  Coolio (Artis Ivey) was born in
California in August 1, 1963. Coolio began
rapping when he was still in high school in
the late 70s. After Coolio finished high
school and spent a little time at Compton
Community College, he focused more on his
music. Coolio got his name when he was
younger, playing a guitar while singing a
song, and someone asked "Who do you
think you are, Coolio Iglesias?" He was
also called Boo in high school. Coolio was
able to avoid being swept up by a gang
(specifically the Crips in Los Angeles), but
the streetlife in which Coolio grew up in no
doubt has influenced his music. His big break
came with the song "Fantastic Voyage" which introduced
his rapping style with its playful party-like
video. While other rappers of the 90s have
turned to gangsta rap and redundancy of
"rapping about what it's like out
there," Coolio has taken his fame and
message and directed it toward creating rap
with a message. Instead of perpetuating the
wrongs of society, Coolio's goal of change
and strength parallels each LP he releases.
 # 33
Singles Artist of the Year
Coolio hit the Top 40 with
"Fantastic Voyage."
 Coolio's debut LP, It
Takes A Thief, was released and spawned the
Top 10 hit "Fantastic Voyage." The song was a
big hit with MTV viewers, hip hop listeners,
and even pop music fans. To many, Coolio was
a nice diversion from the gangsta rap scene.
Coolio hit the Top 10 with "Fantastic Voyage."
Coolio topped the Billboard Hot
100 Singles Sales chart for 4 weeks with
"Fantastic Voyage."
 The video for "Fantastic Voyage" was nominated
for a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Rap Video.
 # 22
Singles Artist of the Year
Coolio was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Fantastic Voyage").
 Coolio hit #1 with a song from
the movie, Dangerous
Minds: "Gangsta's Paradise." The award
winning song reiterated many of the
sentiments of street-life, with a strong
message, yet without the vulgarity. Coolio
demonstrated that you could have a successful
rap LP without a parental sticker label on
the cover.
Coolio hit the Top 40 with
"Gangsta's Paradise."
Coolio hit the Top 10 and #1 for a week with "Gangsta's Paradise."
Coolio topped the Billboard Hot
100 Singles chart for 3 weeks, the Singles
Sales chart for 7 weeks, the R&B Singles
Sales chart for 3 weeks, and the Hot Rap
Singles chart for 11 weeks with "Gangsta's Paradise."
 Coolio's LP, Gangsta's
Paradise was released, went Top 10, and
had the additional Top 10 hit: "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin'
New)"
and "Too Hot," a song about safe
sex and AIDS.
Coolio topped the UK Singles
chart for 2 weeks with "Gangsta's Paradise."
Coolio hit the Top 40 with
"Too Hot."
Coolio topped the Billboard
Year-End Chart-Toppers with the Top Hot 100
Single and Top Hot 100 Single Sales ("Gangsta's Paradise").
"Gangsta's Paradise" was the year's
best-selling single with sales topping 2.5
million.
 # 28
Singles Artist of the Year
Coolio won an American Music
Award for Favorite Rap/Hip Hop
Artist.
Coolio won a Grammy
Award for Best Rap Solo Performance ("Gangsta's Paradise") and was
nominated for Record of the Year.
Coolio hit the Top 40 with
"1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin'
New)."
Coolio hit the Top 10 with "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin'
New)."
 Coolio hit the Top 40 with
"It's All The Way Live
(Now)"
from the Eddie soundtrack.
Coolio won 3 MTV Video Music
Awards for Best Rap Video and Best Video from a Film
("Gangsta's Paradise"), and Best Dance Video ("1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin'
New)"),
and was nominated for Best Male Video ("1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin'
New)."
 # 130
Singles Artist of the Year
Coolio was nominated for an American Music
Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop
Artist.
Coolio was nominated for 3 Grammy
Awards for Best Rap Album (Gangsta's
Paradise), Best Rap Solo Performance ("1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin'
New)"),
and Best R&B Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group ("Stomp"
with Luke Cresswell, Fiona
Wilkes, Carl Smith,
Fraser Morrison, Everett
Bradley, Mr. X, Melle
Mel, Yo-Yo, Chaka
Khan, Charlie Wilson,
Shaquille O'Neal & Luniz).
Coolio hit the Top 40 with
"C U When U Get There" with help from 40
Thevz.
 Coolio released his third LP, My
Soul, which contained the hits
"C U When U Get There" from the Nothing
To Lose soundtrack (which
samples the 17th Century with a recording of
Johann Pachelbel's "Canon In D"),
and "Ooh La La."
Coolio could also be spotted in
a cameo role for the Batman And Robin
film.
