Is Coolio A Juggalo?

Coolio first scored mainstream fame in the '90s with a brand of hip hop that was rooted in California gangster rap, but still appealed to a wider audience. Bridging these gaps has always been Coolio's specialty. Though he first got his start in the gangster rap scene of L.A. in the '80s, he first made his impact as a solo artist.

The first official Coolio album, 1994's It Takes a Thief, gave him his first hit, "Fantastic Voyage." The single took some of the funk influence of gangster rap, but softened some of the edges for a broad audience.

Then, just a year later, Coolio recorded a new song for the movie Dangerous Minds, a pure slab of mid-'90s gangster rap called, appropriately, "Gangsta's Paradise." It was a monster radio hit and would live on as his lasting mainstream music legacy.

In recent years, though, Coolio has endeared himself to a new subculture: juggalos, a fandom centered around the hardcore underground rap group Insane Clown Posse.

Though ICP and the artists on the group's own record label, Psychopathic Records, are juggalos' favorite artists, they also appreciate a wide swath of music that includes many genres of rap and hard rock. So it's no surprise that there's a link between Coolio, despite his gangster rap origin, and juggalos today.

The evolution first started in the late '90s, when Coolio had a hard time, as most artists would, following the success of such a big hit as "Gangsta's Paradise." The sound of gangster rap was changing, and he turned to other forms of entertainment, like movies and TV. But Coolio never abandoned gangster rap or music in general, and continued to record new albums and tour.

His first exposure to juggalos and their subculture came in 2010, when he hit the road on a national tour with Insane Clown Posse. Though much of the larger gangster rap world had moved on from Coolio, he found in the juggalos a welcoming fan community that was open to his new material as well as his old hits.

He also expressed in interviews an appreciation for the juggalos' anything-goes party attitude, and he forged a lasting friendship with the guys of Insane Clown Posse themselves.

To show his appreciation for the juggalos, last year Coolio decided to get a tattoo commemorating the tour and his new fans. The design featured ICPs hatchet man and the words "Jugalo Cool," which he said, for whatever reason, was an intentional misspelling.

Juggalos loved it, though, and further embraced him, and his position in the juggalo family was only extended by an appearance at the Gathering of the Juggalos.

Coolio will appear again at the 2011 Gathering of the Juggalos, which takes place this year from August 11 to 14. The lineup features several gangster rap artists similar to Coolio, like Ice Cube and Busta Rhymes, as well as rock bands, comedians, wrestlers, and more. There's still time to get tickets, so visit Gathering web site for full details.

By: Harmony Singer

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The Gathering of the Juggalos is an essential summer camping experience for fans of hardcore underground rap and rock, as well as comedy and pro wrestling. At four days and less than $200 a ticket, it's also one of the most affordable summer camping festivals this year. So if you are a fan of gangster rap music, visit the Gathering website for full details at juggalogathering.com.