Coolio’s return is cold as ice

El Cool Magnifico

Coolio

D3 Entertainment

Almost erased…

El Cool Magnifico

Coolio

D3 Entertainment

Almost erased from our memories and resting in the back of our busy college minds is the dreadlocked Coolio, master of “Gangsta’s Paradise.”

Well dust off that hidden memory of Coolio because he’s set to make a comeback. The question is: Does anyone want him to make a comeback? With his new release, his first since the 1995 release of Gangsta’s Paradise, Coolio takes on a new personality as El Cool Magnifico strolls into record stores tomorrow.

With an experimental approach toward new beats and creative ways of presenting his music, Coolio spends the majority of El Cool singing about women. With tracks such as “I Like Girls” and “Would You Still Be Mine,” Coolio uses the old technique of repeating a simple chorus over and over so that it sticks in the listener’s head. In the case of the two previously mentioned songs, he repeats the title – not too creative.

El Cool does have a bright side here and there, with what is set to be the first single, “Shake It Up.” In this song, Coolio is his old self with a smooth dance beat that might get you on the dance floor. And with the light and smooth “Sunshine,” Coolio slows it down a bit and raps over a tight beat with a piano in the background. A beautiful female voice sings the chorus.

But even with the sun shining on a few songs it isn’t enough to save El Cool Magnifico as the CD is filled with cliche songs about Cadillacs and ghettos, in songs like “Cadillac Vogues” and “Ghetto Square Dance,” which tries to be a catchy dance song but fails miserably. Coolio also tries to harden his image by using four-letter words that merit a Parental Advisory sticker, but falls short of making an impact in the hip-hop world with his comeback.