Los Angeles, CA— Multi-platinum artist and Grammy Award winner Coolio plans to release a new studio album titled ‘EL Cool Magnifico’ on October 15th through D3 Entertainment. A party anthem in the classic Coolio tradition, ‘Shake It Up’ finds the legendary rapper in a fun and lighthearted mood. The video features Coolio and company amid the backdrop of a colorful poolside party scene.
Having taken some time away from recording, Coolio found himself exceptionally busy. He performed at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City for the athletes, VIPs and officials the night before Opening Ceremonies and on an USO Tour for the troops in Korea and Europe over the Holidays. He participated on NBC’s Celebrity Fear Factor and walked away champion earning $50,000 for his charity. He also appeared on The Weakest Link, guest starred on WB’s Charmed, HBO’s Arliss and was featured on MTV’s reality special Flipped. Coolio also successfully transitioned to the big screen and secured roles in, to name a few, ‘Batman & Robin,’ ‘Judgement Day,’ ‘Dear God’ and most recently the much anticipated ‘Daredevil’ with Ben Affleck, Jon Favreau, and Jennifer Garner.
During this time, Coolio worked in the studio and gave himself the time he wanted to release a quality album. ‘El Cool Magnifico’ is destined for the platinum success Coolio has come to know, he says "I ended up doing so many songs that I had a lot of stuff to pick from. I've basically got an album full of singles."
Coolio’s debut album, ‘It Takes a Thief,’ was released in 1994 and became an instant hit, going platinum on the strength of the number 3 single ‘Fantastic Voyage.’ His 1995 follow-up, ‘Gangsta's Paradise,’ whose title track was the biggest rap single of the year, solidified Coolio's status as one of the biggest stars of the '90s and earned him triple platinum success as well as a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance that same year. Coolio accomplishments are numerous: an American Music Award, 3 MTV Awards, 3 MTV Video Awards, 2 Billboard Music Awards, 2 ASCAP Awards, 2 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, 4 America Online Awards and an impressive 6 Grammy nominations.
When asked about the origin of ‘El Cool Magnifico’ he said, “If I say something that I believe in and people don't like it, I'm not going to apologize because I'm entitled to have an opinion. That's why I created an alter ego. Coolio is perceived as being so cool, there are some things Coolio can't do and when I want to do something that's not politically correct, I'm not Coolio, I'm El Cool Magnifico… but I'll apologize for him.”
courtesy of d3entertainment.com
