Rapper Coolio, a Grammy winner best known for the songs Gangsta’s Paradise and Fantastic Voyage, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 59, according to his manager. Longtime manager Jarez Posey confirmed to The Associated Press that Coolio passed away at a friend’s house in Los Angeles. The reason wasn’t immediately obvious. Gangsta’s Paradise, a 1995 hit from the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer movie Dangerous Minds that sampled Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song Pastime Paradise and was heavily played on MTV, earned Coolio a Grammy for best solo rap performance.
The Grammy and the height of his fame occurred in 1996, during a bitter conflict between the two coasts’ hip-hop scenes that would soon claim the lives of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious BIG. Coolio generally avoided being caught up in the fighting. He declared from the stage as he took the prize, “United we stand, divided we fall. I’d like to claim this Grammy on behalf of the entire hip-hop country, West Coast, East Coast, and global.
Coolio went to Compton, California after being born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. in Monessen, Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh. When he was a teenager, his mother sent him to Northern California for a while because she thought the city was too unsafe. In interviews, he stated that he began rapping at the age of 15, and by the time he was 18, he knew it was what he wanted to do with his life. However, he decided to attend community college, work as a volunteer firefighter, and work in airport security first, all before dedicating himself fully to the hip-hop scene.
It Takes a Thief, his debut album for Tommy Boy Records, was released in 1994, and that marked the beginning of his career. Fantastic Voyage, the album’s lead single, would peak at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. With its ominous opening line, “As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look at my life and realise there’s not much left, ’cause I’ve been blastin’ and laughing so long, that even my mama thinks that my mind is gone,” Gangsta’s Paradise would go on to become a No. 1 single a year later.
The untimely death sparked reactions on social media. ‘This is awful news,’ tweeted Ice Cube. “I have seen this man’s ascent to the top of his profession firsthand. Peace be with you, @Coolio. With a photo of the two guys cuddling, “Weird Al” Yankovic tweeted, “RIP Coolio.”
When it was first released, Coolio admitted in an interview that he didn’t like Yankovic’s 1996 Gangsta’s Paradise spoof, Amish Paradise. However, they later reconciled. The rapper never again had a song as popular as Gangsta’s Paradise, but he did have success with other songs including C U When U Get There in 1997 and 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New) in 1996. According to Luminate, he sold 4.8 million albums throughout his career and had 978 million on-demand song streams. He would receive a total of six Grammy nominations.
He would go on to become a cultural icon thanks to his distinct persona. He would occasionally act, feature in the parenting reality series Coolio’s Rules, lend his voice to one episode of the animated series Gravity Falls, and compose the theme song for the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel. In Stuttgart, Germany, in 1998, a boutique shop owner said he punched her when she tried to stop him from removing goods without paying. As a result, he was found guilty and sentenced to prison. He received a probationary period of six months and a fine of $30,000. From 1996 to 2000, he was married to Josefa Salinas. Together, they had four children.
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