Artis Leon Ivey Jr., the Compton rap singer-turned chef better known as " Coolio," was arrested by Los Angeles police in Hollywood this morning on an outstanding traffic warrant.
Ivey, 44, was stopped at about 1 a.m. while driving near Sunset Boulevard and Sweetzer Avenue after officers on a routine patrol noticed the tags on his gray 1996 Hummer had expired, said Los Angeles police Officer April Harding. He was later booked on an outstanding misdemeanor traffic warrant for driving with a suspended license, Harding said.
Ivey was released at 6:40 a.m. on $10,000 bond, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's records.
Ivey's biggest hit "Gangsta's Paradise" was released in 1995 and featured in the film "Dangerous Minds" which starred Michelle Pfeiffer as a former Marine who becomes a teacher to inner-city high school students.
This year, he launched an Internet television show, “Cooking with Coolio,” in which he bills himself as "the ghetto witchdoctor superstar chef" who "is here to make you forget about every cooking show you've ever heard."
molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com
