NFL
By: Zachary Draves
He took us on a Fantastic Voyage to a Gangsta’s Paradise. He was street but sweet. He was a culmination of the mainstream acceptance of hip hop music and culture at time of intense scrutiny. He kept it real and was accessible to the masses. He was born Artis Leon Ivey Jr but he will forever be Coolio.
On Wednesday, it was reported that the 59 year old rap legend was found dead in his Los Angeles home. The circumstances surrounding his untimely death remain unknown but some are suspecting a heart attack.
When the news broke, many Gen Xers and Millennials took to their computers to issue tributes to an artist who was a bridge between generations. He came of age at a time when hip hop was becoming the voice for those born during the civil rights and Vietnam War era (Gen X). A music and style that was raw, unadulterated, honest, and predicated upon the basic notion of taking one’s talents and winning on one’s own terms. At the same, the generation that would be conceived during that period of cultural renaissance (millennials) saw him as one of the first rappers that could be present during their childhoods without parental panic.
(Courtesy: Getty Images)
When Coolio dropped his mega hits “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage” he was every bit as hardcore as Ice Cube, Cypress Hill, Ice-T, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and Biggie. But what made him stand out was that he could appeal to a seemingly ageless audience. He could be featured on Yo! MTV Raps freestyling with Tupac one minute and then sing the iconic theme song “Aw Here It Goes” to Nickelodeon’s iconic Kenan and Kel the next. At a time when hip hop artists were encourage to maintain a rough and tough exterior to establish street credibility and anything outside of that was considered inauthentic, Coolio wasn’t a contradiction to anyone. As a result, he was a major staple in people’s lives and that included the world of sports.
(Courtesy: Jeff Kravitz/FILMMAGIC)
That love was felt in the immediate aftermath of his passing when sporting figures such as LeBron James, Bradley Beal, Tracy McGrady, Karl Anthony Towns, and Kirk Herbstreit took to the social media to express their condolences. Wrigley Field cranked out “Fantastic Voyage” during the Cubs/Phillies game. The San Francisco Giants blasted “Gangsta’s Paradise” in between innings of their game against the Colorado Rockies.
https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/1575299260043632642?s=20&t=t-TZzqrwW5w9FCGZZOV0YA
Coolio’s contributions to sports goes well beyond his iconic masterpieces. He was a major contributor to some lesser known but full out jams that further solidified the unbreakable bond between sports and hip hop. First, he got us up off our seats with his well-produced and bumping jam “It’s All the Way Live” from the soundtrack to the 1996 movie Eddie starring Whoopi Goldberg, in which she plays a diehard New York Knicks fan who becomes coach of the team. Then, he did one better by joining LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, B-Real, and Method Man in the intensively aggressive “Hit Em High (The Monstar’s Anthem) off the legendary Space Jam soundtrack, a catalog of classics that was perfectly suited for Coolio’s aura of being hardcore but non-threatening.
(Courtesy: Wikipedia)
(Courtesy: Wikipedia)
Along the way his place in the sports world was cemented. He would cultivate friendships with athletes such as Shaquille O’Neal who was known for having a budding rap career. There was also a rarely seen photo that just emerged of Coolio taking a picture with Kobe Bryant after his last NBA game in 2016. In February 2022, he gave an epic halftime performance during a Sacramento Kings game, which sadly turned out be one of his final public shows.
Coolio pre-game with Kobe on the night of his final game as a Laker (2016) pic.twitter.com/ma96mZZot3
— Hoops Nostalgia (@HoopsNostalgia) September 29, 2022
In the end, Coolio left behind a timeless legacy. One filled with so many touchstone moments that made him one of the most beloved entertainers of that past quarter century. A love that found its way beyond the recording booth and onto the hardwood.
(Courtesy: Getty Images)
Rest well in the Gangsta’s Paradise.
