What You Never Knew About Coolio

Throughout his decades-long music career, Coolio collaborated with a variety of artists, ranging from Ice Cube to Janet Jackson. Arguably his most out-of-left-field collab, however, had to be “Hustler,” his 2003 duet with iconic country music star Kenny Rogers. Inspired by Rogers’ crossover mega-hit “The Gambler,” the track not only included Rogers’ vocals, but also featured him extensively in the music video. 

As for how these two came to work together, Coolio told MTV News that he’d long been a fan. “I’ve always listened to his songs and I’ve always liked ‘The Gambler,’ that’s like one of my favourite country songs,” he explained. While he admitted he wasn’t much of a country music aficionado, there were a few Nashville artists who had managed to capture his attention. “But back in the days, all I knew was Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson. I didn’t really know anybody else, you know,” he explained. 

Rogers also discussed why he wanted to collaborate with Coolio on the new update of his classic hit. “‘The Gambler’ song is really more than a song,” Rogers said, “it’s about a way of life, and I think they wanted to take that and kind of exploit the concept. That there are times when you need to back off, you know, and really look at where you are, and not take it so much as a country song, but a statement of life.”

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Nicki