Coolio

For the computer hacker, see Dennis Moran (computer criminal).

Coolio
Coolio at a US Army base in Bosnia (2002)
Background information
Birth name	Artis Leon Ivey Jr.
Born	August 1, 1963 (1963-08-01) (age 48) Monessen, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Origin	Compton, California, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, G-funk, Gangsta rap
Occupations	Rapper, actor, record producer
Years active	1988–2004
Labels	Tommy Boy/Warner Bros.
Associated acts	WC and the Maad Circle, Low Profile, Sir Jinx, Ras Kass, Ice-T

Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (born August 1, 1963), better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.

Music

Late 80s

He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me". Neither single was successful, but Coolio had made connections in the Los Angeles rap scene, and ended up joining the group WC and the Maad Circle in 1991. WC was the group's lead rapper, but Coolio was another rapper in the group. He had a few verses on the group's debut album, Ain't a Damn Thang Changed, including on the single "Dress Code". The album was regionally successful, but did not make much impact on a national scale.

Tommy Boy Records and "Fantastic Voyage"

Three years later in 1994 Coolio signed to Tommy Boy Records and released his debut solo album, It Takes a Thief. The album contained the single "Fantastic Voyage" which became Coolio's breakout song. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the biggest rap singles of the year. The album also contained a few minor hits in "County Line" and "I Remember". Overall the album was very successful peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 200 and being certified Platinum.^[1] The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.^[2]

"Gangsta's Paradise"

After the success of his debut Coolio became a legitimate rap star. In 1995 he made a song for the movie Dangerous Minds, and this song became "Gangsta's Paradise". "Gangsta's Paradise", which featured R&B singer L.V., would became one of the most successful rap songs of all time, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 weeks. It was the #1 single of 1995 for all genres, and was a truly global hit, as it reached #1 in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand. The song also created a controversy when Coolio claimed that parody artist Weird Al Yankovic had not asked for permission to make his parody of "Gangsta's Paradise", titled "Amish Paradise". At the 1996 Grammy Awards the song won Coolio a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Originally "Gangsta's Paradise" wasn't meant to be included on one of Coolio's studio albums, but its extreme success led to Coolio not only putting it on his next album, but also making it the title track. The album Gangsta's Paradise was released in 1995 and with the mega-hit was certified 2X Platinum by the RIAA. The album also contained two other major hits in "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" and "Too Hot". Despite no longer being an official member of the group, Coolio also made an appearance on the second WC and the Maad Circle album, Curb Servin', on the song "In a Twist". 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 was also featured on the song "Hit 'em High" from the soundtrack to the movie Space Jam with B-Real, Method Man, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes

Red Hot Organization, album flop, and Tommy Boy Records dismissal

In 1996 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 prominent hip hop artists. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as "a masterpiece" by The Source magazine. That same year, he recorded the theme song and appeared in the opening sequence of the Nickelodeon TV series Kenan & Kel which ran for four seasons.

After the massive success of the Gangsta's Paradise album, Coolio had a tough job to make a proper followup. His third solo album, titled My Soul came out in 1996. Although it did contain the major hit "C U When U Get There", the album was considered a disappointment and failed to reach the success of his previous two albums. Subsequently Coolio was dropped from Tommy Boy Records and his albums since then, 2001's Coolio.com, 2003's El Cool Magnifico, 2006's The Return of the Gangsta, and 2008's Steal Hear have not been successful, as none has charted on any Billboard chart. He did have a minor hit in the UK in 2006 however in "Gangsta Walk" (featuring Snoop Dogg) which peaked at #67 on the UK pop chart.

While touring with hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse, Coolio received a tattoo as a homage to the group's fanbase, reading "Jugalo Cool". He stated that the misspelling was intentional.^[3] Coolio has performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos, and identifies as a Juggalo.^[4]

Personal life

Family

In the 2009 season of the British television show Celebrity Big Brother ^[5] Coolio talked about his six children from four different relationships, including two daughters, Shayne and Kate, born on January 21, 1987.^[5]

Charity work

Coolio and jazz saxophonist Jarez were enlisted in July 2008 as spokespersons by the group Environmental Justice and Climate Change to educate students at historically black colleges and universities about global warming.^[6]

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.^[7]

