Rapper Coolio will appear in the upcoming season of Celebrity Big Brother, which will begin airing in January.
Coolio will join a cast that includes actor Verne Troyer aka “Mini Me,” TV host Terry Christian and Scottish socialist politician and former MSP Tommy Sheridan, who also leads the Solidarity party.
The series broadcasts on Channel 4 in the UK and features celebrity “housemates” who must complete a series of challenges, while having no contact with the outside world.
The housemates are followed 24-hours a day by 35 cameras and 40 microphones, which broadcasts their movements to a live viewing audience.
Coolio rose to fame as an original member of W.C. and the Maad Circle, which featured fellow Los Angeles rappers W.C. Sir Jinx and DJ Crazy Toones.
He released his debut album It Takes a Thief in 1994 and hit with the single “Fantastic Voyage.”
The rapper hit pay dirt in 1995 with the Grammy Award winning single “Gangsters Paradise” from the movie Dangerous Minds.
Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., is no stranger to the reality TV series format either.
In 2002 Coolio, as well as his signature braids, were featured on Celebrity Fear Factor and Celebrity Bootcamp.
He also showed off his culinary skills as host on the online cooking show Cookin’ with Coolio.
Coolio currently stars in Coolio‘s Rules which airs on the Oxygen network.
The show follows the day-to-day life of the rapper and his family.
The sixth season of Celebrity Big Brother is slated to air January 2.