Gangsta's Paradise

"Gangsta's Paradise"
Single by Coolio featuring L.V.
from the album Gangsta's Paradise, I Am L.V. and Dangerous Minds soundtrack
Released	August 8, 1995
Format	CD single, cassette, 12" single
Recorded	1994
Genre	West Coast hip hop, gangsta rap
Length	4:00
Label	Tommy Boy
Writer(s)	Stevie Wonder, Coolio, Doug Rasheed, Larry Sanders
Producer(s)	Doug Rasheed
Certification	3x Platinum (RIAA)
Coolio singles chronology
"Mama I'm in Love wit a Gangsta" (1994) "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995) "Too Hot" (1995)
Music sample Coolio feat. L.V – "Gangsta's Paradise"

"Gangsta's Paradise" is a song by American rapper Coolio, featuring singer L.V.. The song was released on Coolio's album of the same name, as well as the soundtrack for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds. It samples the chorus and instrumentation of Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise".

The song was listed at number 69 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All-Time^[1] and number one biggest selling single of 1995 on U.S. Billboard.^[2] In 2008, it was ranked number 38 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.^[3] Coolio was awarded a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, two MTV Video Music Award's for Best Rap Video and for Best Video from a Film and a Billboard Music Award for the song/album. The song was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll.

The song has sold over 5 million copies in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Croatia alone,^[4][5][6] and at least 5.7 million worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Coolio has performed this song live at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards with L.V. and Wonder, at the 1996 Grammy Awards with L.V., and also with Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis.

Background and writing

The artists co-wrote the song its producer Doug Rasheed, with Stevie Wonder receiving writing credits for the sampling of his song "Pastime Paradise" from his album Songs in the Key of Life. "Gangsta's Paradise" uses the same melody, but a different orchestration of the same music.

The Stevie Wonder sample is the reason why this is one of few Coolio tracks without profanity, as Wonder would not allow it. Coolio said, "I had a few vulgarities...and he wasn't with that. So I changed it. Once he heard it, he thought it was incredible."^[7]

The song begins with a line from Psalm 23:4: "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death", but then diverges with: "I take a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left." Adding to some of the religious overtones are choral vocals in the background.^[8]

Synopsis

Coolio begins by reflecting on his life in a Biblical fashion: that his partaking in hoodlum activities has drained him of hope, and damaged his relationship with his mother. However, the narrative turns at this point with Coolio threatening rival gangs with certain death in the event that they take verbal liberties or transgress into his territory. He subsequently educates the listener on the history behind his current position in society; explaining the way in which his upbringing has entrapped him by creating his lust for power, money and murder. However it is at this point that he acknowledges the uncertainty of his survival on the street. Coolio therefore begins to lament the cyclical nature of the violence in which he partakes, as well as elucidating the collective chaos created by individual greed, selfishness and a lack of education or role models. He ends his personal journey on a hopeless admission: that his situation and surroundings will never improve.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Antoine Fuqua, and featured Michelle Pfeiffer reprising her earlier role in Dangerous Minds.^[9]

When Coolio won the Best Rap Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, he said in a press conference that Bone Thugs-n-Harmony deserved the award for "Tha Crossroads".

Chart performance

The single reached number one in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand, making it Coolio's most successful single. Following Coolio's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother 6, it re-entered the UK singles chart peaking at #31. In the United Kingdom, "Gangsta's Paradise" is the first rap single to sell over a million copies.

In the United States, the single spent twelve weeks in the top two of the Billboard Hot 100, of which three were spent at #1 and nine at #2, putting "Gangsta's Paradise" in joint fourth place for the most weeks spent at #2 by a single in the chart's history.

