Coolio in 1995. Paul Bergen/Redferns, via Getty Images. Coolio died, as I’m sure you’ve all heard by now. I mentioned to a friend who’s also stuck in the ’90s that it seems like it’s been a bad run of rappers from our high school days passing away, mostly last…

Gift of Gab performs with Blackalicious at Yoshi’s in Oakland on Jan. 9, 2020; his final Bay Area performance. Sean Liming/STAFF. Much-loved hip-hop MC Timothy J. Parker, better known by his stage name Gift of Gab, passed away June 18 of natural causes at 50, his collaborators announced on…

Blackalicious performs at Yoshi’s in Oakland on Jan. 9, 2020. Photos: Sean Liming. OAKLAND — Yoshi’s hosted the connoisseur’s choice in hip-hop Thursday as celebrated duo Blackalicious returned to Oakland. Performing a career-spanning set in just over an hour, the energetic team thrived in the friendly atmosphere of the 310-seat…