Coolio and a few of his friends
were arrested in Germany for theft. According
to Reuters, Coolio and 7 others tried on
items at a boutique and left the shop before
removing the clothes. The shop owner is also
stating that one member of the group punched
him the stomach. The German police arrested
the group after spending 2 days looking into
the incident and deciding that it involved a
"greater intensity of violence"
than originally perceived. Coolio is slated
to begin his tour in Rotterdam at the end of
the week and was released on bail. Wall
of Sound reported that the head of the
German Police Union has called for Coolio to
be banned from performing in Germany. It was
reported that the rapper encouraged fans who
couldn't afford his new LP, to "steal
this record" at a concert in Germany on
November 22nd.
Coolio had
assault charges filed against him in Germany
due to an incident that alleges Coolio and 6
others were involved with assaulting a woman
in the stomach last November at a clothing
boutique - the same incident for which Coolio
faces theft charges.
September 15: Coolio was arrested
after being pulled over for driving his
Hummer on the wrong side of the road in
Southern California and it was found that he
had various traffic violations, including an
expired license, and had a semi-automatic
pistol and marijuana found in the vehicle.
Coolio spent Thanksgiving in
Germany as his court trial for assault and
robbery charges (from a November incident)
began. Coolio, along with 4 associates, was
accused of try to leave a boutique without
paying for over $800 worth of items and then
assaulting a woman trying to prevent them
from leaving. In his own defense to the
public, Coolio said "I'm innocent. I've
done nothing. I'm a nice guy. People treat me
nice 'cos I treat them nice. It's a big
misunderstanding."
Coolio was convicted in a
Germany court of being an accessory to
robbery and causing bodily injury from
charges stemming from a November, '97
incident - he received 6 months probation and
a $17,000 fine.
It was announced that Coolio may
be starring in his own TV sitcom - a spin-off
of UPN's Malcolm & Eddie and MTV
reported that Coolio may also be teaming up
with "longtime friend," Ed McMahon
on a new version of Star Search.
Coolio appeared in a California
courtroom to plead innocent to concealed
weapon charges from September.
 It was reported that Coolio
would l be spending 10 days in jail and
working 40
Coolio released Fantastic
Voyage - Greatest Hits.
 Coolio released El
Cool Magnifico.
Coolio embarked on his 3rd USO
tour - this time in the Balkans.
VH1: 50
Greatest Hip Hop Artists includes Coolio at # 43.
Coolio could be seen in the TV
movie Red Water on TBS. The movie
will feature Coolio's song "What Is A
MC" from his LP, El
Cool Magnifico.
# 183 on the Top Pop Artists
of the Past 25 Years chart.
Coolio was arrested in LA for
alledged crack possession.
|
It Takes A Thief
Released: July, 1994
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 8
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Fantastic Voyage" -
"County Line" - "Mama, I'm
IN Love Wit A Gangsta" - "Hand
On My Nutsac" - "Ghetto
Cartoon" - "Smokin' Stix"
- "Can-O-Corn" - "U Know
Hoo!" - "It Takes A Thief"
- "Bring Back Somethin Fo Da
Hood" - "N Da Closet" -
"On My Way To Harlem" -
"Sticky Fingers" -
"Thought You Knew" - "Ugly
Bitches" - "I Remember" |
|
Gangsta's Paradise
Released: November, 1995
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 9
Tracks: "That's How
It Is" - "Geto Highlites"
- "Gangsta's Paradise" - "Too Hot" -
"Cruisin'" - "Exercise Yo'
Game" - "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin'
New)" - "Smilin'"
- "Kinda High Kinda Drunk" -
"For My Sistas" - "Is This
Me?" - "A Thing Goin' On"
- "Bright As The Sun" -
"Recoup This" - "The
Revolution" - "Get Up Get
Down" |
|
My Soul
Released: August, 1997
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 39
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "2 Minutes
& 21 Seconds Of Funk" -
"One Mo" - "The Devil Is
Dope" - "Hit 'Em" -
"Knight Fall" - "Ooh La
La" - "Can U Dig It" -
"Nature Of Business" -
"Homeboy" - "Throwtown
2000" - "Can I Get Down
1X" - "My Soul" -
"Let's Do It" - "C U When U Get
There" |
|
Fantastic Voyage -
Greatest Hits
Released: July, 2001
Tracks: "Fantastic Voyage" - "Gangsta's Paradise" - "C U When U Get
There" - "Too Hot" - "Aw
Here It Goes" - "Ooh La
La" - "I Remember" -
"1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin'
New)" - "Hit 'Em"
- "Mama, I'm In Love Wit A
Gangsta" - "My Soul" -
"Country Line" - "Geto
Highlights" |
|
El Cool Magnifico
Released: October, 2002
Tracks: "I Like
Girls" - "Gangbangers" -
"Show Me Love" - "Would
You Still Be Mine" - "Ghetto
Square Dance" - "They Don't
Know Me" - "Like This" -
"Shake It Up" - "What Is
An MC" - "Cadillac Vogues"
- "Sunshine" - "If You
Hear Me Now" - "The Island
Song" - "Your Place Or
Mine" - "Pop Your Collar" |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com's page for that LP
(often including track listings and sound
samples). |
|
|
