LOS ANGELES — New music from Coolio is underway, nearly a year after the “Gangsta’s Paradise” artist died in September 2022.
“A Star Is Born,” the first posthumous single from the rapper born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., premiered Friday. A posthumous album called “Long Live Coolio” will follow later this year, the Associated Press reported Friday.
The four-minute song, which tracks Coolio’s rise to stardom from his upbringing in Compton, is one of 11 songs on “Long Live Coolio.” The album boasts a handful of guest artists including Treach of the hip-hop group Naughty By Nature, hip-hop artist MC Shan, and longtime Coolio collaborator DJ Wino, who are featured on “A Star Is Born.”
“He laid it out there for us,” Wino told the Associated Press, which broke the news. “It was up to us to come through, and like good little foot soldiers we followed up.”
“Long Live Coolio” will be the “Fantastic Voyage” artist’s ninth studio album. Additional featured artists are Ras Kass, Kid Frost, Da Lench Mob rapper J-Dee, Too Short, Cejaz Negraz, singer Jay Chris, Kurupt and Tha Chill.
Coolio died Sept. 28, 2022, after he was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor at a friend’s house, manager Jarez Posey told TMZ. He was 59.
“We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client, Coolio,” manager Sheila Finegan said in a September statement to the L.A. Times. “He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly.”
The Los Angeles County medical examiner said in April the rapper died from the effects of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine and ruled his death an accident.
Coolio rose to fame in the early ’90s and was known for hits including “1,2,3,4” and “C U When U Get There.” The 1995 song “Gangsta’s Paradise,” however, was his claim to fame. The song, which sampled Stevie Wonder’s 1976 cut “Pastime Paradise,” climbed up the charts to become Billboard’s No. 1 single of 1995 and sold more than 6 million copies. It transcended mediums and was featured prominently in the 1995 film “Dangerous Minds” starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Courtney B. Vance and George Dzundza.
“Gangsta’s Paradise” was nominated for record of the year and won for rap solo performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards.
Coolio was also a reality TV star, cook and cookbook author and, for a moment, the potential mayor of his hometown.
He is survived by 10 children. He was married to Josefa Salinas, who died just months after him in November 2022.