Legal issues

In November 1997, Coolio was arrested for robbing a Boutique in Böblingen, Germany together with his support crew "40 Thieves". He was sentenced to six months probation and a 30.000.- Mark fine. During March 2009 he was detained at Los Angeles airport for possession of crack cocaine.^[8]

In popular culture

• The song "Gangsta's Paradise" is featured in the film Dangerous Minds and is included on the soundtrack.
• Coolio is a playable character in the 1995 video game Toughman Contest.
• His song "Gangsta's Paradise" uses sampling from Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise" and was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "Amish Paradise" during 1996.
• His song "Aww Here it Goes" is used for the theme song for Kenan & Kel.
• American post-hardcore group In Fear and Faith covered "Gangsta's Paradise" during 2009.
• In the television series 30 Rock, Tracy Jordan states that the Black crusaders wanted him to disappear "just like Coolio" to which Liz Lemon responds "Coolio's still around."
• Commenting on the criminal record of Ol' Dirty Bastard, Chris Rock asserts in his 1999 spoken word song "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)" that "ODB couldn't have possibly committed all those crimes. Coolio did some of that shit."
• In the song "Go To Church" from Ice Cube's "Laugh Now, Cry Later" album, rapper Snoop Dogg mentions Coolio. He also makes a brief appearance in the accompanying video.
• Snoop Dogg also mentions Coolio in his song "Doggy Dogg World" in the lines "It's like everywhere I look, and everywhere I go, I'm hearin' motherrfuckers tryin' to steal my flow, but it ain't no thang 'cause see my nigga Coolio, put me up on the game when I step through the do'."
• In the UK TV series Benidorm, the character Chantelle names her baby Coolio.
• In Irish television soap opera Fair City, the character Sarah Malloy often refers to her childhood crush on Coolio, and what would have happened if she had realized her idea of relocating to California in order to meet him.
• The hosts of FM104's Strawberry Alarm Clock with Jim-Jim & Nobby regularly claim that Coolio is dead.
• In the 1995 film Clueless, Coolio's song "Rollin' With the Homies" is mentioned in several scenes.
• During a performance in May 2010 at Sewanee: The University of the South, Coolio became a victim of the viral drinking game known as icing after performing the track "Gangsta's Paradise".
• On the sitcom Sister, Sister, Tamera was a huge fan of Coolio.
• His song "Gangsta's Paradise" was featured in the 2011 film The Green Hornet, which Seth Rogen and Jay Chou are seen dancing and singing along to in a scene of the film.
• Gangster's Paradise is also in a scene of the 2011 film Bad Teacher.
• Coolio fought Jeremy Jackson, at Alki David's Celebrity Fight Night on November 5th 2011. ^[9]

Discography

Main article: Coolio discography

• It Takes a Thief (1994)
• Gangsta's Paradise (1995)
• My Soul (1997)
• Coolio.com (2001) (Japan-limited release)
• El Cool Magnifico (2002)
• The Return of the Gangsta (2006)
• Steal Hear (2008)
• From The Bottom 2 The Top (2009)^[10]

Filmography

Coolio has made numerous appearances in television and movies, mostly small roles or cameos.

• Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1996)
• Batman & Robin (1997)
• An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997)
• Muppets Tonight (1997)
• The Nanny - The TV Series Episode: Homie Work (1998)
• On the Line (1998)
• Bad Trip (1999)
• Malcolm & Eddie Season 3 'Daddio' (1999)
• Early Edition Season 3 'Number one with a bullet' (1999)
• Leprechaun: In The Hood (2000)
• Submerged (2000)
• Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (2000)
• China Strike Force (2000)
• Dope Case Pending (2000)
• Get Over It (2001)
• In Pursuit (2001)
• Static Shock (2002)
• Stealing Candy (2002)
• Move (2002)
• Daredevil (2003) (Scenes deleted, restored in 2005 Director's Cut)
• Tapped Out (2003)
• Pterodactyl (2003)
• Red Water (2003)
• A Wonderful Night in Split (2004)
• Dracula 3000 (2004)
• Gang Warz (2006)
• Grad Night (2006)
• Three days to Vegas (2007)
• Futurama: Bender's Big Score, as Kwanzaa-bot (2007)
• Chinaman's Chance (2008)
• Masturbating in your car whilst in a McDonald's drive through., as Himself (2009)

