He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the course of hip hop by bringing it to a wider audience.

[7][8][1] His mother was a factory worker who divorced his father, who was a carpenter, and they moved to Compton, California when Ivey was eight years old.

[6][9] Coolio attended Compton Community College then worked in a volunteer fire department and security at Los Angeles International Airport, before becoming a rapper.

He is a credited co-contributor on the group's debut album Ain't a Damn Thang Changed, including on the single "Dress Code".

[15] The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to the often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.

The album Gangsta's Paradise was released in 1995 and was certified two-times Platinum by the RIAA, selling more than two million copies in the US alone.

[19] Despite no longer being an official member of the group, Coolio appears on the second WC and the Maad Circle album Curb Servin' on the song "In a Twist".

He is also featured on the song "Hit 'em High" from the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam with B-Real, Method Man, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes.

[22] In 1996, Coolio appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD America Is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan, and Fat Joe, among many other prominent hip-hop artists.

[25] While touring with hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse, Coolio received a tattoo as a homage to the group's fanbase, reading "Jugalo Cool" [sic].

[30][31] In the television series Futurama, Coolio voiced Kwanzaa-bot, a rapping robot who spreads awareness about Kwanzaa.

He later went to appear on the UK's Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, where he decided it was best to leave the house after numerous confrontations with Nadia Almada and others there.

[34] On June 30, 2013, he appeared alongside comedian Jenny Eclair and Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden on the UK game show Tipping Point: Lucky Stars, where he came in second.

Coolio guest starred on a 2014 episode of the Adult Swim show Black Jesus titled "Gangsta's Paradise".

[45][46] In 1998, a court in Böblingen, near Stuttgart, sentenced Ivey to six months probation and fined him $17,000 after convicting him of being an accessory to robbery and causing bodily injury after Ivey and his band members allegedly attempted shoplifting clothing worth $940 and then punched the store owner when he was caught.

[47][48] In 2016, Ivey and members of his crew were arrested for having a loaded firearm inside a bag at Los Angeles International Airport.

One of his bodyguards claimed ownership of the bag, but Ivey later admitted that he was the owner and was subsequently sentenced to three years of probation and 45 days of community service.

[49][50][51] In 2017, Ivey missed a performance after he was denied entry into Singapore upon landing at Changi International Airport.

[52] In 2020, just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ivey was working on a new chapter of his life, creating a big budget Las Vegas show entitled 'The Evolution of Hip-Hop'.

[53] On September 28, 2022, Ivey was discovered unresponsive on the bathroom floor at a friend's house in Los Angeles, and was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.

[8][6] The Los Angeles County Coroner's office announced that Ivey died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine, with cardiomyopathy, chronic asthma, and cigarette smoking having played a role in his death.

[54][55][56] He was cremated in a private ceremony, with a portion of his ashes encased in jewelry for his family and the rest put into an urn.