Firefighter, airport security guard.... Grammy-winning rap artist?
Those who knew Coolio, real name Artis Ivey, will certainly never forget his unusual backstory. The Pennsylvania-born, Compton-raised hip-hop star passed away last night at the age of 59, and though he made his name for his 1995 smash hit Gangsta’s Paradise, he’ll equally always be remembered for his unique path to stardom, from being a bookish child and a crack addict to a more recent turn to cooking and TV.
The playful rap icon and father-of-ten passed away at a friend’s home yesterday, September 28, due to currently unknown causes. His close friend and manager Jarez told TMZ that Coolio arrived at his friends’ house and then disappeared to the toilet.
After he failed to return, his friends called for him and eventually broke into the bathroom, finding him on the floor.
Coolio’s death has been met with an outpouring of tributes from fans, celebrities and fellow stars such as Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Denzel Curry and Vince Staples.
But even before becoming a cultural icon, Coolio had already lived quite the life. He was a firefighter, airport security guard, and had a passion for cooking. Having made his name as a musician, he chose to pursue a career as a chef, and also appeared on numerous TV shows - sometimes even alongside his children.
Let’s walk through the wild ride that was Coolio’s life, career and extremely-underrated cooking show.
From firefighting to fame
Coolio didn’t shoot straight out of Compton to the big time immediately. In fact, he had to deal with quite a few demons first.
The star has admitted to being a juvenile offender (he served several months in jail after apparently trying to cash a money order that had actually been stolen by one of his friends) and crack addict in his youth. But then he got back on track - and it wasn’t rapping that set him straight.
Ivey became a volunteer firefighter, which forced him to kick the drug habit and get on the wagon. He fought fires in the Northern forests of California for a year then moved to Los Angeles. In LA, Coolio took up numerous odd jobs to get him by as he worked on his rap career, including as a security officer in Los Angeles International Airport.
The big breakthrough
Coolio recorded multiple singles in the late 1980s but didn’t truly break through the the rap game until the 1990s when he was signed to Tommy Boy records and released his debut album It Takes a Thief in 1994.
The lead single Fantastic Voyage peaked at 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album peaked at eight, becoming certified platinum. Coolio had hype by this point, but it wasn’t until the year later that he became a household name.
Household name status
It was when Gangsta’s Paradise was released in 1995 that things went truly stratospheric. The track, which features R&B singer L.V and was recorded for the soundtrack of Michelle Pfieffer movie Dangerous Minds, is widely regarded as one of the most successful rap songs of all time. It was the second-best-selling single of 1995 in the UK and won Coolio a Grammy for Best Solo Rap Performance in 1996.
Michelle Pfieffer attributed the success of Dangerous Minds to the mastery of Gangsta’s Paradise as she paid respect to the rapper following his death. The actress, who also appeared in Scarface and Batman Returns, wrote: “Heartbroken to hear of the passing of the gifted artist Coolio. A life cut entirely too short.
“As some of you may know I was lucky enough to work with him on Dangerous Minds in 1995. He won a Grammy for his brilliant song on the soundtrack - which I think was the reason our film saw so much success. I remember him being nothing but gracious. 30 years later I still get chills when I hear the song. Sending love and light to his family. Rest in Power, Artis Leon Ivey Jr.”
A turn to TV (including Tipping Point and Sabrina The Teenage Witch)
Sadly, none of Coolio’s other albums ever reached quite the same level of success as It Takes a Thief or Gangsta’s Paradise. But the star had consistently expressed his love for TV shows and cartoons, telling The Independent he’d been envisioning making his own cartoon TV show back in 1997, so his next step was a natural pivot to the small screen.
He started his own cooking show, Cookin’ with Coolio, an episode of which is still up on YouTube, where you can watch Coolio teach you how to make a caprese salad. He made other TV appearances on Celebrity Bootcamp (where he was punished for stealing a muffin), Comeback: The Big Chance, and even guest starred as himself on Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
He also infamously appeared on the 2009 edition of Celebrity Big Brother, providing viewers with golden moments including his commentary on Princess Fiona from Shrek. Coolio then appeared on Ultimate Big Brother the year later, but eventually decided to leave the house after numerous fights with fellow contestant Nadia Almada.
RIP Coolio, who gave us Gangsta’s Paradise. But more importantly, who gave us this pic.twitter.com/Iqk3Y67SMp
— Harrison Brocklehurst (@harrisonjbrock) September 29, 2022
Plus, in one of Coolio’s other strange forays into cult British television, he made an appearance on Tipping Point: Lucky Stars in 2013. Speaking on Good Morning Britain this morning, Tipping Point and GMB host Ben Shephard recalled Coolio’s appearance, saying “It felt like a natural fit,” which it’s safe to say absolutely no one saw coming.
Shephard also shared that he and Coolio went for a drink in Wimbledon together one day after filming. Now that’s an image.
A(nother) brush with the law
Coolio got in trouble with the law a few more times following his stint as a juvenile offender. In 1998, a court in Germany found him guilty of being an accessory to robbery and causing bodily harm, sentencing him to six months probation and a $17,000 fine.
Then, in 2016, he was sentenced to three years probation and 45 days community service after a firearm belonging to him was discovered in his bag at Los Angeles International Airport. After this he was reportedly (largely) well-behaved.
Making cookbooks (and golfing) cool again
Coolio loved talking about his other interests in interviews, especially cooking. In fact, in 2013 the star began the process of auctioning off the rights to all of his songs - including Gangsta’s Paradise - in order to fund his dream career as a chef. As well as his Cookin’ with Coolio show, the rapper produced a cookbook called “Cookin' with Coolio: Five Star Meals at a One Star Price”, which is still available on Amazon.
The book features dishes such as “Soul Rolls”, and “Finger-Lickin’, Rib-Stickin’, Fall-off-the-bone-and-into-your-mouth Chicken,” as well as helpful instructional chapters like “How To Become a Kitchen Pimp”.
In a surprising twist, Coolio also became very passionate about golfing, and vowed in the 1997 Independent interview to visit more of Scotland and Ireland so he could play on the expansive golf courses in these countries. “I used to think it was a white man's sport. I used to say, fuck that shit, until I played it one time in a celebrity tournament, and I've been going once a week ever since. I just love it, it's so relaxing, man.”
He also mentions a plan to make golf popular in England, telling his interviewer: “I heard in England it's not a very big sport. But maybe I'm gonna make it cool."
His golf-popularity-boosting plans and chef dreams may have not always gone to plan, and his career was far from straightforward, but one thing’s for sure: Coolio certainly seemed like he had a lot of fun doing it. May he rest in peace - or rather, in Gangsta’s Paradise.
