Coolio began rapping from a young age and performed in many local Los Angeles rap contests as a youth. He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled “Watcha Gonna Do” and “You’re Gonna Miss Me”. Neither single was successful, but Coolio had made connections in the Los Angeles rap scene, and ended up joining the group WC and the Maad Circle in 1991.

Three years later, Coolio signed to Tommy Boy Records and released his debut solo album, It Takes a Thief. The album contained the single “Fantastic Voyage,” which became Coolio’s breakout song. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the biggest rap singles of the year. Overall, the album was very successful, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 200 and being certified Platinum. The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.

After the success of his debut, Coolio became a legitimate rap star. In 1995, he orchestrated the song “Gangsta’s Paradise” for the movie Dangerous Minds. “Gangsta’s Paradise”, which featured R&B singer L.V., would become one of the most successful rap songs of all time, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 weeks. It was the #1 single of 1995 for all genres, and was truly a global hit, reaching #1 in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand. The song also created some controversy when Coolio claimed that parody artist Weird Al Yankovic had not asked for permission to make his parody of “Gangsta’s Paradise”, titled “Amish Paradise”

After the massive success of the Gangsta’s Paradise album, Coolio had a tough job to make a proper follow up. In 1996, he had another top 40 hit with the song “It’s All the Way Live (Now)” from the Eddie soundtrack. He was also featured on the song “Hit ‘em High” from the soundtrack to the hit movie Space Jam with B-Real, Method Man, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes. Then, his third solo album, titled My Soul, came out in 1997. Although it did contain the major hit “C U When U Get There”, the album was considered a disappointment. Subsequently, Coolio was dropped from Tommy Boy Records.

While he was not signed to a label during the late 90s, the rapper continued moving forward, pursuing his other passions. Coolio dabbled in the world of acting, where he landed a series of roles on shows such as The Bill, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and The Nanny. In the early 2000s, Coolio was featured with his family in the Oxygen cable television network’s reality show Coolio’s Rules. The program followed Coolio as he tried to raise a family, start a new catering business, and date. Along with television appearances, he was part of the television horror film Pterodactyl as a military officer. Additionally, Coolio appeared in the director’s cut version of Daredevil, starring Ben Affleck, where he played a kindhearted man who was accused of murder.

Rapping and acting allowed Coolio to express his artistic side, but in the late 2000s, he decided to show his not so well known domestic side. He hosted an online cooking show along with jazz recording artist “Jarez,” called Cookin’ with Coolio, for the website and network My Damn Channel. A companion cookbook was then published, named Cookin’ with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price, published by Simon and Schuster. Coolio’s wide range of experiences and talents are sure to inspire audiences to follow their dreams. His perspective on rap, empowering youth, and other current events is both unique and relevant to today’s urban discussions.

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