According to producer David X. Cohen, Coolio was in the studio just weeks before his death, recording dialogue and a new song for the upcoming reboot of the animated series Futurama.
In the first season of Futurama, Coolio had a recurring role as the Kwanzaa-Bot, portraying a distressed Santa Claus robot and Hanukkah zombie. “Futurama” producer Cohen remembers the rapper as a very happy person. He told TMZ: “Coolio was one of my favorite guests. He was always in a good mood and really enjoyed acting as his character, Kwanzaa-Bot.”
“We give him the best farewell we can”
He also said there will be an episode dedicated to the rapper and he’ll be rapping in the credits to give him “the best send-off we can.” Furthermore, Coolio is said to have told him in a conversation that he had discovered a new hobby for himself: sewing.
Futurama will premiere in 2023. Also returning is the original voice of John DiMaggio, who previously retired for “self-respect” reasons. The titles for the individual episodes are already in place.
Coolio rose to fame as a “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper in the ’90s. He died of cardiac arrest on September 28, 2022 at the age of 59.
Here’s a teaser of the Kwanzaa bot in memory of Coolio: