Posthumous Coolio album announced, first single featuring Too $hort and DJ Wino released

The first posthumous Coolio album ‘Long Live Coolio’ is set to be released later this year, with the first single ‘TAG, You It’ arriving ahead of the record.

The record will feature material the rapper was working on before his passing in September last year at age 59. Meanwhile, the album’s first single ‘TAG, You IT’ featuring Too $hort and DJ Wino is out now, alongside its music video.

The video, which was filmed before Coolio’s passing, sees the late rapper and Too $hort making at appearance at a boxing ring to watch a group of women tackling each other to the mat.

The ‘Gangster’s Paradise’ rapper, real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr, passed away on September 28 last year. His cause of death was never officially disclosed, though his manager told TMZ that medical services at the scene said Coolio died of cardiac arrest.

Following his passing, Coolio’s ‘Gangster’s Paradise’ re-entered Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and Hot Rap Songs chart, while also making a comeback in countries like Greece, Belgium and the UK among others. It was the first time the track had re-entered the charts since 1996.

Alongside ‘Gangster’s Paradise’, the rest of Coolio’s catalogue also saw an uptick on streaming services, with Billboard reporting a rise of 264.3 per cent overall in the two weeks following his passing.

Futurama producer David X. Cohen has also revealed that Coolio will feature posthumously in the show’s upcoming return. Prior to his death, the rapper recorded lines for his character, Kwanzaa-bot, as well as a freestyle rap.

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Scott Ng

NME