Nostalgia Fact-Check: First, some Coolio fun facts uncovered during the Fact-Check process: Pre-fame, he was both a firefighter and a crack addict for brief periods of time also, his stage name originates from a run of talent-show performances as Coolio Iglesias. Also, presumably, at least a few Pfeiffer fanatics?

Nostalgia Demo: “Gangsta’s Paradise” was a rap song of the celebrated “crossover” variety, so most people who were listening to pop radio in the mid-nineties probably have something invested in this one. It would be Coolio’s most accomplished moment: In the decade-plus since, the rapper’s relevancy and reputation have devolved mightily, cratering first in a 2009 Celebrity Big Brother appearance, then this purposefully misspelled Insane Clown Posse tattoo. Anchored by its title track and follow-up singles “Too Hot” and “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New),” Gangsta’s Paradise would sell over 2 million copies in the U.S. The song would become a massive success, topping charts worldwide and nabbing Coolio the Best Rap Solo Performance Grammy. The next year, though, Coolio dropped “Gangsta’s Paradise” - first via the soundtrack to Michelle Pfeiffer’s hero-teacher movie Dangerous Minds, then on his sophomore album, Gangsta’s Paradise - and cracked a whole new echelon. Our latest installment: Gangsta’s Paradise.īackground: Coolio, the Compton rapper born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., released his debut album, It Takes a Thief, in 1994, and quickly saw its single “Fantastic Voyage” become a sizable radio hit.

Now, years later, we will take a look at these classics in a more objective, unforgiving adult light: Are they really the best ever? How do they hold up now? We’ve already reconsidered Heathers, Ally McBeal, Ace of Base’s The Sign, Ghostbusters, Dinosaurs, and Adam Sandler. The Nostalgia Fact-Check is a recurring Vulture feature in which we revisit a seminal movie, TV show, or album that reflexively evinces an “Oh my God, that was the best ever!” response by a certain demographic, owing to it having been imprinted on them early.

Coolio gangsta paradise official video