The death of Coolio was sudden and unexpected. Losing him at only 59 years old shocked those that listened to him throughout the 90’s. His rise to fame was successful and he became a figure outside of his albums and music videos. Throughout the mid ’90s and early 2000’s, Coolio could be seen in a number of different films and television shows; we’re talking everything from “Leprechaun in the Hood” to “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” He was also the voice of Kwanzaabot in “Futurama” and at the very least, we haven’t heard the last of him in that capacity, even in his passing.
We reported earlier this year that the animated sci-fi comedic romp, “Futurama” would be getting picked up again by Hulu. Previously the show originated on Fox in 1999 and got cancelled by the network in 2003. Then it was picked up years later by Comedy Central in 2008 only to be cancelled again in 2013. Flash-forward nine years later and Hulu wants to pick things up again with the cast reprising their roles. Given the number of eccentric characters Futurama has, along with the propensity to revisit them from time to time, it’s not exactly a surprise that the revival would bring back a random character like Kwanzaabot.
According to series producer, David X. Cohen they had already brought Coolio into the studio to record his lines for an upcoming episode. It seems he recorded a bit more than just some dialogue though as Cohen also stated that Coolio will also be heard rapping over the end credits to the episode he’s featured in. Fittingly, the episode will also be dedicated to his memory. Prior to this, Coolio had appeared in two “Futurama” episodes, “A Tale of Two Santas” and “The Futurama Holiday Special.” He also reprised his role for the direct to video movie, “Futurama: Bender’s Big Score.”
Admittedly, Kwanzaabot wasn’t the biggest recurring role in the show, but the fact that Coolio came in to reprise it on multiple occasions is legitimately cool. In his passing, a lot of people have shared stories about how wonderful he was, from the aforementioned David X. Cohen to Frank Conniff who wrote for “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” Even “Weird” Al Yankovic shared a picture on Twitter of the two of them hugging. Considering the infamous “feud” the two went through in the mid ’90s, it goes to show that bygones were bygones, and Coolio was legitimately as cool as the name suggests.
The “Futurama” revival will likely be premiering in 2023. A 20-episode order has bene placed and we look forward to hearing Coolio again trying to tell us what Kwanzaa is, even if it’s for just one more time.
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