Photo courtesy of Co-Op

Napolean and Victoria Price push their sibling hip-hop duo, Co-Op, down the right track.

Despite the odds, every hip-hop crew thinks they are developing some breakthrough sound that will connect with fans around the world. In that respect, Denver’s own rap duo, Co-Op, like their peers, are hopping they aren’t wrong.

When listeners hear the soulful melodies of siblings Napolean Price and Victoria “Queen V” Price, it becomes clear they have chosen to take a sincere approach to making and distributing music and they’re very confident that their musical strategy will thrive.

“We are from New York, so our mentality was ‘New York’ when we came to Colorado,” says Napolean, who moved to the Box State in middle school. Now, he and his sister plan to represent their second home through music. “We felt like this is our spot and we are going to claim it. Our plan is, basically, to put Colorado on the map,” he said.

Co-Op, which stands for “Colorado Operations,” wants to put money aside and create music that makes a difference. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call the duo musical activists; they consider Tupac and Lauryn Hill, to be among their biggest influences.

The rappers proudly attend Occupy Denver protests and, like most hip-hop icons, both of them want to express their political voice.

“Being at the Occupy movement is [about] being aware of what is happening in our environment and our community,” says Victoria.

“It is important to be aware. If you listen to our lyrics honestly, everything is conscious, everything is social.”

This awareness of what’s going in the world is what inspires the group’s deep lyricism, and Victoria’s presence on stage is what sets them apart from the pack. She’s one of the few notable front women in Denver and under the spotlight, moving with the rhythm, Victoria’s commanding beauty seems to leave audiences captivated.

As her older brother, Napolean has been Victoria’s strongest supporter and her biggest influence since day one.

“She was always writing poetry and I was like ‘your poetry [would be] sick if you put it to a rap,” said Napoleon.

Napolean also designs Co-Op’s new line of merchandise, which the group debuted Feb.13 at Cervantes Other Side. Now, fans can access Co-Op’s flashy merchandise via its Facebook page.

Beyond merchandise, Co-Op is focusing on making music videos and filmed two for tracks “Zen” and “Can You Feel It.” Napoleon is also planning to film a video for Co-Op’s latest single “I’m Real,” off of their upcoming LP The Real, which drops this summer and is flush with unique beats and attitude.

Co-op hopes a track like “I’m Real” will catch listeners’ attention, helping to build a bigger fan base. Hip-hop scenes are filled with fierce competition. Co-op’s music is filled with passion, love and real content, it could only be a matter of time before the bigger operation begins, as the Price siblings voices begin to rise, along with the groups home, the Denver music scene.

Tags: Co-Op, Colorado Operations, Denver, hip hop, New York

People: Lauryn Hill, Napolean Price, Tupac, Victoria "Queen V" Price