Artis Leon Ivey Jr. known by the pseudonym Coolio, is an American rapper, actor and producer. Coolio achieved success in the late 1990s with his albums Gangsta's Paradise (1995) and Mysoul (1997).
He also won a Grammy for his hit Gangsta's Paradise, and for other songs: Fantastic Voyage (1994), Sumpin' New (1996) and CU When U Get There (1997).
Childhood Coolio
Coolio was born on August 1, 1963 in South Central Compton, Los Angeles, California, USA. As a little boy, he loved to read books. His parents divorced when he was 11 years old.
Leon tried to find a way to become respected at school, as a result of which he got into various accidents. The guy brought guns to school.
At 17, he spent several months in prison for theft (apparently after trying to cash out a money order that was actually stolen by one of his friends). After high school, he attended Compton Community College.
Leon began showing interest in rap in high school. He became a frequent contributor to Los Angeles rap radio station KDAY and recorded one of the early rap singles Whatcha Gonna Do.
Unfortunately, the boy also fell victim to drug addiction, which ruined his musical career.
The artist went to rehabilitation, after treatment he got a job as a firefighter in the forests of Northern California. Returning to Los Angeles a year later, he worked various jobs, including security at the Los Angeles International Airport, while also rapping.
The next single did not impress listeners. However, he began actively making connections in the hip-hop world, meeting with WC and Maad Circle.
He then joined a band called 40 Thevz and signed with Tommy Boy.
Accompanied by DJ Brian, Coolio recorded his debut album, which was released in 1994. He filmed a music video for the song, and Fantastic Voyage reached number 3 on the pop charts.
Album Gangsta's Paradise
In 1995, Coolio wrote a song featuring R&B singer LV for the movie Dangerous Minds called Gangsta's Paradise. The song became one of the most successful songs in the rap industry of all time, reaching #1 on the Hot 100 chart.
It was the No. 1 single of 1995 in the United States, reaching No. 1 on the music charts in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.
Gangsta's Paradise was the second bestseller of 1995 in the UK. The song also caused controversy when Coolio revealed that comedy musician Weird Al did not ask permission to parody it.
At the Grammy Awards in 1996, the song won the award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Initially, the song Gangsta's Paradise was not thought to be included in one of Coolio's studio albums, but its success led to the fact that Coolio not only included the song on his next album, but also made it the title track.
It took the chorus and music of Stevie Wonder's Pastime Paradise, which was recorded nearly 20 years ago on Wonder's album.
The album Gangsta's Paradise was released in 1995 and was certified 2X Platinum by the RIAA. It contained two other major hits, Sumpin' New and Too Hot, with JT Taylor of Kool & the Gang singing the chorus.
In 2014, Fallingin Reverse covered Gangsta's Paradise for the Punk Goes 90's album and Coolio starred in the music video.
In 2019, the song revived new popularity on the Internet when it was featured in the trailer for the movie The Hedgehog.
Телевидение
In 2004, Coolio appeared as a participant in Comeback Diegrosse Chance, a German talent show. He managed to take 3rd place behind Chris Norman and Benjamin Boyes.
In January 2012, he was one of eight celebrities on the Food Network reality show Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off where he represented Music Saves Lives. He took 2nd place and was awarded $10.
Coolio was featured on the March 5, 2013 episode of the reality show Wife Swap, but he was dumped by his girlfriend after the program was televised.
On June 30, 2013, he appeared alongside comedian Jenny Eclair and Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden on the British game show Tipping Point: Lucky Stars where he finished 2nd.
Arrest of Coolio
In late 1997, Coolio and seven acquaintances were arrested for shoplifting and assaulting the owner. He was convicted of complicity and received a fine.
Shortly after this incident, the German police threatened to charge Coolio with incitement to crime after the singer said listeners could steal the album if they couldn't buy it.
In the summer of 1998, the singer was again arrested for driving in the opposite direction and for carrying a weapon (despite warning the officer about the presence of an unloaded semi-automatic pistol in the vehicle), he also had a small amount of marijuana.
Despite everything, he regularly appeared on Hollywood squares and created his own label, Crowbar. In 1999, he played in the movie "Tyrone", but after a car accident, he had to postpone the promotional tour of "Scrap". He continued to act in small roles in films.
