Coolio

At 59 years old, Coolio has this physical status:

Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (born August 1, 1963), also known as Coolio on stage, is an American rapper, singer, and record producer.

Coolio's albums It Takes a Thief (1994), Gangsta's Paradise (1995), and My Soul (1997), both found mainstream success in the mid-to-late 1990s.

He is best known for his 1995 Grammy Award-winning hit single "Gangsta's Paradise" as well as other singles "Fantastic Voyage" (1994), "1, 2, 3, 4," 1995) and "C U When U Get There" (1997). He was also known for rapping Kenan & Kel, the Nickelodeon show.

Coolio has since gone on to produce albums on a freelance basis, as well as becoming a chef, co-creating a web series called Cookin' with Coolio and releasing a cookbook.

Ivey came to fame as a member of the Gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle, as well as his brother, Crazy Toones.

Early life

Coolio was born in Monessen, Pennsylvania, on August 1, 1963. He was born in Compton, California, where he was mainly raised. When Coolio was eight years old, his mother was a factory worker who divorced his carpenter father and moved to Compton. Coolio, who was mainly asthmatic, was a regular visitor to his local library as a child. He began rapping as a youth, earning the nickname Coolio Iglesias after Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, which was later reduced to Coolio. He was jailed for carrying a weapon to school and served a prison term for larceny. When Compton's 1980s, he became addicted to crack cocaine but quit heroin after spending time with his father in San Jose, California. He spent time at Compton Community College, including volunteer firefighting and security at Los Angeles International Airport, before becoming a rapper.

Personal life

Coolio had ten children, four of whom were born to his wife, whom he married in 1996 and divorced in 2000. He told Australia's Today Extra in March 2022 that he had five grandchildren.

In 2020, Coolio was the running mate for pornographic actress Cherie DeVille's Democratic presidential campaign.

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Music career

Coolio's first single, titled "Whatcha Gonna Do?" was released in 1987. In 1988, he performed "What Makes You Dance (Force Groove)" with Nu-Skool. Coolio made a name for herself in the Los Angeles hip hop scene in 1991, and he and the Maad Circle, led by rapper WC, joined the group WC and the Maad Circle in 1991. He is a credited co-contributor on the group's debut album Ain't a Damn Thang Changed, including on the single "Dress Code."

Coolio signed to Tommy Boy Records in 1994 and released his debut solo album It Takes a Thief. The lead single, "Fantastic Voyage" received a lot of air on MTV and peaked at No. 58. Billboard Hot 100 number three is on the Billboard Hot 100. "Fantastic Voyage" will be one of the year's best rap singles. "County Line" and "I Remember" are two minor hits from the album. A thief called it a no. 1 on the charts. The Billboard 200 has been ranked 8 on the Billboard 200, with Platinum becoming the highest level. The album was praised for bringing a lighthearted and humorous spin to the often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.

Coolio released "Gangsta's Paradise" in 1995, starring R&B singer L.V. for the film Dangerous Minds. It became one of the most popular rap songs of all time, peaking on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. It was the No. 1 in the United States. One of the best hits in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand charts, 1995 for one single individual, including 1995. In the United Kingdom, "Gangsta's Paradise" was the second-best-selling single of 1995. Coolio claimed that comedian "Weird Al" Yankovic did not ask for permission to make his parody of "Gangsta's Paradise," titled "Amish Paradise." The album received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards.

Originally "Gangsta's Paradise" was not meant to be included on one of Coolio's studio albums, but Coolio's popularity led to him not only making it the title track but also making it the country's most popular song. The title track interpolates the chorus and music of Stevie Wonder's album "Pastime Paradise," which was released almost 20 years ago on Wonder's album Songs in the Key of Life. The album Gangsta's Paradise was released in 1995 and was designated by the RIAA two times Platinum, with more than two million copies sold in the United States alone.

In "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New) and "Too Hot"), J. T. Taylor of Kool & the Gang appears on the chorus, there are two other big hits on the album, as well as "Too Hot" and "Too Hot." Coolio appears on the second WC and the Maad Circle album "In a Twist" despite not being a member of the association, although not officially a member of the club, as the group's name suggests. Coolio's "It's All the Way Live (Now)" from the soundtrack to the film Eddie was another top 40 hit in 1996. He appears on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam's "Hit 'Em High" with B-Real, Method Man, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes.

Falling in Reverse's 2014 covered "Gangsta's Paradise" for Punk Goes 90s Vol. Coolio made a cameo in the music video on Tuesday, with Coolio making a cameo in the music video.

Coolio appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD America Is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan, and Fat Joe, among many other popular hip-hop artists. The CD is designed to raise money among African-American men to raise concerns of the AIDS epidemic. "Aw, Here It Goes" was recorded in the United States for the same year. Kenan & Kel, a Nickelodeon television series, was known for four seasons in the opening sequence.

My Soul, Coolio's third solo album, came out in 1997. Despite the fact that it features the major hit "C U When U Get There" and the album has gone platinum, it has failed to achieve the fame of his previous two albums. Coolio was later removed from the Tommy Boy Records label. Since then, the Thief, 2001's Coolio.com, 2003's El Cool Magnifico, 2006's Return of the Gangsta, and 2009's From the Bottom of the World are among the Billboard charts that have not been published. With "Gangsta Walk" (famous Snoop Dogg), he had a minor success in the United Kingdom in 2006.

Coolio was honoured to the group's fanbase while touring with hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse, reading "Jugalo Cool" [sic]. The misspelling was deliberate, according to him. Coolio appeared at the Gathering of the Juggalos.

Coolio is featured on a worldwide collaboration track titled "Fuck the DJ" by British rapper Blacklisted MC, as well as Bizarre of D12, Adil Omar (from Pakistan), and Uzimon (from Bermuda). On October 14, the song appeared on music website Noisey from Vice.

Coolio appeared on Comeback: The Big Chance, a German talent competition starring artists looking for a comeback, was released in English.

Coolio appeared on television drama Futurama and one appearance in Futurama: A straight-to-video film directed by Bender. Kwanzaabot, a rapping robot that spreads word of Kwanzaa, was a hit on Kwanzaa.

Coolio appeared as a housemate on the sixth season of Celebrity Big Brother in 2009. He appeared on the United Kingdom's Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, where he decided it was best to leave the house after several clashes with Nadia Almada and others there. He was one of eight celebrities in the Food Network reality television series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off, where he portrayed the Music Saves Lives Organization. On Sabrina the Teenage Witch, he also appeared as himself.

Coolio is featured on the ABC reality show Wife Swap's March 5, 2013, but his then-girlfriend left him after the program was taped. He appeared on the UK game show Tipping Point: Lucky Stars, alongside comedian Jenny Eclair and Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden on June 30, 2013. He came in second. Coolio portrayed himself on Gravity Falls on June 30, 2012. He also appears on "Homie-Work," a 1998 episode of The Nanny in which he portrays a nerdy man, a "gift wrapper," turned into a "Rapper" for Maxwell Sheffield's latest rap musical.

Coolio's Paradise, a 2014 episode of the Adult Swim show Black Jesus, titled "Gangsta's Paradise." Coolio appeared on ABC's Greatest Hits in July 2016.

Coolio appeared on Irish rap band Versatile's album "Escape Wagon" in 2019. He appeared on their 2021 album, Fuck Versatile, on the track "Coolio Interlude."

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