Entertainment

How did Coolio, ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ Rapper, died?

How did Coolio, ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ Rapper, die?

Many of the 90’s people would know Coolio. He was the West Coast rapper whose gritty music and anthemic hits like “Gangsta’s Paradise. “He helped define hip-hop in the 1990s. He passed away on Wednesday in Los Angeles at the age of 59. His death was confirmed by his long-time manager, Jared Posey. Mr. Posey had worked with the rapper for more than 20 years. He advised that he was informed that Coolio died at around 5 pm at a friend’s house at about 5 pm. There is no cause of death given as of now.

Coolio’s legal name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr. He achieved mainstream superstardom and critical success with “Gangsta’s Paradise,” Billboard’s top song of 1995. He achieved this success at a time when some derided rappers as garnish outlaws. He was the Grammy winner for Best Rap solo performance in 1996.

The song was later certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It had outshone the movie it was featured in,” Dangerous Minds. It won the Beat Rap Video and Best Video from an MTV Video Music Awards film. Coolio still would build his raps on recognizable 1970s oldies, and he would deliver intricate syncopated rhymes. Jon Pareles had written in a review in The New York Times. He had noted that”  Gangsta’s Paradise” uses the sad minor chords of “Pastime Paradise” by Stevie Wonder.

The song almost did not make it into “Dangerous Minds.” Caryn James, the film critic, wrote for the Times in 1996. She had reported that the late addition turned the preachy Michelle Pfeiffer film about an inner-city teacher into a hit that sounded fresher than it was.

Coolio’s other hits were “Fantastic Voyage, “1,2,3,4(Sumpin’ New)”, “And C U When U Get There. Fantastic Voyage was the opening song of his debut album. Both “Fantastic Voyage” and “1,2,3,4(Sumpin ‘New) were nominated for Grammys. But nothing of his works could match the success of “Gangsta’s Paradise. “It is a song with its piercing beat and ominous background vocals that became instantly distinguishable for 90s rap fans. It had a memorable opening verse based on Psalm 23.

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