Legendary rapper Coolio died suddenly on September 28, 2022. He was just 59 years old.
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So suddenly, in fact, that the artist was still mid-way through projects when he passed away, recording new music and voice-over work for the cartoon television show, Futurama.
The artist recorded a cameo for a character known as Kwanzaa-bot just weeks before he died. The cartoon is set for a revival on the streaming platform Hulu in the near future.
The show’s executive producer David X. Cohen told TMZ that the “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper reprised his role as Kwanzaa-bot for the show’s revival, recording both new voice-over work and music as the humorous character.
Kwanzaa-bot was the counterpart to the show’s Robot Santa and the Chanukah Zombie. In the series, every year, the character flies around the world handing out a book called, What the Hell is Kwanzaa [sic]?
Coolio originally appeared as the character in an episode from Season 4 called “A Tale of Two Santas,” and again later in Season 7 during an episode called “The Futurama Holiday Spectacular.”
Coolio also made a cameo in the film adaptation, Bender’s Big Score.
Said Cohen of the rapper’s presence on the show, “Coolio was one of my favorite guests. He was always totally upbeat and genuinely enjoyed coming in to record as his character Kwanzaa-bot.”
Cohen added that the episode that featured the “Fantastic Voyage” emcee will be dedicated to him.
The Futurama revival was ordered for Hulu in February. The streaming service gave the series a 20-episode order. The original cast of the series is set to return.
As previously reported, Coolio was reported found at a friend’s home in Los Ageless on September 28. First responders attempted to revive him but he was later pronounced dead.
