Coolio

Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper and chef.

Artis Leon Ivey Jr. was born on August 1, 1963, in Monessen, Pennsylvania.

His mother was a factory worker who divorced his father, who was a carpenter, and they moved to Compton, California when Ivey was eight years old.

Ivey was severely asthmatic and, as a child, he was taken to the hospital several times due to asthma complications.

He was a regular visitor to his local library as a boy.

He often played board games with his mother.

He started rapping as a teenager, earning the nickname Coolio Iglesias due to his slick performances, a Takeoff of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias; the nickname was later shortened to Coolio.

He was arrested for taking a weapon to school and served prison time for larceny.

As Compton went into decline in the 1980s, he became addicted to crack cocaine, but quit drugs after spending time living with his father in San Jose, crediting Christianity for helping him get over his addiction.

There, he worked for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Coolio attended Compton Community College then worked in a volunteer fire department and security at Los Angeles International Airport, before becoming a rapper.

Coolio recorded his first single in 1987, titled "Whatcha Gonna Do?".

In 1988, he recorded "What Makes You Dance (Force Groove)" with Nu-Skool.

Coolio made connections in the L.A. rap scene, and in 1991, joined the group WC and the Maad Circle, led by rapper WC.

He is a credited co-contributor on the group's debut album Ain't a Damn Thang Changed, including on the single "Dress Code".

Other singles included "Fantastic Voyage" (1994), "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (1996), and "C U When U Get There" (1997).

He released nine albums, the first three of which achieved mainstream success: It Takes a Thief (1994), Gangsta's Paradise (1995), and My Soul (1997).

Coolio first achieved recognition as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle.

Coolio sold 4.8 million albums in the U.S.

In 1994, Coolio signed a recording contract with Tommy Boy Records and released his debut solo album It Takes a Thief.

The lead single "Fantastic Voyage" received heavy rotation on MTV and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of the biggest rap singles of the year.

Other minor hits from the album include "County Line" and "I Remember".

It Takes a Thief peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, becoming certified Platinum.

The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to the often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.

He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the course of hip hop by bringing it to a wider audience.

In 1995, for the film Dangerous Minds, Coolio released "Gangsta's Paradise", featuring R&B singer L.V..

It became one of the most successful rap songs of all time, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks.

It was the No. 1 single of 1995 in the United States for all genres and was a global hit topping the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand charts.

"Gangsta's Paradise" was the second-best-selling single of 1995 in the U.K. The song also created a controversy when Coolio claimed that comedy musician "Weird Al" Yankovic had not asked for permission to make his parody of "Gangsta's Paradise", titled "Amish Paradise".

The album Gangsta's Paradise was released in 1995 and was certified two-times Platinum by the RIAA, selling more than two million copies in the US alone.

The album contains two other major hits in "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" and "Too Hot" with J. T. Taylor of Kool & the Gang doing the chorus.

Despite no longer being an official member of the group, Coolio appears on the second WC and the Maad Circle album Curb Servin' on the song "In a Twist".

At the 1996 Grammy Awards, the song won Coolio a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Originally "Gangsta's Paradise" was not meant to be included in one of Coolio's studio albums, but due to its success, Coolio included it on the album, making it the title track.

It interpolates the chorus and music of the song "Pastime Paradise" by Stevie Wonder, which was recorded nearly 20 years earlier on Wonder's album Songs in the Key of Life.

In 1996, Coolio had another top 40 hit with the song "It's All the Way Live (Now)" from the soundtrack to the movie Eddie.

He is also featured on the song "Hit 'em High" from the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam with B-Real, Method Man, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes.

He also created the 6-episode reality television show Coolio's Rules (2008), the web series Cookin' with Coolio, and published a cookbook.

Coolio died on September 28, 2022, aged 59, from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine.

In 2014, the band Falling in Reverse did a cover of "Gangsta's Paradise" for Punk Goes 90s Vol. 2, with Coolio making a cameo in the music video.