Coolio was 32 years old when “Gangsta’s Paradise” hit the airwaves in the summer of 1995 and landed at the top of the charts.

By February 1996, the single had sold 3 million copies, and that month, Coolio sang it onstage at the Grammys, where he won Best Rap Solo Performance, edging out legends Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, and the Notorious B.I.G.