Performance · Production

Coolio

US rapper, actor, chef & record producer

United States • 1963-08-01 – 2022-09-28

Coolio is credited on 510 releases across 105 albums tracked on Gatefold, active 1991–2025 — the collector-built map of who actually made the music.

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510

Pressings credited

105

Albums

Decades active

In collections

Biography

Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper, songwriter and record producer. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the course of hip-hop by bringing it to a wider audience. Other singles included "Fantastic Voyage" (1994), "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" (1996), and "C U When U Get There" (1997). He released nine albums, the first three of which achieved mainstream success: It Takes a Thief (1994), Gangsta's Paradise (1995), and My Soul (1997). Coolio first achieved recognition as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle. Coolio sold 4.8 million albums in the U.S. He also created the six-episode reality television show Coolio's Rules (2008), the web series Cookin' with Coolio, and published a cookbook.

Bio from Wikipedia