Brit Pack Interviews
COOKIE PRYCE
Name: Cookie Pryce
Profession: Music PR & Marketing Professional
Current Residence: Battersea, South London
Lived in US: Back and Forth since 1979
There’s somewhat of a British invasion going on in the US right now and I’m not talking about Olympic fever.
It happens every 20 years or so.
Spearheaded by the Beatles, recharged by the Spice Girls and now revitalized by singers like Adele and Estelle, British music is cool once again.
But long before American teenage girls began fainting over British boy bands a female duo from South London were conquering the US hip hop scene and paving the way for future UK lyricists.
The Cookie Crew were one of the UK’s most successful rap acts, with a distinctive style and more importantly masses of respect from male and female counterparts, worldwide.
One half of the duo is chilling in her Clapham Common Westside residence, reminiscing about those early days.
“We were right in the mix of it,” confesses Cookie Pryce. “We were still starry-eyed because we came from London where there was a small scene but to be placed in an environment where it was all happening 24-7 and having the privilege of working with people we were fans of was amazing. The timing was perfect.”
Before artists like Roots Manuva and Rodney P put their extraordinary stamp on it, the early 1980’s saw British hip hop struggling to find a unique identity.
The majority of the scene was still underground and small scale.
Enter the Cookie Crew, whose unexpected hip house hit ‘Rock Da House’, in 1987, attracted major label interest. After signing with London records in 1988 they wasted no time in taking advantage of the label's US connections.
“In July of that same year we were gone,” Cookie tells me. “There were certain artists in America that we wanted to record with. We were just out there having meetings and making things happen and ended up in the studio.”
Almost overnight the group’s career went international.
The US became a familiar place for Cookie and not just because she was flying back and forth recording an album. Some of her immediate family lived in New York so the Bronx became her second home.
While other acts could only dream of finding a way into the American market, the Cookie Crew found themselves working with the likes of Stetsasonic, Black Sheep and Gangstarr.
Profession: Music PR & Marketing Professional
Current Residence: Battersea, South London
Lived in US: Back and Forth since 1979
There’s somewhat of a British invasion going on in the US right now and I’m not talking about Olympic fever.
It happens every 20 years or so.
Spearheaded by the Beatles, recharged by the Spice Girls and now revitalized by singers like Adele and Estelle, British music is cool once again.
But long before American teenage girls began fainting over British boy bands a female duo from South London were conquering the US hip hop scene and paving the way for future UK lyricists.
The Cookie Crew were one of the UK’s most successful rap acts, with a distinctive style and more importantly masses of respect from male and female counterparts, worldwide.
One half of the duo is chilling in her Clapham Common Westside residence, reminiscing about those early days.
“We were right in the mix of it,” confesses Cookie Pryce. “We were still starry-eyed because we came from London where there was a small scene but to be placed in an environment where it was all happening 24-7 and having the privilege of working with people we were fans of was amazing. The timing was perfect.”
Before artists like Roots Manuva and Rodney P put their extraordinary stamp on it, the early 1980’s saw British hip hop struggling to find a unique identity.
The majority of the scene was still underground and small scale.
Enter the Cookie Crew, whose unexpected hip house hit ‘Rock Da House’, in 1987, attracted major label interest. After signing with London records in 1988 they wasted no time in taking advantage of the label's US connections.
“In July of that same year we were gone,” Cookie tells me. “There were certain artists in America that we wanted to record with. We were just out there having meetings and making things happen and ended up in the studio.”
Almost overnight the group’s career went international.
The US became a familiar place for Cookie and not just because she was flying back and forth recording an album. Some of her immediate family lived in New York so the Bronx became her second home.
While other acts could only dream of finding a way into the American market, the Cookie Crew found themselves working with the likes of Stetsasonic, Black Sheep and Gangstarr.
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“We got support all round. It wasn’t like, ok some UK girls are here signed to an American record label, let’s make some money out of it,” Cookie remembers, as it almost seems like it were yesterday.
“We actually spent time with the producers before we even stepped into the studio to put any vocals down. Everyone embraced us; no-one asked us why we were rapping the way we were or anything like that.” At the time hip hop was still a teenager, fresh and hungry for distinctive styles. The novelty of a UK act in America was embraced with open arms. “We were nervous as hell working with other American artists and being interviewed over there,” she confesses, “but they didn’t put us down in any way, they welcomed us 100%. That’s why in regards to my work and my profession I have felt more accepted by America.” It’s probably not something a die-hard British hip hop fan wants to hear. There were some who didn’t like the US attention that Cookie and her partner Suzie Q were receiving. “We got a lot of stick from the UK and we did feel a little bit hurt,” she admits. “There was a lot of jealousy and bickering on the scene and talk about staying true to the game. But for us, we were officially a business, we’d given up our day jobs and went to New York to learn from them about the whole creative industry. We were still loyal to the UK and made sure we came back and toured and stayed connected.” |
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And that connection manifested in the Cookie Crew’s image too. Despite what others may have felt they were committed to representing Britain and more specifically Battersea in South London, even to the point of rejecting suggestions from their US management.
“I remember a photo shoot we were doing with the photographer Janette Beckman and our management wanted us to wear the ripped jeans with the Louie Vuitton logos on them. That wasn’t really our style. It was a very American thing, just mimicking what other US artists at the time were wearing. We were into Afro-centric stuff, we liked getting things made out of different cloths or just taking something off the peg and making it our own. We weren’t trying to be difficult, we made our own decisions and knew what we wanted. It was our style and it was very British."
