Oh, that he passed away went past me. I was not a big fan but of course I've heard Gangsta's Paradise before. I think it was able to a attract a wide audience because of it's mix of rap verses and melodically sung chorus. And even Weird Al made a cover.
Wasn't there another version of C U When you Get There? It sounds familiar but I couldn't say I'd listened to that version before. But I think I just found an inspiration for my own posting.
!hiqvote
Ya there was something about it alright, that people just gravitated towards..
I think C U When you Get There was covered by a few other artists over the years alright, though as far as I know it was Coolio's original from 97.