When Coolio first heard the demo that became Gangsta's Paradise, he had the same reaction as the rest of us. "I was like, 'Damn, I really like this song.'" The Pennsylvania-born, Compton-raised rapper ...

This story is part of our new Hip-Hop: ’73 Till Infinity series, a celebration of the genre’s 50th anniversary.With the unfortunate death of beloved rapper Coolio, hip-hop lovers have been mourning ...

If a rapper were only to be known for one song, it’s hard to beat “Gangsta’s Paradise.” Coolio’s signature No. 1 smash in 1995 was voted the best single of the year in the Village Voice’s “Pazz & Jop” ...

CARS's new album is an autobiographical journey told through a fusion of pop, hip-hop, trap, classical, and even flute-driven ...

For fans and critics who intellectualize it, gangsta rap, or “reality rap,” is serious business. For them, the defining genre of West Coast hip-hop represents true stories from the ’hood as told by ...

Artis Leon Ivey Jr., better known as Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor and producer Coolio, may have been born in Pennsylvania, but throughout his career, he always claimed Compton as his home turf.

On September 13, 1996, Tupac Shakur was shot and killed. 21 years since his murder, the legend of 2Pac is still alive and well, most recently in the Benny Boom-directed biopic All Eyez on Me that ...