Artis Leon Ivey Jr., known professionally as Coolio, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and actor. Coolio achieved mainstream success in the mid-to-late 1990s with his albums It Takes a Thief (1994), Gangsta's Paradise (1995), and My Soul (1997). He is best known for his 1995 Grammy Award-winning hit single "Gangsta's Paradise", as well as other singles "Fantastic Voyage" (1994), "1, 2, 3, 4 " (1996) and "C U When U Get There" (1997).
G-funk, or gangsta-funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the late 1980s, the genre is heavily influenced by 1970s psychedelic funk sound of artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic.
Shawntae Harris, better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album Funkdafied (1994) sold one million copies, making her the first female solo rap act to receive a platinum certification, and the second overall female rap act after Salt-N-Pepa. Brat has received two Grammy Award nominations. She has achieved two-top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, "Funkdafied" and "Not Tonight", the latter with Lil' Kim, Lisa Lopes, Missy Elliott and Angie Martinez. Brat has also had commercial success with other songs including "I Think They Like Me", " and a remix of Mariah Carey's "Loverboy".
Bad Hair Day is the ninth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on March 12, 1996. It was also Yankovic's last studio album for the Scotti Brothers label before it was purchased by Volcano Records in 1999 and his final studio album to be released while he still had his classic look. The album produced an array of hit comedy singles; lead single "Amish Paradise", which lampoons both Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" and the Amish lifestyle, charted at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Gump", which parodies "Lump" by the Presidents of the United States of America and the movie Forrest Gump, reached at No. 102.
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a song by American rapper Coolio, featuring singer L.V. The song was released on Coolio's album of the same name, as well as the soundtrack for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds. It samples the chorus and instrumentation, and includes some of the lyric, with altered meaning, of Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise". Stevie Wonder apparently used 'past-time paradise' in an ironic reference to squandering of the present on nostalgically 'living in the past'. Coolio apparently deplores an ostensibly paradisiacal but factually dangerous and time-wasting 'gangsta' lifestyle.
Stacy Adams is a brand of menswear including suits, sleepwear, underwear, sportswear, jewelry, and shoes, with an emphasis on urban fashions, including styles resembling modern zoot suits, as well as more casual hip-hop clothing.
Pop rap, also called pop hip hop, hip pop, melodic hip hop or melodic rap, is a genre of music fusing the rhythm-based lyricism of hip hop music with pop music's preference for melodious vocals and catchy tunes. This genre gained mainstream popularity during the 1990s, though the influences and roots of pop rap can trace back to late 1980s hip-hop artists such as Run DMC, LL Cool J, and Beastie Boys. The lyrics are often lighthearted, with choruses similar to those heard in pop music.
My Soul is the third studio album by rapper Coolio, released on August 26, 1997 and was his last album for Tommy Boy Records. Production was handled by Romeo, Vic C., Bryan "Wino" Dobbs and DJ I-Roc. The album has been certified platinum by the RIAA.
It Takes a Thief is the debut studio album by American rapper Coolio. It was released on July 19, 1994, on Warner Bros. Records. The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to the often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.
Fantastic Voyage is a 1966 science fiction film starring Stephen Boyd and Raquel Welch and novelized by Isaac Asimov
Larry Sanders, better known by his stage name L.V., is an American R&B singer. He is best known for his collaboration with rapper Coolio on the single "Gangsta's Paradise" and has been featured on multiple soundtracks since then. Having released five solo albums to date, he was also a member of the gangsta rap group South Central Cartel since their beginning, usually singing the vocals and chorus.
Cookin' with Coolio is a web-based cooking instruction program starring West Coast rapper Coolio. The show is an offshoot of the now cancelled Coolio's Rules. It appears on the web video network My Damn Channel. and is produced by Dead Crow Pictures. The show is also a promotion for a cookbook by Coolio of the same name.
All That: The Album is the soundtrack of musical performances and sketch clips from the hit Nickelodeon television series All That.
This is the discography of Coolio, an American rapper.
"Fantastic Voyage" is a song by American rapper Coolio. It was released in March 1994 as the third single from his debut album, It Takes a Thief. The song later featured on the album Fantastic Voyage: The Greatest Hits. It heavily samples the 1981 song, "Fantastic Voyage" by Lakeside.
Alternative hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses the wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as follows: "Alternative rap refers to hip hop groups that refuse to conform to any of the traditional stereotypes of rap, such as gangsta, bass, hardcore, and party rap. Instead, they blur genres drawing equally from funk and pop/rock, as well as jazz, soul, reggae, and even folk."
The 1996 Soul Train Music Awards was held on March 29, 1996, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The show honored the best in R&B, soul, rap, jazz, and gospel music from the previous year. The show was hosted by Brandy, LL Cool J and Anita Baker.
Gangsta's Paradise is the second studio album by rapper Coolio, released on November 7, 1995. It is Coolio's best-selling album, with over three million copies sold in the United States. The album produced three singles, which became hits: the title track, "1, 2, 3, 4 ", and "Too Hot".
"Too Hot" is a R&B/Soul song recorded by the American band Kool & the Gang for their 1979 album Ladies' Night. It was written by George Brown and Kool & the Gang, and produced by Eumir Deodato and Kool & the Gang. The song reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The following is a list of albums released by record label Tommy Boy Records.
[1] 
[3] 
