Coolio is Dead. Gangsta’s Paradise: A Song That Defined a Generation.
So I just woke up this morning and learned about the passing of Coolio, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., a rapper known for the Grammy-Winning song ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ in 1995.
Right now you will be reading that story everywhere as now it is all over the news and on YouTube.
Immediately I got some memories popping from left to right in my head and got transported again to 1995 when I was just a little punk and thought the world was mine.
I was working at a “famous burger joint” flipping burgers for $6.00 CAD per hour, sweating like a pig on the grill and serving that very same food to customers. Yup, I told that story many times to my friends and my parents, and they still have a hard time processing that one!
“Napster” didn’t even exist back then!
When it was time for my break, every time the song was playing on the radio in the lunch room. There were no iPhone, iPod, iSomething or streaming apps. Heck, Napster wasn’t even created yet! This is how old I am. Ah!
The song was playing non-stop, I mean, you could not go with your day without hearing it on the radio, at the mail or at the grocery.
So back to our main story.
We also need to talk about the movie that also defined a general in the ’90s that stared the, back then, sex symbol Michelle Pfeiffer and the beautiful young buck Wade Dominguez (unfortunately passed at the age of 22 in 1998)
Dangerous Minds
Dangerous Mind is an indie movie about Michelle Pfeiffer. It is not your regular woman-next-door. She is a highly professional psychologist but has this million dollar charm that makes her appealing to the audience in a different way.
Now, I’m aware this might not be politically correct to say in 2022 I.E: Sex Symbol, Young Buck, Hot, Sexy…(nothing is anymore anyway) but I’m referring to my childhood when we didn’t have to watch every word that we had to say and get lapidated in front of a church for it.
Back to it again.
Ah, Michelle. How many times have I watched your posters up on the wall, how many times have I watched that movie and wish I was “Emilio” (Wade Dominguez)
Note that way back then, I was a skinny poppy and wearing gel in my hair was a luxe too expensive for me to buy, so no chance for me to remotely look like Emilio and impress any girls, let alone, an older woman like Michelle!
Anywho,
So here I am, in 2022, wondering where the time has gone writing something about a song and a movie that has been a pivot in my life. I can still remember the smell in the break room when I was listening to that song over and over day after day.
This is my first post of many I will write about my thoughts, news, life, experiences and mostly, stupid things in life that nobody dares to talk about. Please read my About Page to understand a bit more about myself.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Have you ever watched the movie? Bought Michelle’s or Wade’s poster? Listened to the music non-stop? Please comment below! Let’s feel old together!
Yours truly.
