Coolio: Musician behind one of the most popular rap hits of all time
16.10.2022 - 16:31
/ msn.com
Dangerous Minds. Coolio, who has died aged 59, made playful, melodic and popular music, in contrast to many others in the LA hip-hop and rap scene, and had worked hard, succeeding in achieving recognition in a crowded field. Artis Leon Ivey Jr was born in 1963 in Monessen, Pennsylvania – the son of a carpenter and a factory worker – and grew up in Compton, California.
His nickname began as Coolio Iglesias, after the Spanish singer, Julio, and was soon shortened to simply Coolio. On leaving Compton Community College, Coolio had dabbled with drugs and found work in airport security and as a volunteer firefighter, before discovering his vocation in music. His first single, “Whatcha Gonna Do?”, was released in 1987 but made little impact.
It Takes a Thief (1994) was the first of his albums to gain major recognition, selling over a million copies, with the single “Fantastic Voyage” reaching No 3 in the US singles chart. Gangsta’s Paradise, released the following year, was the massive hit that would propel Coolio to worldwide fame. Sampling Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise” (1976) and sung as a duo with LV, the song begins with the lines of Psalm 23:4, “I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” and continues “I take a look at my life and realise there’s nothin’ left.
”Coolio’s No 1 hit went on to be used in the soundtrack for Dangerous Minds, in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays an ex-marine turned teacher at a tough, inner-city high school. Pfeiffer in turn featured on the video for “Gangsta’s Paradise” and said recently, “Thirty years later, I still get chills when I hear the song. ”“Gangsta’s Paradise” spent three weeks at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 list, won a Grammy Award the following year for best rap solo
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