59 is too young to die. Coolio proved that Rap need not be the monotonous, vile garbage that we have to pretend is music, but that it could have actual lyrics. "Gangsta's paradise" is the perfect rap song. Spoke about all the issues that other rap songs speak to, but not only did the song win a Grammy, and not only does the song start with a quote from an Alred Lord Tennyson poem, but the entire song has zero swear words or other derogatory terms "Fool" is the worset.
Having grown up on Zeppelin, Sabbath and The Who, he was one of a few performers that made rap cool for white kids. Really transcended cultural boundaries.
RIP Coolio. His best known song was a massive global crossover hit, big enough to get actress Michelle Pfeiffer in its video during the peak of her career. The artist and his producers also were innovative in their blend of popular music and rap in a way that was more accessible at the time than the work of contemporary rap producers like Andre Young.
I just looked something up that I've always wondered about this song but didn't ever take the time to find out more. This article (written in Australia of all places) is longer than many of you are going to want to read, but it does mention something about why there was no profanity in the hit song Gangsta's Paradise.
If you've never heard of Pastime Paradise that's ok, it came out in 1976 as a non-single, non-hit on an album that won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1977. It was the third consecutive album which won the Album of the Year award for artist Stevland Morris. Both songs are great in their own way.
As a 60-something boomer, I've come to appreciate some rap for exactly what it is, art. It's not art that everyone is going to like, or even understand (I certainly don't understand a fair bit of it), it is <em>art</em>.
I am eligible for social Medicare before the end of year, and I recall a cross in a beaker of urine called "piss Christ" being considered art. That is also fine by me until people say I am not permitted to call it what it is; vile, ignorant garbage. trivia Tidbit: First "rap" song to his #1 was Rapture, Blondie. Naw, I don't consider it rap either, but I have never understood why "people who died" by Jim Carroll Band is not considered a rap song: Teddy sniffing, glue he was 12 years old, fell from the roof on east 2 9,athy was 11 when she pulled the plug on 26 reds and bottle of wine, Bobby got leukemia, 14 years old, he looked like 65 when he died, he was a friend of mine ......These are people who died, died......
Coolio was a record label creation. He never lived what he rapped about. But he was the father of pop rap. Made music that was safe and appealed to white suburbs. He banked off it.
I don't like him as an artist. But dying at 59 is bad. I think drugs had to do with it.
Coolio was just at Legends Detroit a few weeks ago, too. He performed a few songs and even climbed one of the main stage poles (there's a video on Instagram of him doing it).
I didn't work that night because celebrity nights are not profitable, but everyone I spoke to only had nice things to say about meeting him.
It's not always their own money though. I don't want to say too much more about that publicly because some of my coworkers lurk here and I'm not trying to get fired by giving out insider info.
I may have seen his last concert last week when I was in Austin where he okayed with Uncle Cracker, Naughty by Nature, Rascal Flats, and Journey. Such an awesome concert! RIP
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I just looked something up that I've always wondered about this song but didn't ever take the time to find out more. This article (written in Australia of all places) is longer than many of you are going to want to read, but it does mention something about why there was no profanity in the hit song Gangsta's Paradise.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-05/2…
If you've never heard Gangsta's Paradise (from 1995) it sounds like this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rft8hYQ31R…
If you've never heard Pastime Paradise (from 1976) it sounds like this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b0S4SiLxt1…
If you've never heard of Pastime Paradise that's ok, it came out in 1976 as a non-single, non-hit on an album that won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1977. It was the third consecutive album which won the Album of the Year award for artist Stevland Morris. Both songs are great in their own way.
I don't like him as an artist. But dying at 59 is bad. I think drugs had to do with it.
But how about this (in case you forgot): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZrjsGm9…
I fuckin love this shit. "You done shot Mr. Johnson!"
Classic
https://youtu.be/ag8PqlgHzN8
“Tell me why are we, so blind to see
That the ones we hurt, are you and me?”
I didn't work that night because celebrity nights are not profitable, but everyone I spoke to only had nice things to say about meeting him.