Coolio death: Ex-Peterborough nightclub owner's tribute to 'Gangsta's Paradise' rapper who performed in 2006

'Gangsta's Paradise' rapper Coolio with Del Singh at The Park nightclub in Peterborough, in 2006.

The American rapper told a former Peterborough nightclub boss how he believed Gangsta’s Paradise would be timeless.

A former Peterborough nightclub owner has paid tribute to 'Gangsta's Paradise' rapper Coolio – who performed at his club in the city in 2006.

The American rapper, whose full name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr, died in Los Angeles, California, on September 28, aged 59.

He won a Grammy Award for his 1995 track Gangsta's Paradise, which led the soundtrack for the film Dangerous Minds.

The club's flyer for the memorable night back in 2006, which played host to Coolio.

Del Singh, 60, from Eastfield Road, owned The Park nightclub, in Park Road – which was open from 1999 to 2009.

Coolio performed at the club in April 2006.

“We managed to get in a few bigger names who traditionally wouldn’t dream about coming to Peterborough,” Del said.

"I became aware that Coolio was in the UK through the agents I was dealing with, and they mentioned that he was travelling from London up to Birmingham on a particular Saturday night.

"I asked them: ‘if he’s coming up this way, what about if he was to stop for a couple of hours in Peterborough and perform at my club?’

"It was expensive and cost us about £5,000 for him to perform but he was amazing.

“We were packed out. It was one of those nights where it was rammed wall-to-wall.”

Coolio and his representatives arrived at the club early, which gave Del the chance to sit down with the rapper in office before he went on stage.

"He was a lovely and pleasant guy,” Del said. “He came from Compton, LA, which is where hip-hop came from.

“As we started talking I soon realised his passion for music. He said that music was an escape for him growing up in a place like Compton where there was a gang culture and so much gang-related violence.

"Because of that, he said that he had to stay indoors a lot, and one of the only ways he could escape was through music."

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Coolio’s most famous song – Gangsta’s Paradise – samples Stevie Wonder’s Pastime Paradise from the album Songs in the Key of Life.

"It was a popular album and one of my favourites,” Del said. “I told him that I used to listen to Songs in the Key of Life back in the 70s and he said he did as well.

"He asked if I was into that kind of music and I said that the music I listened too was ‘quite diverse’. I used to listen to a lot of punk. He said, ‘really?’ and then said how he loved the Sex Pistols.

“He said they made some really good music and that even though they were no longer around the music was still there. He said: ‘even if just one of my songs is still being listened to in years to come how good will that be?’ I think in the future people will still be listening to Gangsta’s Paradise.

"He also said that he would listen to ACDC in the car with his windows down. It was hard to imagine him driving round LA with the windows down blasting out ACDC.”

Del said he felt “privileged” to meet Coolio.

"I think we were both surprised by one another because he was learning something about a British Sikh nightclub owner, who seemed like a fish out of water in the nightclub industry, and I too was taken back by him.

"I was devastated when I found out the news. He was only a year younger than me.

“I always followed his career. You get a persona from what’s in the media but you don’t get to see the person behind it. I felt privileged to pull back the curtains and have opportunity to speak to him.”