Walking into Transit Bar the feeling of old school hip-hop radiated in the speakers. Everyone was bobbing their heads to the throbbing bass with drinks flowing, anticipating the arrival of Artis Leon Ivey Jr. better known as Coolio to grace us with his hip-hop presence.

Jimmy, a local rapper, got the crowd pumped up. As more of the crowd squeezed into Transit it became apparent that this rapper had a following. Looking around, there wasn’t a specific age group here – it was a mix, and many weren’t just there to listen to the music. Talking to people about Coolio, most had a genuine fascination as to what he has become since peaking in the 90s.

As the DJ spun music of old classic Hip-Hop the excitement in the room built up until Jimmy jumped up on stage and announced that Coolio was in building. After a few hiccups Jerez (Coolio’s cousin) climbed the stage with his swinging saxophone, closely followed by Coolio himself… and all all of sudden we were back in 90s!

With his swagger and Crystal Skull, Coolio sung his heart out to the crowd and they loved every minute of it. This man entertained the crowd and consistently had us laughing with his stories.

At the start he rapped the music that had made him famous (ignoring Gangsta’s Paradise) and dedicated C U When You Get There to the late Whitney Houston, 2PAC and the man with the one glove, Michael Jackson. His next set consisted of his new stuff, which had a good sound but as the anticipation for his most famous song built, the crowd finally got what they wanted as the first notes of the mega-hit filled the air. As Gangsta’s played and everyone sang, it felt like the crowd turned into a single choir, all joining in at the top their lungs. Sweat was pouring down Coolio’s face but he continued to sing his heart out until only after the final notes were played, did we finally see him relax.

My thoughts on Coolio before his gig was that he was a spent force rather than an entertaining one, but boy, was I wrong! His love for entertaining and singing really showed. The man doesn’t just play the music to make money – he does it because he loves it. If you’re doing something you love, shouldn’t you keep on doing it, no matter how old you are?

The Transit crowd would definitely say yes!