Unlikely Pair Cheri Coke & Melo X Are Heating Up R&B
One listen to Cleveland, Ohio native Cheri Coke’s melodic vocals along with Melo X‘s production and you’d think they had been a duo since their foray into music, but the two recently joined forces to weave a sonic textile known as X/Coke. “It’s slightly different, and unique but it’s me at the same time,” Cheri Coke explains. Feeling that she didn’t receive the push she needed from Bad Boy Records, Cheri—who went by the name Cheri Dennis in her Bad Boy days—set out to chart her own course. “I needed a change so I needed to find myself and what I wanted to do musically and the rest fell into place,” Cheri notes. “The project was free and complex, there’s some elements of electronic, R & B, Soul and Hip-Hop. It’s just chill,” Melo X recalls.
Nicknaming herself Cheri Coke, Cheri laughs that the name is “raw, it’s uncut. I just felt I needed a change of name that felt more like me.” X/Coke, the duo’s EP was created in the Bermuda studio in Brooklyn. “We would bounce ideas off of each other. We wanted something abstract and creative,” says Melo-X. The Flatbush emcee, DJ, producer, musician and engineer, Melo-X, had been known underground for his remixed and custom blend production including an acclaimed remix of Maxwell’s BLACKsummers’night. “I’m an artist who is mellow about everything. I incorporate many different styles into my music so you get a fusion,” adds Melo-X.
X/Coke’s first single, “The Garden of Eden,” was recently unveiled and has the industry buzzing about the return of Cheri Coke. “I feel more like I am doing a musical style that fits me. It’s definitely different than “I Love You” and “Portrait of Love,” Cheri says. The song embodies the artistic freedom approach of Melo-X and the influence of Cheri Coke and invites audiences to massage their ears with lyrics like “thinking of the things that you should do to me. I’ll pretend like everything is new to me. Eatin from your pollen, bees will envy me. I just hope we don’t get caught,” and imbibe the entire EP. Both Cheri Coke and Melo-X sharply add that the first single was a mutual decision. “We wanted to show off both of our styles. Our approaches to music,” notes Cheri Coke. “It was the perfect first single,” Melo-X adds.
Cheri Coke and Melo-X have inconspicuously created audio art through the vibes that emanate from their project. “Our main focus is to promote X/Coke. We want listeners to enjoy it,” Melo-X states. Hoping to turn the R & B scene on its ear, both Cheri Coke and Melo-X cement that to make it in the industry you have to be passionate.
“Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do it. You have to put 110% into everything,” notes Cheri. “Just have fun, do what you love,” adds Melo-X.
X/Coke is currently available for download. Check it out here: Cheri Coke – X/Coke EP download
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