Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (aka Coolio) provided the soundtrack for my middle school and high school years.
This was in the mid-1990's, which was the same era as 2pac and Notorious BIG.
The new generation may not know this, but at the time, Coolio's music was just as popular as (I'll say in no disrespectful way- more popular than) 2pac and Notorious BIG until their deaths. Their violent deaths and the circumstances leading to it, and the media coverage afterward overshadowed the popularity of other rappers of their time.
But now that Coolio is back in the public attention, it's time to school the new generation on the legacy of Coolio.
He was known for funny music videos for party songs like "Fantastic Voyage" and "1,2,3,4 (Sumpin New)" but he also had serious songs about the traumas of gang life ("Gangsta's Paradise"), the public health implications of sexually-transmitted diseases ("Too Hot"), and the humiliations faced by people in poverty looking for assistance ("County Line").
The song "Gangsta's Paradise" was his lasting legacy. That song appeared in the soundtrack for "Dangerous Minds", a movie about a teacher working in a rough high school in the inner city. The music video was MTV's #1 song of the year for 1995. And it won a Grammy, winning over 2pac and Notorious BIG. (Those mad those 2 didn't win a Grammy need to recognize the power of "Gangsta's Paradise" that year.)
[on a personal note: "Gangsta's Paradise" was THE #1 song when I entered high school. That song, plus Bone Thugs N Harmony's "1st of the Month" and Skee-Lo's "I Wish" were everybody's favorite song among my peers at that time.]
The song was parodied by Weird Al Yankovic's "Amish Paradise". Coolio was initially offended by the parody. I mean, "Gangsta's Paradise" was a serious song. It turns out the main problem was that Weird Al didn't contact him personally before releasing the parody. Weird Al did mention he usually gets the artist's permission, but in this case, he contacted Coolio's record label instead of contacting him directly. They eventually made peace and Coolio has forgiven Weird Al.
In the new millennium, Coolio's music didn't get the public attention that he once had. He became mostly known for his appearances on TV "reality" shows.
Then last month, Coolio was visiting a friend's house when he suffered cardiac arrest. He was 59 years old.
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Here are some of Coolio's hits
This was his first hit song "Fantastic Voyage"
"I'll C U When I Get There" by Coolio & 40 Thievez
"1,2,3,4 (Sumpin New)", a classic party jam
"Too Hot", a public health lesson about sexually-transmitted diseases
