Club remix by DJ Smallz 732 and a mashup by DJ Paige, which saw Coi Leray’s “Players” vocals laid over Busta Rhymes‘ 1997 hit “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” pushed the single to new heights.
Earlier this month, the Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five-sampling record was re-released to streaming platforms to include both remixes, as well as the instrumental produced by Johnny Goldstein. The remixes have garnered so much attention that, on January 17, Coi Leray released the official “Players” music video using DJ Smallz’ remix rather than the original track.
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The song’s success has also captured the attention of two of the pioneers who influenced it’s popularity.
The “Big Purr” rapper ran into Busta at a club appearance in December, and shared a video partying with him on her Instagram that saw the pair dancing to the DJ Saige version. The Brooklyn rapper responded to the post with nothing but praise for the newcomer.
“Igh listen.. look how God works .. like literally y’all are witnessing it right now… do you know how major this is ?” Coi wrote in the video’s caption. “@bustarhymes to meet you at a time like this (unplanned) is crazy ! You are truly an icon LEGEND [fire emojis] we not finished yet @djsaige look how the universe works.. I love you @djfirstchoice”
Busta returned the love right back, telling the young rapper he’s proud of her and hinted at more to come. “Legendary Vibes Queen. Reciprocal Love to the Max!!” Busta wrote. “Super proud of you. Now let’s show ‘em better than we can tell ‘em.”
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Ahead of the song’s initial release, Coi Leray linked up with Hip Hop legend Grandmaster Flash, whose hit record “The Message” is heavily sampled on the track. The pioneer shared some footage from their dinner in New York City that saw them in the middle of a conversation and laughing up a storm.
Grandmaster Flash also gifted Coi a custom-made hoodie with the slogan “Girls Are Players Too” in traditional bubble graffiti font that the Trendsetter rapper shared in her Instagram Story.
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“It was nice meetin Coi,” Grandmaster Flash wrote in the caption of his post. “We chopped it up about Life, Music, the Business and she comes back with great answers — the Lady knows what she wants. Had a blast with her, until next time kid Watch out for her @coileray.”
