Coolio, the rapper who made himself known to the general public with “Gangsta’s Paradise”, is dead

The 59-year-old artist, Artis Leon Ivey Jr., real name, was discovered unconscious at a friend’s house in Los Angeles. In addition to this flagship title, he had also recorded “Fantastic Voyage” during a long and rich career.

Coolio, who known with “Gangsta’s Paradise”, is dead

American rapper Coolio died at the age of 59, in Los Angeles, announced Wednesday, September 28, his manager, Jarez Posey. The latter, a longtime relative, told TMZ – a publication specializing in celebrity coverage – that he had found him unconscious in a friend’s bathroom, without specifying the cause of death.

Who is Coolio: American rapper

Artis Leon Ivey Jr., known professionally as Coolio, was an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Coolio achieved mainstream success in the mid-to-late 1990s with his albums It Takes a Thief, Gangsta’s Paradise, and My Soul.

Coolio – real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr. – won a Grammy in 1996 for best solo rap performance with his hit Gangsta’s Paradise, which was featured on the soundtrack to the film Dangerous Minds, directed by John N. Smith, notably with actress Michelle Pfeiffer. The track featured an excerpt from the song Pastime Paradise, by Stevie Wonder, in 1976.

Coolio was nominated for five more Grammys during a career that began in the late 1980s.

He joined his “Gangsta’s Paradise”. American rapper Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, died on Wednesday September 28 at the age of 59 in Los Angeles, announced Jarez Posey, his longtime friend and manager. For the moment, the cause of death of the interpreter of “Gangsta’s Paradise” is not known. However, Posey told TMZ that Coolio was found unconscious in a friend’s bathroom on Wednesday afternoon.

A Grammy Award for a planetary hit

The artist has spent most of his life in Compton, California, where he was educated and held various jobs, including airport security, before finding success from the 80s. His single “Fantastic Voyage,” from his debut studio album “It Takes a Thief,” peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

But Coolio had huge success in 1995 with his hit “Gangsta’s Paradise”, which appeared on the soundtrack of the film “Dangerous Mind” with Michelle Pfeiffer.

He took up the chorus and the music of “Pastime Paradise”, a song by Stevie Wonder released in 1976. The recipe had been a winner, millions of copies flowing around the world, until it rose to the top of the charts. sales in some countries. Thanks to this hit, he won a Grammy Award in 1996 for best rap solo performance.

Coolio: the true story of his planetary hit “Gangsta’s Paradise”

Stevie Wonder initially refused…

At the origin of this adaptation, the rapper L.V., who wrote the chorus and the choirs before his friend Coolio, who did not know the original version, came to put his three verses. And it is because of his texts that this new version almost never saw the light of day: when Stevie Wonder listened to the song, he categorically refused to give his agreement for the use of the sample. The reason ? Texts that are too raw and a “some hood song” (“ghetto song”), in his words, which he refuses to see associated with his music.
…before negotiating publication rights

Coolio waters down his words, but that’s still not enough because Wonder then claims 95% of the publication rights, just that… The two men will eventually meet and settle. They will find themselves on stage with L.V., on December 6, 1995, during the Billboard Music Awards where “Gangsta’s Paradise” is voted song of the year.