Kenan Thompson's Response To Coolio's Death Is Sure To Stir Up Nostalgia
After TMZ reported Coolio's sudden death at age 59, tributes to the rapper poured in from the entertainment community. The Grammy-winning artist was remembered first and foremost for his hit songs, including "Gangsta's Paradise" and "Fantastic Voyage," the former of which was featured on the "Dangerous Minds" soundtrack. One of the stars of the movie, Michelle Pfeiffer, shared an Instagram tribute to the hip-hop icon that read, "I remember him being nothing but gracious. 30 years later I still get chills when I hear the song."
Fans also remembered Coolio for his pop culture contributions on television. On Twitter, there were a number of references to his work voicing the Kwanzaa-bot on "Futurama." Wrote one fan, "RIP to the greatest source of Kwanzaa info." Others fondly recalled Coolio's appearance on "Celebrity Big Brother" and his cameos on a number of popular '90s TV series, including "The Nanny," "Charmed," and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch."
But, for many of those who experienced an emotional wave of '90s nostalgia upon learning of Coolio's death, the memories that were foremost in their minds seemed to be hearing his voice on "Kenan & Kel" on a weekly basis. "Coolio rapping the Kenan & Kel theme song was part of the soundtrack to my childhood," tweeted one fan. "One of the few shows on Nickelodeon at that time (possibly the only one) that embraced hip-hop like this." One of the show's stars, Kenan Thompson, also had something to say about Coolio.
Coolio wanted a Kenan & Kel revival
"Everybody out there go run and tell / Your homeboys and home girls it's time for Kenan and Kel!" Coolio turned the "Aw, here it goes!" catchphrase of Kel Kimble (Kel Mitchell) into the infectious earworm that opened "Kenan & Kel," one of the Nickelodeon shows that helped make future "Saturday Night Live" star Kenan Thompson a household name. While it might seem like Thompson has been an "SNL" fixture forever, "Kenan & Kel" hadn't even premiered yet when Coolio performed "Gangsta's Paradise" on "SNL" in 1996.
Thompson reacted to the news of Coolio's death on his Instagram Story. "Wait, now Coolio!!!" he wrote. "Damn homie!!! Rest in Power!!!" In a 2016 Vibe interview, Thompson recalled that Coolio had previously appeared on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy "All That," suggesting that this is why the "Kenan & Kel" producers reached out to him about recording the theme song. "It was like Christmas Eve for us, hanging out at Universal Studios with Coolio. It was awesome," he said. Mitchell also recounted how Coolio used a radio interview to inform fans that they were recording the video for the song at Universal CityWalk. "That place was super packed. That was a huge moment," he stated.
Coolio was actually a big "Kenan & Kel" fan. In 2018, iRadio asked him if he would record a new theme song for a revival of the show. "Absolutely I would," he said. "What we need is a new Kenan and Kel."