The music world lost a legend of west-coast hip-hop on Wednesday, as Coolio sadly passed away from cardiac arrest on September 28th at the (too early) age of 59.
Bursting onto the hip-hop scene in 1994 with his smash hit “Fantastic Voyage”, Coolio helped usher in a new era of west coast gangsta-rap that was more accessible to mainstream audiences without sacrificing any grit or realness in the process. Through his distinctively charismatic style and uncanny skills on the mic, Coolio married the sounds of classic 70s R&B, funk, and soul, with his subtly sanitized version west coast gangsta rap, often with stellar results, culminating in the Grammy award winning “Gangsta’s Paradise”, which spent 3 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts in 1995. Coolio remained a mainstay in pop culture throughout the mid-to-late 90s, which led to a modest film career that included roles in “Batman & Robin” and “Dear God”, just to name a few.
Haven recently just caught one of his last live performances at Riot Fest earlier this month, a tribute seems in order, so here’s a rundown of our picks for his Top 10 songs of all time:
#10 – “County Line”
Back in 1994, long before the age of streaming music, you were always kind of taking a risk when buying a new album just because you heard a great song on MTV or the radio. Too often the rest of the album would be a dud, but in the case of Coolio’s debut It Takes a Thief, such concerns eased after hearing “County Line” which immediately follows the classic opener “Fantastic Voyage”. Coolio’s trademark sense of humor coupled with the tune’s playful funkiness helped reassure the listener that they had indeed chosen wisely when it came to Coolio’s classic debut.
#9 – “Can-O-Corn”
Although Coolio was generally an upbeat and accessible rapper broadly speaking, he could definitely get bleak at times, as evidenced by this compelling track about growing up in poverty. He really sucks you into the story here, and the jazz horn adds a palpable sense of despair/anguish to the song as well.
#8 – “N Da Closet”
Speaking of sucking you into a song, this is another grim story told from the point of view of a closet drug addict. Much like “Can-O-Corn”, even if you’ve never been starving or hooked on crack, after listening to these tunes you come away feeling like you understand what it’s like to be in those unfortunate situations. The refrain from Paul McCartney’s “Let Em’ In” in the chorus is the icing on the cake.
# 7 – “It Takes a Thief”
As evidenced by the prior selections on this list, Coolio was a fantastic storyteller. Once you better understand what it’s like to grow up hungry or being addicted to drugs, then you can better understand how those conditions can lead to a life of crime, which is effectively the story of the title track from Coolio’s debut. This song is cold as ice, lyrically and aesthetically. Another compellingly dark (but smooth) song that brings to light the realities too many people resort to growing up in abject poverty.
#6 – “Too Hot”
Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the singles portion of the countdown. This one is essentially a cover of Kool & the Gang’s classic of the same name (did Coolio have great taste in music or what)? Here he raps effortlessly and flows smoothly between the classic chorus as he addresses the AIDS epidemic in his trademark topical fashion. Everything’s clicking on the Coolio cylinders here: the beat is tight, the flow is impeccable, the topic was timely, and the R&B vibes are on point.
#5 – “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)”
Pound for pound, this just might be the most outright fun/danceable song in Coolio’s entire catalog. This is an upbeat, high-energy jam that is tailor-made for the club and getting people moving. This captures Coolio at perhaps his peak popularity in 1995, and the exuberance and accessibility of this jam definitely reflect that.
#4 – “C U When U Get There”
This one always had a poignant vibe, but now it definitely hits with all the feels given Coolio is sadly no longer with us. Pour out some liquor, sing along, and (maybe) shed a tear to this one tonight.
#3 – “I Remember”
The nostalgia and soul of this song has always felt particularly warm and endearing, but again, given that Coolio has passed on to that great gig in the sky, it of course feels even more palpable now. Put it this way: if listening to “I Remember” as an 11-year-old filled this writer with inexplicable feelings of coolness, love, and nostalgia, suffice to say it hits even harder now, given the circumstances. While not quite as epic/soaring/glossy sounding as “C U When U Get There”, this is our pick for Coolio’s most down-to-earth/endearing tune.
#2 – “Fantastic Voyage”
1994 was an amazing time to be a west-coast rap fan. Between Death Row’s ascendancy, 2Pac, Ice Cube, Cypress Hill, and a plethora of other classic rappers at the time, safe to say the west coast rap scene was on fire to say the least. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, Coolio pops on MTV and invites us all to “come along and ride on a Fantastic Voyage”, and the rest, as they say, is history. With the help of the iconic video (where Coolio packs a hundred or so friends in his trunk for an epic beach party), “Fantastic Voyage” became the summer anthem for 1994 and stands out today as one of the best hip-hop tracks the West coast ever offered up in the 90s.
#1 – “Gangsta’s Paradise”
No surprises here, as this is effectively Coolio’s magnum opus and proved to the world that he was much more than just another one-hit-wonder rapper – even if he “borrowed” from Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise.” With the help of the epic video and acclaim around the movie “Dangerous Minds”, this song effectively took over all the major airwaves and shot Coolio into an entirely new level of superstardom in 1995. And with good reason: this jam is intense, topical, and sports a distinctly dramatic atmosphere that is positively gripping. It stands as his greatest work, a profound piece of music that transcends hip-hop and helped cement his legacy as one of the greatest rappers of the 90s. He will be missed. R.I.P.
