West Coast rapper Coolio (born Artis Leon Ivey Jr.) passed away on September 28, 2022. He was 59 years old.
According to reports, the estate of Coolio will release a posthumous studio LP this year. The “Gangsta’s Paradise” hitmaker apparently began working on the project before his death.
Tentatively titled Long Live Coolio, the forthcoming album will include the new single “Tag ‘You It'” featuring a Too $hort and DJ Wino. A music video for the song arrived on March 17.
The “Tag ‘You It'” video is the final visual content recorded with Coolio. The iconic visuals for “Gangsta’s Paradise” have totaled over 1.6 billion views on YouTube.
Coolio released several albums during his career. He debuted with It Takes a Thief in 1994. That body of work hosted the Platinum-certified, Top 5 hit “Fantastic Voyage.”
Gangsta’s Paradise dropped the following year. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album as 2x-Platinum. The title track featuring L.V. spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Coolio scored three Top 10 singles. “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)” off Gangsta’s Paradise peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100. In addition, Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.