Grammy award-winning rapper Coolio chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his partnership with Black Label Bacon.
“Wrappin’ with Coolio” Tips: Grammy-winning rapper and cookbook author Coolio is helping Black Label Bacon teach the world how to wrap – gifts and food – with bacon. Fans can watch “Wrappin’ with Coolio” for tips from Coolio on wrapping gifts and how to make a Black Label Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast for your next holiday gathering.
This wrapping paper marks the latest innovation by Black Label Bacon to elevate and enhance how fans experience and enjoy Hormel Black Label Bacon. Last year, Black Label Bacon introduced Breathable Bacon, a revolutionary bacon-scented face mask designed to keep the delicious smell of bacon always wrapped around your nose and mouth.
What it’s like partnering with Black Label Bacon? What would you like to tell our readers about Black Label Bacon partnership?
There’s only one thing I’ve been doing longer than rapping and that’s cooking. So when Black Label Bacon reached out and ask me to help them teach the world how to wrap – gifts and food – with bacon, I thought it was a match made in bacon paradise.
I shot a video called “Wrappin’ with Coolio” as part of Black Label Bacon’s wrapping paper campaign. In the video, I teach fans how to wrap gifts using Black Label Bacon Wrapping Paper and share a recipe for bacon-wrapped turkey breast that anyone can make at their next holiday gathering.
It’s been an absolutely great experience working together with Black Label Bacon and I’m looking forward to more collaborations in the future.
What motivates you each day as an artist?
The fact that other artists are out there slacking off. No days off for me. That motivates me every day. While others are at home sleeping, I’m out there grinding.
I’m 58 too, so now I’m in competition with guys half my age, and younger than half my age. I have to eat right and do my push-ups and my sit-ups, or I can easily fall behind and be left in the dust. Any day above ground is an opportunity to make a difference.
What inspires your music and songwriting?
Anything. There’s no set precursor or prerequisite. I could be walking down the street and stepping on a bag and that inspires me to start writing. It could be absolutely anything. You’d be surprised by some of the things that inspire us that become hit songs.
What do your plans for the future include?
I have a new cookbook I’m looking to release next year. I also have some new music coming out in 2022. You’re definitely going to hear at least six new singles next year … a lot of them including some artists you know and love.
I’m also looking forward to more acting opportunities in film and television. I’ve been fortunate to have been working on projects like Hormel’s Black Label Bacon holiday campaign. I have film and television projects in the works, so stay tuned for more from me.
What is your advice for young and aspiring artists?
Be careful what you say. Be even more careful how you say what you say. Please, above all try to be creative. Be as creative as possible. Try to figure out a way to make your music sound like your music.
I don’t care who your idol is or who you like, please try to be original. There’s too many artists sounding alike these days. I go in a club sometimes and I’ll hear five songs and I can’t distinguish between – it sounds like one long song to me because everyone follows each other now. If someone comes out with a hit, you got five people following this cat, and doing something just like his. If you sound like somebody else, I’m not listening. Period.
What does the word success mean to you?
Success is in the mind of the successor. Success to some could be Jay-Z money and you have to be a billionaire. Success to others could be “Hey I got a whip, and I got a roof over my head and I got a place to go and show up tomorrow to make some money and show up the day after that and do it all again.”
Success to me is my family’s happy and healthy, and so am I. There’s food on the table every night. You can’t really ask for more than that.
More so for me, I can walk down any street, in any neighborhood, in any country, in any city and people know me and treat me like I’m from their neighborhood. And that’s success to me. People treat me like a friend or like family.
