Living in an arty paradise! Coolio visits Exeter

He became a household name with hits like ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ and ‘C U When U Get There’, so we were delighted to welcome Grammy Award-winning rapper Coolio to our growing list of collectors!

The musician-turned-chef was in Exeter for a gig at Timepiece Nightclub in the city centre. Fans will recognise Coolio’s hit songs from classic 90s movies such as Clueless, Dangerous Minds and Space Jam, but few will know that he is also a keen steelworker.

Our Exeter gallery manager, Venetia Offord, got the inside scoop when she visited Coolio at his hotel to gift ‘Freedom’ by Raphael Mazzucco before he caught a flight to Dublin for his next performance.

“He’s so friendly,” Venetia says. “He even offered to make me a bacon sandwich. He’s really into art and creates his own pieces. We got chatting about Raphael’s collaboration with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Jimmy Iovine, and he was definitely impressed. It’s not every day you get a gangster rapper in Exeter!”