Coolio

The Profile

Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey Jr.) was an American rapper known for the global hit Gangsta’s Paradise and a run of West Coast g-funk singles in the 1990s.

Grammy Award winner (1996, Best Rap Solo Performance for Gangsta’s Paradise). Gangsta’s Paradise topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995 and interpolates Stevie Wonder’s Pastime Paradise. Active from the late 1980s until his death in 2022.

ZiOn’s review remembers Coolio’s passing and situates his 1994 debut It Takes a Thief within the golden age of hip hop. The album’s lighter, radio-friendly g-funk contrasts with darker gangsta rap, led by the single Fantastic Voyage. Standout storytelling cuts and East Coast-tinged moments are highlighted alongside select features. The piece closes by calling the album enjoyable, if not among 1994’s absolute classics, and tips a hat to Coolio’s place in hip hop history.