Awards and nominations

Coolio awards and nominations

Awards and nominations Award Wins Nominations American Music Awards 1 2 Grammy Awards 1 6 MTV Video Music Awards 3 5
Totals
Awards won	5
Nominations	13

Coolio's 1995 song "Gangsta's Paradise" received several awards, including Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards; and Best Rap Video and Best Video from a Film at the MTV Video Music Awards. Coolio himself has received several awards, including Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Artist at the American Music Awards in 1996. At the Grammy Awards in 1997, Coolio received three nominations: Best Rap Album for Gangsta's Paradise, Best Rap Solo Performance for "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)", and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Stomp". Overall, Coolio has received five awards from thirteen nominations.

American Music Awards

The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973. Coolio has received one award from two nominations.^[11][12][13]

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
1996	Coolio	Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Artist	Won
1997	Coolio	Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist	Nominated

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States. Coolio has received one award from six nominations.^{[11][14][15][16]}

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
1995	"Fantastic Voyage"	Best Rap Solo Performance	Nominated
1996	"Gangsta's Paradise"	Best Rap Solo Performance	Won
		Record of the Year	Nominated
1997	Gangsta's Paradise	Best Rap Album	Nominated
	"1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)"	Best Rap Solo Performance	Nominated
	"Stomp"	Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group	Nominated

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV. Coolio has received three awards from five nominations.^[11][17][18]

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
1994	"Fantastic Voyage"	Best Rap Video	Nominated
1996	"Gangsta's Paradise"	Best Rap Video	Won
		Best Video from a Film	Won
	"1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)"	Best Dance Video	Won
		Best Male Video	Nominated

References

1. ^ www.riaa.org
2. ^ Huey, Steve (1963-08-01). "((( Coolio > Biography )))". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p44721/biography. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
3. ^ TMZ Staff (2010-06-07). "Coolio's Tattoo Screw Up -- Nothin' But a 'G' Thang". TMZ.com. http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/07/coolio-tattoo-insane-clown-posse-tour-juggalo-misspelling-typo/. Retrieved 2010-06-07. 
4. ^ TMZ Staff (2010-06-07). "Coolio's Tattoo Screw Up -- Nothin' But a 'G' Thang". TMZ.com. http://www.tmz.com/2010/06/07/coolio-tattoo-insane-clown-posse-tour-juggalo-misspelling-typo/. Retrieved 2010-06-07. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Big Brother^{[dead link]}
6. ^ "EJCC Enlist Coolio and Jarez to Launch Green Campaign". Theblackspotlight.com. http://www.theblackspotlight.com/news/EJCC_Enlist_Coolio_And_Jarez_To_Launch_Green_Campaign.html. Retrieved 2011-01-25. 
7. ^ "OrganizedWisdom Health | Discover what health experts are sharing now". Organizedwisdom.com. http://organizedwisdom.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.  Has a cooking show online called "Cooking with Coolio"
8. ^ "Coolio Busted For Crack". Huffingtonpost.com. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/06/coolio-busted-for-crack_n_172601.html. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
9. ^ http://www.cagepotato.com/jose-cansecos-celebrity-boxing-career-takes-another-sad-turn-will-face-tareq-salahi-on-november-5th/
10. ^ "index". Coolio.com. http://www.coolio.com/. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
11. ^ ^{a b c} "Coolio". Rock on the Net. http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-c/coolio_main.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-18. 
12. ^ "Garth Brooks, Eagles Win Big at American Music Awards Event". Los Angeles Times. 1996-01-30. 
13. ^ "American Music Awards". The Washington Post. 1997-01-26. 
14. ^ "Will this be Sheryl's Crow's Night?". Hartford Courant. 1995-03-01. 
15. ^ Hilburn, Robert (1996-02-29). "The 38th Annual Grammy Awards". Los Angeles Times. 
16. ^ "Grammy Awards". The Washington Post. 1997-02-23. 
17. ^ "1994 Video Music Awards". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/1994/. Retrieved 2008-10-18. 
18. ^ "1996 Video Music Awards". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/1996/. Retrieved 2008-10-18. 

External links

• Intrigue Management Coolio's Agent
• Coolio videos on Yahoo! Music
• Coolio at the Internet Movie Database
• Shovio Coolio on Shovio

Persondata
Name	Coolio
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1963-08-01
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death