“I remember a photo shoot we were doing with the photographer Janette Beckman and our management wanted us to wear the ripped jeans with the Louie Vuitton logos on them. That wasn’t really our style. It was a very American thing, just mimicking what other US artists at the time were wearing. We were into Afro-centric stuff, we liked getting things made out of different cloths or just taking something off the peg and making it our own. We weren’t trying to be difficult, we made our own decisions and knew what we wanted. It was our style and it was very British."
Consistently conscious about being positive female role models, with non-offensive lyrics and always fully clothed it’s hard to say if the Cookie Crew would have lasted in today’s environment of ‘sex sells’ marketing.
Nevertheless, after 8 years of international success and touring with the likes of Public Enemy, De La Soul and Bobby Brown the crew disbanded in 1992.
But Cookie has had plenty of opportunity to go back to the US since. Her history within the music and entertainment industry and strong network of media contacts has lead her down a new but apt career path.
In the last few years Cookie has worked as a marketing and public relations specialist for a number of major labels and entertainment companies. As well as forming her own PR company - Fortune Cookie Marketing & PR - she’s spearheaded campaigns for some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Missy Elliott, P. Diddy, Rakim, Brandy, Lupe Fiasco and Raekwon.
“All the independent work that I’ve got from America was based on my reputation and the fact that I did the job and did it well without getting mixed up in the industry. I love what I do; I understand both markets and I know enough people in all the sectors to make something happen.”
By her own admission she feels more comfortable working with American artists and record execs but that hasn’t stopped her sharing her industry knowledge with young UK artists hoping to follow in her footsteps.
Most recently she’s handled some press for UK rapper Akala and she's also a panel facilitator and a fellow with Diaspora UK - a non-profit music foundation.
And she’s also been advising someone who may well keep the family name in the spotlight - her nephew, or rapper Paid Pryce as he’s known in the twitterverse.
“He’s doing his thing and I make sure I feed him the right information and will support him. I’d like to be a part of guiding and advising him because I know what the industry is about.”
It’s easy to see why Cookie still gets recognized whenever she makes a transatlantic trip - she hasn’t changed much from the days when bamboo door knocker earrings were the number one accessory for a female rapper.
But despite her love for the US she’s not sure whether it’s somewhere she could move to for good. Apart from the fact she’s just started a new gig handling music PR for a well-known PR company in London, she’d miss her UK family too much…and a few other essentials.
“Despite how good to me America was I do consider London my home. I’m not sure if I could live there permanently. If the right opportunity came up, I would definitely consider it. But I know I would miss my family and friends and familiar things like Marks & Spencer’s and Primark.”
For more information on Cookie Pryce: www.facebook.com/cookie.pryce.5.
Follow her on Twitter: @cookiepryce
Paid Pryce’s new mixtape 'Over Pryced' is released in fall 2012. In the meantime check out his latest video 'I Get It Mingy’:
Nevertheless, after 8 years of international success and touring with the likes of Public Enemy, De La Soul and Bobby Brown the crew disbanded in 1992.
But Cookie has had plenty of opportunity to go back to the US since. Her history within the music and entertainment industry and strong network of media contacts has lead her down a new but apt career path.
In the last few years Cookie has worked as a marketing and public relations specialist for a number of major labels and entertainment companies. As well as forming her own PR company - Fortune Cookie Marketing & PR - she’s spearheaded campaigns for some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Missy Elliott, P. Diddy, Rakim, Brandy, Lupe Fiasco and Raekwon.
“All the independent work that I’ve got from America was based on my reputation and the fact that I did the job and did it well without getting mixed up in the industry. I love what I do; I understand both markets and I know enough people in all the sectors to make something happen.”
By her own admission she feels more comfortable working with American artists and record execs but that hasn’t stopped her sharing her industry knowledge with young UK artists hoping to follow in her footsteps.
Most recently she’s handled some press for UK rapper Akala and she's also a panel facilitator and a fellow with Diaspora UK - a non-profit music foundation.
And she’s also been advising someone who may well keep the family name in the spotlight - her nephew, or rapper Paid Pryce as he’s known in the twitterverse.
“He’s doing his thing and I make sure I feed him the right information and will support him. I’d like to be a part of guiding and advising him because I know what the industry is about.”
It’s easy to see why Cookie still gets recognized whenever she makes a transatlantic trip - she hasn’t changed much from the days when bamboo door knocker earrings were the number one accessory for a female rapper.
But despite her love for the US she’s not sure whether it’s somewhere she could move to for good. Apart from the fact she’s just started a new gig handling music PR for a well-known PR company in London, she’d miss her UK family too much…and a few other essentials.
“Despite how good to me America was I do consider London my home. I’m not sure if I could live there permanently. If the right opportunity came up, I would definitely consider it. But I know I would miss my family and friends and familiar things like Marks & Spencer’s and Primark.”
For more information on Cookie Pryce: www.facebook.com/cookie.pryce.5.
Follow her on Twitter: @cookiepryce
Paid Pryce’s new mixtape 'Over Pryced' is released in fall 2012. In the meantime check out his latest video 'I Get It Mingy’:
