What Happened To Coolio And His Reggae Career? Artis Leon Ivey Jr, professionally known as Coolio, is an American singer, rapper, record producer, and actor. He was born in Compton, California on August 1st, 1963. Growing up, Coolio was a little intelligent child with asthma that loved books, and his reading habits were encouraged by his mother, who used to read to him and encourage him to frequent the library. Coolio was so smart, skipping the sixth grade wasn’t a big deal. Coolio was so pleased with his intelligence, but due to his small stature and age, he was getting bullied by schoolmates.