Coolio: Hip-Hop door opener, and mistaken ‘one hit wonder’
Artis Leon Ivey, Jr born in Pennsylvania, but Grammy winner Coolio, raised in Compton – a city synonymous with raps best. Coolio has left behind an incomprehensible legacy. How could one, Stevie Wonder sampling track become a gateway for the artists of the golden era of hip-hop? Selling over 6,000,000 copies worldwide since 1995 and garnering over one billion streams on YouTube and Spotify, Gangsta’s Paradise features haunting strings, choir vocals, an unforgettable guest spot from LV, and iconic verses. And of course, you can’t forget the image of Michelle Pfeiffer interrogating Coolio in what’s surely one of any hip-hop heads most beloved videos… It’s also a big reason for the film ‘Dangerous Minds’ success, in which the song led the soundtrack, and later went on to become the biggest selling single of the year.
Whilst once a hard-working kid at school, he adopted the street life, which ended with him in a prison cell, and addicted to crack, but after becoming a firefighter and assuming rap, things changed for Coolio. In 1995, Coolio reportedly freestyled the biblical first line, began to write, and the rest was history. It was an instant classic, and whilst Coolio’s later billboard entries didn’t rule the airwaves, he will always have a special place, personally, in my heart, for his Kenan & Kel theme tune, and the physical CD for Gangsta’s Paradise, one of my first in my collection as a youngster.
Gangsta’s Paradise was his biggest album, and whilst it hasn’t aged as gracefully as an All Eyez On Me or a Doggystyle, one particular highlight that I urge everyone to listen to is the Isley Brothers sampling Geto Highlights, an overlooked deep cut with a classic west coast flavour for any 90s hip-hop head. Gangsta’s Paradise may not be a perfect LP – it faced a lot of pressure following the single of the same name – it is still however, a classic by default in the way it opened doors for so many, and of course, because of its mentally ingrained album cover and Coolio’s hairstyle.
Previously, the only #1 rap song had been Ice, Ice, Baby by Vanilla Ice. Many see Coolio’s single as a milestone, opening doors for other mainstream, ‘gangsta rappers’ like 2Pac and Biggie, with its serious tone, yet almost G-Funk rhythm – it was confessional, and alternative for radio, but simply too catchy to be ignored. Most people would be surprised there isn’t a single expletive in Gangsta’s Paradise, thanks to Stevie Wonder who initially wanted no affiliation with a ‘gangster’ track – but later performed alongside the rapper at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards. Perhaps it’s dark message, but clean lyrics helped it push that 90s era of hip-hop further into acceptance.
Until Gangsta’s Paradise, Coolio was nicknamed ‘Un-Coolio’ by many gatekeepers for his pro-acceptance music video for Fantastic Voyage, but whilst having some other minor hits, he made much more of a name for himself with Gangsta’s Paradise than an MC Hammer or Vanilla Ice with their respective successful singles (however, he was coincidentally touring with them).
He wasn’t afraid of being goofy, and never glorified the street lifestyle – he often spoke on needed change in the system. He denounced the term ‘gangsta rapper’, and instead wanted to educate and entertain (perhaps why he went on to create Cooking With Coolio, a light-hearted TV show, with its very own cookbook).
As I write this piece, I can’t help but listen to his first three albums, and most remembered, all worth your time for their place in hip-hop history. The Compton MC had eight albums, and often spoke on how he wished his biggest single didn’t overshadow his other work, so for anyone who’s only heard Gangsta’s Paradise, please check out funk laced and lyrical tracks like Fantastic Voyage, Ghetto Cartoon, It Takes A Thief, On My Way To Harlem, I Remember, Cruisin’, Exorcise Yo’ Game, Smilin’, For My Sistas, 2 Minutes & 21 Seconds Of Funk, One Mo’, Knight Fall, My Soul, C U When You Get There, and Gangsta Walk.
He shared one final post to Instagram, sat at a desk, captioning the post ‘What am I doing?’… perhaps working on music till the very end. Rest in peace, Coolio – who passed at age 59, but despite that, his historical significance will live on for decades. We’ll C U When We Get There, Coolio.
