Coolio, the Grammy-winning rapper known for Gangsta’s Paradise and Fantastic Voyage, died Wednesday at the age of 59, his manager said.
Coolio died at a friend’s house in Los Angeles, longtime manager Jareth Posey told The Associated Press.
The cause was not immediately clear. Coolio sampled Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song “Pastime Paradise” and his 1995 song from the soundtrack to Michelle Pfeiffer’s film “Dangerous Minds”, which was played consistently on MTV.
He won a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance for his hit song of the year, Gangsta’s Paradise.
The Grammy Awards and the peak of his popularity came in 1996 amidst a feud between his two coast hip-hop communities, which soon claimed the lives of Tupac his Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
Coolio managed to avoid conflict most of the time. “On behalf of the entire hip-hop country, the West Coast, the East Coast, and the world, I want to claim this Grammy,” he said as he accepted the award from the stage
Born Leon Ivey Jr. and moved to Compton, California. During his teenage years, he spent some time in Northern California, but his mother sent him because she thought the city was too dangerous.
He has said in interviews that he started rapping when he was 15, and by 18 he knew it was what he wanted to do with his life, but before he could fully devote himself to the community he went to college and volunteered as a firefighter
He said he worked as a police officer and an airport security guard. hip hop scene. And his unique personality has led him to make occasional appearances .