Farewell Coolio

Coolio, the rapper who basically the owned the 90s, died suddenly yesterday. He was 59. No cause of death was given but he was visiting a friend at the time. The friend found Coolio collapsed on the bathroom floor and he told TMZ he assumed it was a "cardiac event." Coolio was a life-long sufferer of asthma.

Folks my age - early 40s - will instantly connect Coolio to "Gangsta's Paradise," the song from the soundtrack to Dangerous Minds. I think I saw that movie three times in the theater. Don't judge. It was 1995 and I come from a small town - there was literally nothing else to do.

No doubt Coolio helped make Dangerous Minds a success as the video for "Gangsta's Paradise" featured movie clips. Coolio also had a big hit with "Fantastic Voyage." That was a song my mom really liked and we played it a lot in my house back in the day. Thinking about these tracks definitely takes me back to high school. Good memories for sure.

Coolio, the rapper who helped define hip-hop in the 1990s with anthemic hits like “Gangsta’s Paradise,” has died. He was 59. https://t.co/CKOyjbpyvs pic.twitter.com/tPCi8x78RB

— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 29, 2022