Rapper and record producer Coolio, known for hits like “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage,” has passed away. he was 59 years old.
Coolio died at a friend’s house in Los Angeles, longtime manager Jareth Posey told The Associated Press. The cause was not immediately clear.
Born Artis Leon Ivey, Jr. in Pennsylvania in 1963, Coolio later moved to Compton, California, where he grew up.He recorded records in the 1980s and his career was blown up in 1995 with his song “Gangsta Paradise” Appeared in the movie “Dangerous Minds” starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
“You also live in gangster paradise, so it’s about life,” Coolio said of the song. “The Howard Stern Show” 1995.
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Coolio was nominated six times and won one Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Rap Solo Performance for “Gangsta’s Paradise.” This constant-play hit on MTV was used on the soundtrack to Michelle Pfeiffer’s movie Dangerous Minds, and sampled Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song “Passtime Paradise.”
The Grammy Awards and the height of his popularity came in 1996 amid a bitter feud between the two coastal hip-hop communities that claimed the lives of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
Coolio almost managed to survive the conflict.
“On behalf of the entire hip-hop nation, the West Coast, the East Coast, and the world, I want to claim this Grammy Award.
He has released a total of eight albums: ‘It Takes a Thief’ in 1994, ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ in 1995, ‘My Soul’ in 1997, ‘Coolio.com’ in 2001, and ‘Coolio.com’ in 2002. ‘El Cool Magnifico’, 2006’s ‘The Return of the Gangsta’, 2008’s ‘Steal Hear’ and 2009’s ‘From the Bottom 2 the Top’.
He also appeared in several movies and TV shows such as ‘Futurama’, ‘Charmed’ and ‘Nanny’. The rapper also performed “Aw Here it Goes” on the hit Nickelodeon show “Kenan & Kell.”
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Coolio said in an interview that he started rapping at age 15, and by age 18 he knew it was what he wanted to do with his life, but he went to community college, worked as a volunteer firefighter, worked as an airport security guard, and worked as a hipster. said he became a full-time devoted to .・Hop scene.
His career started with his debut album. Its opening track, “Fantastic Voyage,” reached his No. 3 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
A year later, “Gangsta’s Paradise” became a number one single, with its dark opening lyrics:
“As I walked through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I looked back at my life and realized that there was very little left because I was bursting with laughter the whole time. is gone.
In a 2016 interview up rocksCoolio reflected on the legacy he wanted to leave behind.
“I want to be remembered as a cool-ass person. And I’m smart,” he said. I want people to say… ‘He always tried to educate me. Make me a better person.’
Contribution: Associated Press