[8] The rise of punk rock and the intermingling taking place in underground New York City clubs like Danceteria, The Roxy NYC and Save the Robots in the early 1980s drew Lugo towards the emerging hardcore scene largely based around CBGB's through his association with a number of pioneering bands in the genre,[6] such as Warzone, whom he managed as a teen,[9] Agnostic Front, Bad Brains, Leeway, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits and others.

During his time working with King Chango, Lugo befriended producer Bosco Mann and Saxophonist Martin Perna as college students and invited them to play in the band, prior to them forming influential groups like The Daktaris and Antibalas as well as Daptone Records, largely reviving global interest in funk, soul and Afrobeat.

Kokolo became part of the new wave of Afrobeat groups that emerged in New York in the early 2000s[10] and would go on to play concerts globally and collaborate with artists such as Fela Kuti & Egypt 80/King Sunny Ade drummer Jojo Kuo, Jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter, Antibalas, Faze Action and many others.

The group has been featured in international compilations, alongside artists like Femi Kuti, Ska Cubano, Tony Allen, U-Roy, Caetano Veloso, Masters at Work, Quantic, Salif Keita, Gerardo Frisina, Baaba Maal, Jazztronik, Zero 7, Afro Celt Sound System, Joe Bataan, Common, The Orb, Eric B & Rakim and many more.

The album featured tones and sounds from locations he felt to be of particular importance to the history of groove-based music, such as Bahia, Lagos, Kingston, San Juan, and Harlem.

[18] The album provided Lugo the opportunity to embark on a solo world tour [19] that featured concerts in the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, Asia,[20] Australia[21] and New Zealand.

In 2016, Lugo provided lead vocals and collaborated with Latin percussionist and bandleader Roberto Roena on Aquarembe by Bosq Y La Candela All-Stars, seeing it released on Fania Records.

[22][23] In January 2018, Lugo embarked on a solo tour of Asia featuring DJ Sets and live performances in Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and China.