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Coolio

Highest Rated: 100% Futurama: Bender's Big Score (2007)

Lowest Rated: 8% An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn (1997)

Birthday: Aug 1, 1963

Birthplace: Compton, California, USA

Even though his greatest hit had the word "gangsta" in the title, Coolio wasn't really a gangsta rapper. Instead he was the accessible face of West Coast rap, a street-tough yet positive personality with a sense of humor and a social conscience, and a reassuring figure in the era of N.W.A. and 2 Live Crew. Like N.W.A., Coolio (born Artis Leon Ivey, Jr, and taking his name from a spin on Julio Iglesias) came straight outta Compton. He attended college and worked as a security guard, and did fall briefly into the gang lifestyle as a teen: He ran with the Crips but never became a member; he was briefly addicted to crack and served jail time for cashing a stolen money order. After the regional success of his first single "Watcha Gonna Do" he entered rehab and stayed straight thereafter, but his second single "You're Gonna Miss Me" didn't catch on. His debut album for Tommy Boy, It Takes a Thief was his breakthrough, drawing lyrically from the shadier parts of his past in a humorous, generally nonviolent way. The single "Fantastic Voyage," based on the Lakeside hit of the same name, was a smash, hitting Number Three in the Billboard hot 100. And it didn't hurt that the tune had a clever beach-party-themed video while MTV was still friendly to rap. The next single "Gangsta's Paradise" again threw a socially aware spin on gangsta themes, and again drew from a familiar song (in this case, Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise"). It was an even bigger hit, making Number One, and earning the honor of a Weird Al Yankovic parody ("Amish Paradise"). During 1995-96 Coolio was everywhere, scoring two soundtrack hits ("It's All the Way I Live (Now)" from "Eddie" (1995) and "Hit 'em High" from "Space Jam" (1996)) and collaborating with everyone from his former group WC and the Maad Circle to old-school funkers Kool & the Gang (whose singer JT Taylor sang on the Coolio hit "Too Hot"). He even did a theme for the hit series "Kenan & Kel" (Nickelodeon (1996-2000). This however was the peak of Coolio's fame. His third album My Soul yielded another hit with "CU When I Get There" (also based on an earlier hit-in this case a much earlier one, Pachelbel's "Canon in D"), but sales dropped off after that. 2006's Return of the Gangsta was only a modest hit despite a Snoop Dogg guest shot, and he stopped releasing albums after 2009's unsuccessful From the Bottom 2 the Top. He did however become a fixture on TV playing on his '90s celebrity, appearing on "Celebrity Wife Swap" (ABC 2012-15) and "Celebrity Cook-Off" (Food 2012-14). Coolio briefly made headlines after an arrest in September 2016: While travelling to Dallas to guest at a Vanilla Ice show, he was arrested at LAX for possessing a stolen gun, which was found when his carry-on bag was screened. Though he faced a three-year sentence, he got off with probation and community service. Coolio died on September 28, 2022 at the age of 59.

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Highest rated movies

100% 80% Futurama: Bender's Big Score
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71% 95% Bobcat Moretti
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43% 51% Get Over It
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40% 14% Judgment Day
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33% 31% Leprechaun in the Hood
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14% 31% Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th
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11% 51% Perfume
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8% 15% An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn
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Sides
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Grad Night
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
71% 95% Bobcat Moretti Self - 2022
No Score Yet 57% Two Hundred Thousand Dirty Manny (Character) - 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet Chinaman's Chance Roger (Character) - 2008
100% 80% Futurama: Bender's Big Score Kwanzabot (Voice) - 2007
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sides Unknown (Character) - 2007
No Score Yet 26% Three Days to Vegas Unknown (Character) - 2007
No Score Yet No Score Yet Grad Night Michael Adkins (Character) - 2006
No Score Yet No Score Yet Love Hollywood Style Unknown (Character) - 2006
No Score Yet 27% Pterodactyl Capt. Bergen (Character) - 2005
No Score Yet 77% A Wonderful Night in Split Franky (Character) - 2004
No Score Yet 15% Dracula 3000 187 (Character) - 2004
No Score Yet 43% Gang Warz Dunzio Day (Character) - 2004
No Score Yet 26% Stealing Candy Brad Vorman (Character) - 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet Exposed Big Heat (Character) - 2003
No Score Yet 19% Red Water Ice (Character) - 2003
No Score Yet 100% The Beat Emcee (Character) - 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet Tapped Out Cool (Character) - 2003
No Score Yet 43% Code Hunter Outlaw (Character) - 2002
No Score Yet 71% Gang Tapes Original Music - 2001
11% 51% Perfume T (Character) - 2001
43% 51% Get Over It Self $11.6M 2001
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gangland Unknown (Character) - 2001
No Score Yet No Score Yet Submerged Jeff Cort (Character) - 2000
No Score Yet 30% China Strike Force Coolio (Character) - 2000
No Score Yet 63% The Convent Officer Starkey (Character) - 2000
14% 31% Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th Principal Interest (The Administrator-Formerely-Known-As-Principal) (Character) - 2000
33% 31% Leprechaun in the Hood Self - 2000
No Score Yet 17% Submerged Unknown (Character) - 2000
No Score Yet 40% Dope Case Pending Unknown (Character) - 2000
40% 14% Judgment Day Luther / 'Lucifer' (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bad Trip Unknown (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet On the Line Lt. Gil Suggs (Character) - 1998
8% 15% An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn Dion Brothers (Character) $43.9K 1997
No Score Yet 45% Phat Beach Self $1.3M 1996

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Love Goals Self 2020
No Score Yet No Score Yet Teachers Unknown (Guest Star) 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Celebrity Food Fight Contestant 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Greatest Hits Music Performer 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Recipe for Deception Contestant 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Celebrity Wife Swap Unknown (Guest Star) 2013
100% 97% Gravity Falls Unknown (Voice) 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off Contestant 2012
86% 89% Futurama Kwanzaa-bot (Guest Voice) 2001 2007 2010
No Score Yet No Score Yet Coolio's Rules Self 2008
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Wendy Williams Show Guest 2008
57% No Score Yet Robbery Homicide Division Unknown (Guest Star) 2002
No Score Yet 87% Static Shock Unknown (Guest Voice) 2002
No Score Yet 90% Charmed Unknown (Guest Star) 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet 18 Wheels of Justice Unknown (Guest Star) 2000
No Score Yet No Score Yet Malcolm & Eddie Unknown (Guest Star) 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Early Edition Unknown (Guest Star) 1999
No Score Yet 73% The Nanny Unknown (Guest Star) 1998
60% No Score Yet Muppets Tonight Guest 1997
No Score Yet 67% Sabrina, the Teenage Witch Unknown (Guest Star) 1996
53% No Score Yet Dangerous Minds Unknown (Guest Star) 1996
70% 92% Space: Above and Beyond Unknown (Guest Star) 1996
No Score Yet 57% Saturday Night Live Music Performer 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Parent 'Hood Unknown (Guest Star) 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Watcher Unknown (Guest Star) 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet All That Music Performer 1995