Friday 7 January 2022

Gotta go, Coolio, meanin' it's gettin' Too Hot

Life's a biiiaaatch the way Coolio is remembered as a one hit wonder, especially when the one hit he's remembered for is #actually his third best hit. Get a calculator, do the math: Gangsta's Paradise gets in where it fits in at number three behind Fantastic Voyage and Coolio's hit single ne plus ultra Too Hot. Only a G-Funk backdrop and a J.T Taylor chorus could turn the topic of STD's into a Pop-Rap classic. Before Too $hort told the turf to Burn Rubber, Coolio implored the lads to wear one.

Coolio ft. J.T Taylor - Too Hot
(From Gangsta's Paradise album; 1995)



Gangsta's Paradise woulda been relegated to Coolio's fourth best hit if Tommy Boy had dropped the extended version of Aw Here It Goes as a single. It's a Hardy Boy mystery why the label never released that shit on 12", and a Nancy Drew mystery why it only exists on the European CD of Coolio's greatest hits.

Coolio - Aw Here It Goes (Kenan & Kel extended Theme)
(From TV show; 1996/Fantastic Voyage: The Greatest Hits album; 2001)



Any good late-career Coolio singles I should know about? If so, hold my hand and take me to the promised land.

19 comments:

Ben said...

Coolios first two albums were actually pretty good, they were like a more palatable for white America version of west coast gangsta rap/Bay Area mob music of the era. Also it’s totally unrelated but that new A-Wax I really wanted to like but besides a couple of songs it’s more ATL lite emo he’s been doing this past few years.

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

A-Wax is pretty much done to me now.

Spartan said...

Quite liked Mama, I'm in Love wit a Gangsta back in the day, but Coolio will always get respect for surviving Tina Malone.

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

When he said Tina looked like "a bowling ball with legs" 😄

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

Unofficial #CoolioHive meeting up in here.

Anonymous said...

I'll see you when you get there.

Fred said...

Typical exemple of a rapper who mainstream folk think he's a one hit wonder whereas he has a bunch of crucial hits and deeps cuts, ala Luniz or Sir Mix A Lot just to only name those.

Gonna contribute with these:

https://youtu.be/42yGD4QWivo
https://youtu.be/42yGD4QWivo

They're back to back on the album just to make things even more smooth.

And the runner up: https://youtu.be/Ah6B7N1ONxg
Not one of his songs but a great one, also just found out that it has a music video.

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

You posted A Thing Goin' On twice.

Exercise Yo Game is my deep cut of choice from the 2nd album. Incidentally, it's also the B-side to Too Hot.

That Dazzie Dee song is the shit. Never heard that before.

Step One said...

Picked up Takes A Thief in a charity shop recently. Had it on tape back in the day and it has some certy jams on there.

step one said...

+ kind of mad that Coolio raps on one of the best tracks (or certainly one of the less #problematic ones) on Death Certificate too innit

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

Lol true.

Yohan said...

Taking meticulous notes as I'm totally not up on Coolio.

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

First 2 albums are worth checking.

Fred said...

File it under late nite posting when the baby sleeps, I meant to post Is This Me alongside A Thing Going' On.

The Dazzie Dee album is dollar-bin G-Funk perfected, got it for not more than 5 euros at a local record shop and the whole thing rules. Half of the tracks are produced by Battlecat, there's Dolemite on one song, while the closing track has both King Tee, Mixmaster Spade and CPT's legend Toddy Tee on it.

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

I'm gonna check it.

Andrew Barber said...

The "Too Hot" video/song has always been so damn wild to me.

People turning into marbles, Coolio turning into a drugstore halloween costume demon

the melodic ad-libs at the end of the song "this message comes from coolio"

10/10

Sidebar: "Gangstas Paradise" isn't even the best song from the Dangerous Minds soundtrack. That honor would go to the Mr. Dalvin solo song or the Devante solo song.

Plus the video has hilarious pre-fame cameos from Timbaland, Magoo, Static and Ginuwine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bbOi3EKo7Q

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

Always loved the puddle reflection shots in that.

turd butt said...

this been on rotation since elementary school

the glass cutter like butter line, ooh that's smooth

https://youtu.be/ZpUDSDdg6ro

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

Poetry.