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.
Early Life
Coolio was born 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.
Career
In 1987, Coolio released his debut single, which marked the beginning of his career. Whatcha Gonna Do? was the title of the track. He later recorded “What Makes You Dance (Force Groove)” in 1988.
‘It Takes a Thief’, his debut album for Tommy Boy Records, was released in 1994. Fantastic Voyage, the album’s lead single, reached 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 realize there’s not much left, ‘cause I’ve been blastin’ and laughin’ so long, that even my mama thinks that my mind is gone.”
“Gangsta’s Paradise,” a 1995 hit from the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer movie Dangerous Minds, which sampled Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song “Pastime Paradise,” earned Coolio a Grammy for best solo rap performance. This made him an internationally renowned star.
His popularity peaked 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 the conflict. He said from the stage as he accepted the award, “I’d like to claim this Grammy on behalf of the whole hip-hop nation, West Coast, East Coast, and worldwide, united we stand, divided we fall,”
Coolio had a career as an actor on top of being a rapper. With Garry Marshall’s 1996 picture “Dear God,” which also starred Greg Kinnear and Laurie Metcalf, he made his acting debut. In addition, he appeared in a number of films, including “Pterodactyl,” “Daredevil,” “Dracula 3000,” “Leprechaun in the Hood,” and “Judgment Day.” Coolio’s credits include the Dangerous Minds TV spinoff, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Batman & Robin, The Nanny, Tyrone, Midnight Mass, Charmed, Starving, Futurama, and Gravity Falls, starting with a guest appearance as himself on Martin.
Activism
Jarez Posey, a jazz saxophonist, and Coolio were the spokesperson for the Environmental Justice and Climate Change organization, which sought to educate primarily black colleges about the climate catastrophe. Additionally, Coolio served as a spokesperson for the American Asthma and Allergy Foundation. He claimed that both he and his kids have asthma. He frequently had to go to the hospital as a child because of complications from his asthma.