It’s been almost a year since Coolio tragically passed away, but thanks to Futurama, fans get to hear a brand new song from the pioneering rapper. Coolio’s character, Kwanzaa-bot, made a final appearance in the latest episode of the show’s 11th season, in which he delivered a fresh rap about the holiday season, Futurama style. Watch the animated video of the song below.
The song comes at the very end of the episode, with lyrics detailing Kwanzaa-bot’s “Futurama Xmas list for 3023” and addressed to Santa-Bot himself. Kicking things off with the warning that he’s “about to get nice,” Coolio delivers a delightful list of everything the Kwanza-explaining robot is wishing for, including “12 Slurms a-slurping/ 11 Benders burping/ 10 episodes dropping/ Nine Scruffys mopping,” and more.
Coolio continues with references to characters like Leela, Zoidberg, and Kwanzaa-bot’s Jewish counterpart, Chanukah Zombie. Then, he finishes things out by asking for a “40 ounce of nog/ Fry’s dead dog/ Two turtle-duckens,” and, the grand finale: “A voice-over credit for me!” The video ends with Kwanzaa-bot riding off into the celestial sunset, as the caption, “In memory of Coolio” appears on the screen.
The day after the news of Coolio’s death broke last September, Futurama producer David X. Cohen confirmed that the “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper had recorded his dialogue and this new song for the show’s 11th season. He also revealed that the recording sessions for his contributions came just weeks before Coolio died.
“Coolio was one of my favorite guests,” Cohen said at the time. “He was always totally upbeat and genuinely enjoyed coming in to record as his character Kwanzaa-bot.” Cohen added that the show wanted to give Coolio “the best send-off we can.”
Coolio was found unresponsive and declared dead late last September. This past April, it was revealed that his death was the result of a fentanyl overdose. This final Kwanzaa-bot rap isn’t his only posthumous release, though — last year, his estate released the single “Do You Want It,” featuring Australian rapper Katija.
As for Futurama, the show’s revival continues onward, with the final episodes of “Part One” of the season set to premiere on Hulu in September (New subscribers of Hulu can get a 30-day trial by signing up here).
Watch the video of Coolio’s final appearance on Futurama below.
