Two nights ago I made a very late New Year's resolution. A February 1 promise to myself, if you prefer.
It's one I've made before. One I say out loud but know I'll probably never be able to keep because human nature gets the better of me every time.
It is: Never judge a book by its cover.
The unlikely candidate and my new-found resolution-keeping inspiration? The '90s hip-hop star Coolio.
See, I knew he'd be late for the interview, I was prepared for the fact he may cancel at any given minute but I wasn't quite ready for the words: "I'm a gourmet chef, you know."
He did the gentlemanly thing and ignored the blank expression sat across from him.
"Yeah, girl," he said with a huge grin. "I do a cooking show.
" put out my first cookbook in November 2009 and I'm working on the second now. It's fusion food. Cooking With Coolio is also my show. It's a comedy cooking show, it'll make you laugh out loud. But at the same time, it's really informative."
‘Into healthy stuff'
What would he cook for me, I asked.
"Finger-licking, rib-sticking, fall-off-the-bone-and-into-your-mouth chicken. Your ribs are too short to bite your guy," he said.
While I'll admit to not being too brushed up on my gangster speak, I decided this would have confused most. "It's a short rib dish," again, sensitively picking up on my confusion (although the wrinkles in my brow may have done the talking).
"I think my best dishes are meat. Any meat dishes I do are just so succulent and juicy and fall off the bone. I do a lot of things inside the oven. Don't do a lot of fried food. I'm more into healthy stuff. You know, I'm 47 years old," he said, while simultaneously looking down at his arms, as if the muscles alone made him a picture of health.
His frame smaller than it was in his heyday, Coolio's clothes seem a little forced and his trademark television antennae-hair has certainly depleted, with just two men left standing.
If it wasn't for the "hilariously ironic" cookbook as he calls it, rapper Coolio might have evaporated into the ether.
But although he seems unwilling to talk of his Stevie Wonder-laced Gangsta's Paradise days — "I've done a lot of things since then. Let's move on" — he is happy to talk music and he doesn't hold back. Note: If you're a Black Eyed Peas fan, don't read on.
"I'm in a new group with my son and my nephew — it's called 3Gs — and it's three generations and three decades of hip-hop. My son is 21, my nephew is 32 and I'm 47. Three different generations of not just hip-hop but the way we view the industry as a whole and the way we view music."
The way he views music seems decidedly old school.
"A lot of the things my son does I probably wouldn't do. But they grew up listening to real hip-hop, not all this poppy kind of stuff which is out now, so they are better educated. I used to be a fan of the Black Eyed Peas, and even the last album wasn't so bad.
"The resurgence with Fergie, I was really into that. But the new album they have — totally not happy with it. I saw a performance earlier and will.i.am had on some glittered knee pads. I mean, what's the significance of that when it comes to music? I don't know, I mean I guess I just try to stick to my roots. I mean, I'm willing to try new things, but at the same time there are some things I won't do and wearing glittered knee pads is one of them."
Glittered knee pads, no. Two random pieces of hair growing from a tattooed bald head, yes.
I said I wouldn't judge and I'm trying really hard.
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