Coolio already had a hip-hop party song ready to go when he was asked to contribute a song to the teen comedy Clueless in 1995. “Rolling with My Homies” actually featured the original lyrics to ...

American rapper Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey Jr.) arrives at Spike TV’s Guys Choice Awards 2015 held at Sony Pictures Studios on June 6, 2015 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo ...

*(CNN) — Before his biggest hit happened in 1995, Coolio wasn’t even aware of the song that gave it its hook. “Gangsta’s Paradise” sampled the Stevie Wonder 1976 single, “Pastime Paradise.” The rapper ...

As the beat and lyrics of the 1995 hit song “Gangsta’s Paradise” came together, Coolio knew he had struck gold. The unlikely meshing of gospel and rap, spine-chilling lyrics and clever sampling of ...