The final appearance made by late rapper Coolio in Hulu’s reboot of “Futurama” featured a holiday-themed hip-hop song and a tribute to the musician.
“Yo, Santabot, I’ma drop my ‘Futurama’ X-Mas list for 3023. Y’all ready for this? I’m about to get nice!” Coolio said in a 45-second clip, before running off with his rhymes. “Kwanzaabot, yeah! Gimme 12 Slurms a-slurping, 11 Benders burping, 1o episodes dropping!”
Coolio originally played Kwanzaa-Bot in two previous episodes of “Futurama” in 2001.
While many of Coolio’s fans know him for his hits like “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “C U When U Get There,” he also had a stint in the acting realm, with one of his roles being Kwanzaa-Bot — Santabot’s counterpart — in the newly rebooted “Futurama.” His X-Mas list rap was his final appearance as the character before his death last year. And it’s featured in the episode, “I Know What You Did Next Xmas,” which premiered on Monday.
In it, Kwanzaa-Bot and Chanukah Zombie help explain to children that there is a “holiday for everyone,” and Kwanzaa-Bot came back later in the endcredits to perform his animated sing-along.
Afterward, the clip shows a tribute to the rapper, which said: “In memory of Coolio.” The video shows Kwanzaa-Bot riding off into the distance.
The Grammy award-winning artist died Sept. 28, 2022, at a friend’s home in Los Angeles. The rapper’s family disclosed news from the coroner that traces of methamphetamine and heroine were found in his system. Additionally, his asthma and cigarettes were also recorded as a contributor to his death.
After Coolio’s death, series producer, David X. Cohen, told Entertainment Weekly that Coolio was one of the show’s “favorite guests.”
“All of us at ‘Futurama’ send our sincere condolences to Coolio’s family, friends and fans,” Cohen said. “He was one of our favorite guests, always upbeat and enthusiastic.
He continued: “This news was especially shocking since he looked and sounded great when we saw him in the studio just a few weeks ago, for what was an especially fun session. I thanked him for returning to the the part once again, and he said ‘Everybody loves Kwanzaa-Bot.’ It was an honor to have gotten the chance to work with him.”
