Rapper turned reality TV star Coolio has been charged with possession of crack cocaine and battery following his arrest at Los Angeles International Airport last week. Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, was detained on Friday 6 March after a crack pipe was reportedly found in his luggage. The rapper earned an additional charge of battery after allegedly grabbing a security officer's arm while his luggage was being searched.
Coolio achieved international fame with his 1995 hit Gangsta's Paradise, which appeared in the film Dangerous Minds and sampled the Stevie Wonder song Pastime Paradise. The song won a Grammy award for best rap solo performance but its success was never replicated by the Californian rapper.
The 45-year-old has recently returned to the limelight with his online TV show Cookin' with Coolio. The rapper's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK in January made headlines, thanks to his negative attitude to women and soundbites such as "English women get drunk to meet strangers". Coolio also admitted to his fellow Celebrity Big Brother housemates that he had a history of drug use.
If found guilty, he faces up to three years in prison. He is scheduled to appear in court on 3 April 2009.
