There aren't many couples in hip-hop to look to for motivation these days, (not that we should be anyway). However, if there's any Atlanta couple out there shining a light on Black love and hustle, it's The Vangos. Rappers LightSkinKeisha and Coca Vango have been going steady for three years now, and they've been shining together from the moment they linked up. No, literally, they started dating a couple of weeks before they both signed record deals with L.A. Reid.
Now, newly independent artists, the couple sat down with Flaunt Magazine to discuss their relationship and their careers. Here's what we learned from the interview.
The Vangos are huge on YouTube, and a big segment of their fanbase come from their popular "YouTube couple" videos. They now have over 300 thousand subscribers on the platform, and have racked up millions of views.
In addition to music, Coca also has his own successful film company, JuggRich Films. Coca says his visual company is booked daily, producing and directing music videos for independent artists across Atlanta.
Coca also spoke on the importance of investing in yourself; emphasizing that you can't make money without spending it.
"The difference between us and other people, they are scared to spend the money," he said. "We are not scared to spend the money because we have been broke already. If it costs for the camera equipment, we have to invest in this. Okay cool, spend it. I’m not scared to spend no money."
When it comes to why they feel they've been able to thrive as a couple, Coca and Keisha say it's because of their honesty.
"She ain’t making me look dumb, I ain’t making her look dumb," Coca said. "We keep it real."
"This is real life, it’s not a facade," Keisha said. "At the end of the day, every relationship isn't perfect. We even tell our supporters, we have moments where we need to figure things out. We go through hard times but at the end of the day we stick together and we always work for what’s the best for us. Being mindful of each other’s feelings on top of working hard together."