Kwanzaabot, Coolio’s character, will make one more cameo in Hulu’s Futurama reboot next year.
In addition to his considerable skills as a rapper, Coolio—who died at the age of 59—was also a prolific actor, appearing in over 100 movies and TV series throughout a lengthy career, either in character or as himself.
We’re hearing that one of those parts will be reprised posthumously, with series producer David X. Cohen saying that Coolio has recorded new speech and music for the upcoming Futurama remake.
Coolio appears in three episodes of the original series (including the direct-to-DVD film Bender’s Big Score) as Kwanzaabot, the robotic patron saint of the show’s far-future world’s celebration of African-American culture.
Like many of Coolio’s efforts over the years, it was a part that combined his well-known sense of humor with his musical abilities, rapping famous lines like “I’m fighting back for Kwanzaa so the children won’t miss it. I’m confused about its meaning, but I know it when they diss it.”
According to Cohen, Coolio went to the studio only a few weeks ago to record more dialogue and a new song for the Futurama resurrection, which was first revealed as a Hulu project earlier this year (along with a fair dose of controversy surrounding returning cast members).
Cohen also mentions that the program would be dedicated to Coolio, noting, “Coolio was one of my favorite guests. He was always totally upbeat and genuinely enjoyed coming in to record as his character Kwanzaabot.”