Coolio posthumous album ‘Long Live Coolio’  to be released later this year

After his tragic passing, it has been revealed that the legend of Coolio will continue through his music.

On September 28th of last year, the hip-hop world stood stunned as the sudden passing of the famed California rapper Coolio was announced. At just the age of 59, due to suspected cardiac arrest, one of the industry’s most influential artists of the past 30 years was gone. However, while he is no longer with us on this earth, it has just been announced that his legacy will continue through his music in the form of an upcoming posthumous album.

According to the rapper’s estate, ‘Long Live Coolio’ will feature songs he was working on the days before his death. While there is no release date currently for the project, the rollout has already begun as the first single, “TAG ‘You It’,” with Too $hort and DJ Wino, dropped this past Friday along with a music video that features Coolio before his passing. It’s uncertain how many songs Coolio had completed or almost finished before his death that will make it on this album.

Coolio was best known for his 1995 hit single, “Gangsta’s Paradise.” The song earned a No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and has over a billion views on YouTube. The track won him a Billboard Music Award for single of the year and a Grammy for best rap solo performance. The song would also gain notoriety when it was featured in the 1995 film, ‘Dangerous Minds,’ starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
During his career, he sold 4.8 million albums, gained 978 million streams, and was ultimately nominated for six Grammys overall. Coolio also had successful songs such as “Fantastic Voyage,” “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New) and “C U When U Get There.”

Watch Coolio’s new track “TAG ‘You It'” with Too $hort and DJ Wino below.

Image Credit: Flickr/ Timothy Krause