Coolio recorded new music and dialogue for the Futurama reboot before his death
Coolio's character, Kwanzaabot, will make one more appearance as part of Hulu's Futurama revival next year
In addition to his considerable merits as a rapper, Coolio—who died yesterday, at the age of 59—was also a prolific actor, appearing, either in-character, or as himself, in more than 100 movies and TV shows across a long career. Now, we’re hearing that one of those roles is set to have one more posthumous outing, with series producer David X. Cohen confirming to TMZ today that Coolio had recorded new dialogue and music for the upcoming Futurama reboot.
Coolio appeared in three episodes of the original series (including the direct-to-DVD movie Bender’s Big Score) as Kwanzaabot, the robotic patron saint of the celebration of African-American culture in the show’s far-future world. It was, like many of the projects Coolio took on over the years, a role that blended his well-known sense of humor with his musical talents, rapping such memorable lines as “I’m fighting back for Kwanzaa so the children won’t miss it. I’m confused about its meaning, but I know it when they diss it.”
According to Cohen, Coolio returned to the studio just a few weeks ago to record more dialogue, as well as a new song, for the Futurama revival, which was originally announced (along with a healthy dose of drama about returning cast members) as a Hulu project earlier this year. Cohen also says that the episode in question will be dedicated to Coolio, saying, “Coolio was one of my favorite guests. He was always totally upbeat and genuinely enjoyed coming in to record as his character Kwanzaabot.”
Coolio died yesterday, of what’s been reported as a heart attack. The new episodes of Futurama, including the episode he’ll appear on, are slated to begin airing on Hulu some time next year.