He’s a 90’s icon whose single, Gangsta’s Paradise went super nova around the world and won him a Grammy – leaving many to ask “What happened to Coolio?”. And, even though Coolio hasn’t released a studio album since 2009, he’s been rapping, cooking, acting, forgiving Weird Al… and yes, even, on the latest episode of Alt.Pop.Repeat.
Which, I think we can all agree, may just be the pinnacle of anyone’s entertainment career.
he kid that grew up in Compton, and reluctantly got the nickname “Coolio Iglesias” when his friends walked in on him from playing “Light My Fire” by José Feliciano is far from a one hit wonder. He’s a tireless entertainer who lives in the shadow one of the greatest rap songs of all time.
Not a One-Hit Wonder
But in the wake of Gangsta’s Paradise – the song he’s most known for – Coolio got the reputation for being a one hit wonder – despite 6 other top 10 hits. Since he first step foot into a recording studio, Coolio has released eight full length albums, twenty-two singles and twenty seven music videos. To date, his 1995 album, Gangsta’s Paradise remains to be his most successful, having sold over two million copies within the United States and 6 million worldwide.
He's a chef
If you’re unaware, for a period, he rebranded himself as “The Ghetto Martha Stewart,” put out a book called Cookin’ With Coolio: 5 Star Meals At A 1 Star Price, starred in a YouTube channel of the same name, appeared on Rachael vs Guy: Celebrity Cook-off, and an unforgettable episode of Chopped. This episode will forever live rent free in our memories for the audacious attempt at stealing a lemon wedge from Wilson Phillips’ Carnie Phillips’ plate. Who cares who actually won – Coolio won that episode.
He ran for VP Of United states
We’re serious. It may have slipped under your radar, but Coolio was the running mate for pornographic actress Cherie DeVille’s Democratic presidential run in 2020.
He's appeared in TV & FILM
Since 1995, Coolio has appeared in more than 50 different projects including Batman and Robin, Fear Factor, Charmed and his own reality series Coolio’s Rules.
He's a philanthropist
Coolio is a spokesperson for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. He says that he and his children are asthma sufferers. As a child, he was taken to the hospital several times due to asthma complications. His other charitable associations include Goodwill, Reading Foundation, Heritage Begins Within, Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes
He made up with weird al
Back in the early days of Gangsta’s Paradise, Weird Al received permission from Interscope Records to parody “Gangsta’s Paradise,” however Coolio didn’t give Yankovic consent.
So he spoke out after the 1995 Grammy Awards, “[I] ain’t with that … I think that my song was too serious … I really … don’t appreciate him desecrating the song like that … his record company asked for my permission, and I said no. But they did it anyway.”
Yankovic says it was all a misunderstanding. But, since parody falls under fair use, “Amish Paradise” was recorded and became a smash hit in 1996.
Years later, Coolio apologized to Weird Al about the misunderstanding surrounding the spoof. “I’ve since apologized to him,” the rapper said. “That was a stupid thing for me to do. That was one of the dumbest things I did in my career.”
He did a stint in jail
We don’t like dwelling on the negative, but Coolio has had a few run-ins with the law in recent years. Felony charges in 2001, for carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle; 2009, for possession of cocaine base; battery in 2013; 2016 after a stolen, loaded pistol was found in his baggage at Los Angeles airport.
And... he's on APR
Kicking off the first episode of our second season, Coolio joins us to talk about the Golden Age of Hip Hop, his experiences as a rapper in the 90s, a bit of his history and more, while we dissect the moments that made The Golden Age of Hip Hop so important to pop culture.
S2E01 – Kickin’ it with Coolio & The Golden Age of Hip Hop
Coolio lays claim to one of the most influential tracks of the 90s and he joins us to discuss his life in hip hop and The Golden Age of Rap. He takes us on a Fantastic Voyage of personal successes, losses and explains the story behind his mega-watt hit and one of the top 100 Greatest hip hop tracks of all time, “Gangsta’s Paradise. All before we explore the events that lead into the 90s hip hop and what made the period so influential on pop culture at large – from Vanilla Ice to Cross Colours Clothing Without Predjudice – we break it down and sync it up!
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