The famous rapper Coolio died: His hit "Gangsta's Paradise" remains eternal
The rapper Artis Leon Ivy Jr, better known by the stage name Coolio, died yesterday at the age of 59 in the home of his friend in Los Angeles, USA, reports "BBC".
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The news of his death was confirmed by his manager. The cause of death has not yet been revealed. According to unofficial reports, there is no suspicion of violence and it is probably a heart attack.
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The rapper gained worldwide fame after the release of the hit song "Gangsta's Paradise" in 1995, for which he was awarded the Grammy for best solo rap performance. Coolio released a total of eight albums in his career.
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His hit "Gangsta's Paradise" remains eternal
It seems that there is no person on the planet who in 1995 did not know about the song "Gangsta's Paradise", performed by Coolio and El Vi. The track was made famous by the movie, and perhaps it made him famous, "Dangerous Minds" with Michelle Pfeiffer in the lead role.
"Gangsta's Paradise" went to #1 on the UK Singles Chart. There was no cafe or party where this song was not played even after a few times.
The chorus and instrumentation are based on "Pastime Paradise", the track of Stevie Wonder since 1976.
Rapper Coolio named his second studio album after her, and "Gangsta's Paradise" was featured on the soundtrack of the film Dangerous Minds, a drama based on the autobiography "My Crew Doesn't Do Their Homework" by Lou Ann Johnson.
This journalist, author and retired Marine was a teacher in 1989 at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, where she taught mostly African-American and Latino teenagers from East Palo Alto, a poor, economically deprived and racially segregated city. Johnson portrayed Michelle Pfeiffer, who also appeared in Coolio's music video for Gangsta's Paradise.
Billboard announced that "Gangsta's Paradise" was the best-selling single of 1995, placing it at number 85 with the best songs of all time.
At the beginning of his career, Coolio won the prestigious Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance and 2 MTV Awards for Best Rap Video and Best Video for a Motion Picture, as well as the Billboard Music Award for Song and Album.
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It has sold over 6 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time.
In 1995, Coolio performed it live with El V at the Grammy Awards, but also at the Billboard Awards, where he was joined by Stevie Wonder.
