Coolio’s unexpected death shocked the world of hip-hop last year. His early demise was a surprise to many and unprecedented, to say the least.
The ‘Gangster’s Paradise’ emcee achieved a lot during his career. However, one of the more exciting partnerships the rhymer (real name Artis Ivey Jr) entered was with the cartoon series Futurama.
At the turn of the millennium, Ivey accepted the offer of voicing the character Kwanzaa-Bot, who first entered the Futurama universe in 2001. The figure was a reappearing figure and highlighted the annual celebration African-American celebration of Kwanzaa.
Ivey usually voiced a rap of some kind, and before he died in 2022, the artist recorded some dialogue that has only recently been aired to fans of Futurama and Coolio himself.
The latest episode of Futurama, which is in its eleventh season, saw Kwanzzaa-Bot make his final appearance, during which he delivered a fresh rap about the holiday season, Futurama style.
The lyrics detailed the character’s “Futurama Xmas list for 3023″ and everything the robot wanted for the holidays, including “12 Slurms a-slurping/ 11 Benders burping/ 10 episodes dropping/ Nine Scruffys mopping.”
As the lyrics concluded, Kwanzaa-Bot rode off into the sunset, and the text “In memory of Coolio” appeared on the screen in tribute to Ivey. Coolio was a big part of Futurama, and following his death, the cartoon’s producer, David Cohen, released a statement reading, “Coolio was one of my favourite guests. He was always totally upbeat and genuinely enjoyed coming in to record as his character Kwanzaa-bot.” Cohen added that the show wanted to give Coolio “the best send-off we can.
