Coolio is coming!

Oh, yeah, the man responsible for the 90s mega-hit Gangsta’s Paradise is playing at Transit Bar in a night sure to be filled with soulful sounds and fat beats. We’re talking about a hip-hop party like Canberra has never seen, with one of the highest-selling artists of the genre’s golden era leading the way all night.

To get you ready for what will be a show to remember, here are some sides of Coolio you might not know.

It’s all in a name
‘Coolio’ is a great moniker for a rapper, but its origins are a little less hip-hop. The young Artis Leon Ivey, Jr (as he was originally known) entered himself in a singing contest at the age of 16 under the name ‘Coolio Iglesius’.

Fortunately, only the first half stuck.

Dark Days
Coolio had an interesting ride on the way to bursting to the top of the charts in 1995. When he was 17, he was in jail for a few months following being charged with theft. During the 80s, he managed to find the straight-and-narrow by pursuing a career as a fireman in the forests of California.

It wasn’t to last, though. Not long after that, he began a music career and then spiralled down into the depths of a crack-cocaine addiction. The drug still haunts him (as it does many) and in 2009 he was arrested at LAX Airport trying to sneak crack through security screening and was subsequently charged with possession.

Incredible Hair
Hip-hop fans spent a lot of the mid-90’s wondering what crazy ‘do Coolio would next present to the world. Curling and swirling, his infamous locks even led to Coolio creating his own caps with cut-outs for his bullet-proof braids to peak through.

Coolio’s hair reached such notorious heights that even Weird Al Yankovic referenced it on the cover of his 1996 album Bad Hair Day, featuring Amish Paradise, a parody of the Coolio hit.

Mad skills.
Coolio isn’t just a rapper with 18 million albums sales around the world. The man can also cook! His online cooking show, Cooking with Coolio (obviously) was an online sensation. With episodes including Spinach Even Your Kids Will Eat and Swashbucklin’ Shrimp it shows a side of Coolio few ever expected to see.

Oh, and you can also buy his cookbook here.

Film & Television
Damn! He’s done a LOT of work in front of the camera. Sadly, very little of it is worth seeking out. The lone highlight appears to be voicing a character in an episode of Futurama, while the considerable ‘bombs’ extend all the way down to the shady depths of Celebrity Wife Swap.

Fortunately the man can DJ, so look forward to Coolio bringing the party to Transit Bar on Monday 4 August.

Click here for tickets and details.