Coolio Biography

Artis Leon Ivey Jr., known by his stage name Coolio, is an American rapper, actor, producer and chef. He is best known for the Grammy-awarded single from 1995, Gangsta’s Paradise. Coolio released 8 albums to date and made countless tv and film appearances. During his lengthy career, he gained several awards and nominations.

Gangsta’s Paradise

Gangsta’s Paradise topped the albums charts in 14 countries. Notably, it spent 12 weeks at number 1 on the Hot 100 chart. The song samples Stevie Wonder’s 1976 Pastime Paradise. Furthermore, the music video features Michele Pfeiffer in her role from the movie Dangerous Minds, which includes the song. VH1 included the song in their “100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop”. With almost 6 million copies sold, the single became one of the best-selling of all time.

Post “Paradise”

One year after the big success, Coolio was featured on Red Hot Organization’s compilation CD America is Dying Slowly, created to raise AIDS awareness. In 1997, Coolio’s next album, My Soul, came out. It reached platinum and spawned a popular single, C U When U Get There. However, the record failed to achieve the glory of its predecessor and, since then, things went downwards. However, several of Coolio’s next albums gained gold certifications. Additionally, his 2006 single Gangsta Walk, with Snoop Dogg and Gangsta-Lu, charted in Europe.

Photo source: Mediamass