Gangster's Paradise artist Coolio dies at 59

Grammy-winning American rapper, record producer and actor, Coolio, passed away aged 59 in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The artist passed away at his friend's house in LA, his manager, Jarez Prosey, told the Associated Press. The cause of death is yet to be determined. Prosey said Coolio was found unresponsive in the bathroom of his friend's house on Wednesday afternoon.

Coolio or Leon Ivey Jr, was born on August 1, 1963, in Pennsylvania, US, and later moved to Compton, California. He was born in a community that has produced some of the world’s finest hip hop artists including Kendrick Lamar and Dr Dre.

After attending community college in Compton, Coolio worked as a volunteer firefighter and airport security before becoming a rapper.

Influences of the late rappers, Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., made their way into Coolio's styles and themes early in his rapping career.

Though the artist went on to produce and sell over 17 million records throughout his career, including the opening song on his debut album, titled, "Fantastic Voyage", which went on to earn a Grammy nomination; “C U When U Get There”, which incorporated samples from Pachelbel’s; “Canon in D Major”; as well as the opening theme for the 1990s Nickelodeon show, Kenan and Kel; a majority of Coolio’s success stemmed from one singular track for which he was best known - Gangsta's Paradise.

As the instantly recognisable strings kick off the penetrating beat, they give way to the most popular opening lines in hip hop history based on the biblical Psalm 23:

“Gangster’s Paradise” was Billboard’s top song of 1995 and served as Coolio's instant ticket to fame. It went on to win Best Solo Rap Performance at the 1996 Grammys as well as a triple-platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America and its music video won Best Rap Video and Best Video from a Film at the MTV Music Awards. 

Originally built upon a sample from Stevie Wonder’s 1976 classic "Pastime Paradise", the somber track was part of the reason hip hop was redefined to better suit the commercial endeavors of Black artists across the United States.

Earlier this year, the song crossed 1 billion views mark on YouTube, a rare feat for music videos, though the rapper has admitted that the massive popularity of the song has often overshadowed the rest of his discography and musical career.

The cultural impact of the song left a lasting impression across the West-coast hip hop scene in the US, though perhaps one of the most popular pieces of music that it inspired was parody artist Weird Al Yankovic’s "Amish Paradise", a song that spawned a prolonged beef between the two artists.

Following his death, a number of artists and celebrities took to Twitter to remember the late rapper...

Coolio is survived by his four children with his ex-wife Josefa Salina. 

Here’s knowing the artist is in a better place. A place that rang sonorous 30 odd years ago, when he first introduced it to the world; the legacy of which shall live on as long as hip hop is alive.