Coolio, the rapper whose playful and sometimes gritty takes on West Coast rap and anthemic hits like “Gangsta’s Paradise” made him a hip-hop star in the 1990s, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 59.
His manager, Jarez Posey, confirmed the death. Mr. Posey, who worked with Coolio for more than 20 years, said he was told that he died at a friend’s house. No cause was given.
Coolio, whose legal name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., achieved mainstream superstardom and critical success with his biggest hit, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” in 1995. A grim, minor-key track that featured the singer L.V. and drew on Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song “Pastime Paradise,” spent three weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100 and was named the chart’s No. 1 song of the year. It won the Grammy for best rap solo performance in 1996 and was later certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, outshining the movie it was featured in, the high school drama “Dangerous Minds.”
“Coolio still builds his raps on recognizable 1970s oldies, and he delivers intricate, syncopated rhymes as if they were conversation,” Jon Pareles wrote in an album review in The New York Times, noting that “Gangsta’s Paradise” uses “the somber minor chords” of Mr. Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise.” Coolio later told Rolling Stone that he had cleared the usage via a family connection — his wife knew one of Mr. Wonder’s brothers — with the stipulation that the song couldn’t contain any profanity. Mr. Wonder received a writing credit.
Another 1995 movie, the comedy “Clueless,” gave Coolio an additional crossover moment. His song “Rollin’ With My Homies” was on the soundtrack, and its hook, beloved by Tai — the desperate-to-be-hip new girl played by Brittany Murphy — is a running joke in the film.
Coolio’s other hits included “Fantastic Voyage” — the opening song on his debut album, “It Takes a Thief,” released in 1994 — and “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)” from the “Gangsta’s Paradise” album, released the next year. Both albums were nominated for Grammys. “C U When U Get There,” which is based on Pachelbel’s Canon, a Baroque-era standard, was a standout track on his third album, “My Soul,” from 1997.
But nothing could match the success of “Gangsta’s Paradise” — a song that, with its piercing production and ominous background vocals, became instantly distinguishable for millions of ’90s rap fans, especially with a memorable opening verse based on Psalm 23:
“As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look at my life and realize there’s nothin’ left.”
While Coolio later lamented that his hit overshadowed his other work, he told PopkillerTV in 2018 that the song had taken him on “a great ride.” Its popularity has endured for decades; the music video has garnered a rare billion-plus views on YouTube.