Parodies and covers

There are several parodies of the song, including "Amish Paradise" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, which was released the following year, reaching number 53 on the U.S. chart. Coolio claimed that he did not give permission for the parody, which led to disagreements between the two. Yankovic claimed that he had been told Coolio had given the go-ahead through his record label, and apologized. Because of this incident, Yankovic now only does parodies by artists that he has spoken with directly, rather than through intermediaries. Photos from the XM Satellite Radio booth at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show suggest Yankovic and Coolio may have made amends.^[10] Coolio himself said in a 2011 interview that he had since "apologized to him".^[11]

L.V. released a solo version of the single in 1996 on his debut album, I Am L.V. This version did not feature Coolio, and featured additional lyrics written by L.V. himself, rap lyrics written by Scarface and Dani Blooms.

American post-hardcore band In Fear And Faith covered the song in 2008. Swedish boy band E.M.D. covered the song on their 2010 album "Rewind". American singer-songwriter Kina Grannis has covered the song in concert. Richard Cheese covered the song on his 2010 album "Lavapalooza" (as "Johny Aloha"). New Zealand band Like a Storm covered the song for their 2012 album, "Chaos Theory". American band Falling in Reverse covered the song on the album Punk Goes 90's 2. American industrial band Battery covered the song on their 1996 album, "Distance".

Sales records and awards

Billboard Billboard Year-End Chart-Toppers 1995 Top Hot 100 Single number one Top Hot 100 Single Sales number one (2.5 million copies) (2x platinum) Grammy Awards Best Rap Solo Performance Record of the Year (nominated)

MTV MTV Video Music Awards 1996 Best Rap Video Best Video from a Film

Track listings

CD single
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Gangsta's Paradise"	4:00
2.	"Gangsta's Paradise" (instrumental)	3:49

CD single bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Gangsta's Paradise"	4:02
2.	"Fantastic Voyage" (original version)	4:05
3.	"Mama I'm In Love Wit A Gangsta" (clean radio mix)	4:09
4.	"Gangsta's Paradise" (instrumental)	3:50

CD maxi
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Gangsta's Paradise"		4:00
2.	"Gangsta's Paradise" (instrumental)		3:49
3.	"Fantastic Voyage" (album version)	Coolio	4:04

Charts

Peak positions Chart (1995/96) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[12] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[15] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] 29 Denmark (IFPI)[17] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[18] 1 France (SNEP)[19] 1 Germany (Official German Charts)[20] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[21] 1 Italy (FIMI)[22] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[24] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[25] 1 Spain (AFYVE)[26] 20 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[29] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[30] 1 US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[30] 2 US Billboard Rhythmic Top 40[30] 2 US Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[30] 17

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position Australian Singles Chart[31] 1 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[32] 4 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[33] 6 Canada Dance (RPM)[34] 45 Dutch Top 40[35] 23 French Singles Chart[36] 7 UK Singles Chart 2 US Billboard Hot 100[37] 1 Chart (1996) Position Austrian Singles Chart[38] 6 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[39] 16 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[40] 8 German Singles Chart[41] 14 Swiss Singles Chart[42] 15 US Billboard Hot 100 33 Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999) Position US Billboard Hot 100[43] 13

Chart successions

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[44]	3× Platinum	210,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[45]	Platinum	50,000
Germany (BVMI)[46]	2× Platinum	1,000,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[47]	Platinum	75,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[48]	4× Platinum	40,000
Sweden (GLF)[49]	Gold	25,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[50]	2× Platinum	100,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[51]	2× Platinum	1,543,000[5]
United States (RIAA)[52]	3× Platinum	3,000,000[53]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. Billboard.com – Billboard's Greatest Songs of All Time
2. "Top 100 Hits of 1995/Top 100 Songs of 1995". musicoutfitters.com.
3. "The 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs Ever - VH1 Blog Reality TV News and Gossip". VH1 Blog Reality TV News and Gossip.
4. "Gangsta's Paradise" certifications RIAA – Gold and Platinum Searchable Database
5. Myers, Justin (October 24, 2015). "Quiz: Who sold more?". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
6. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. To access, user must enter song title under Titel, select Singles under Formate and click SUCHEN.
7. "Hot 100 55th Anniversary: The All-Time Top 100 Songs". Billboard.
8. "Adventures in Missing the Point: ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’". RETUNED.
9. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/coolios-gangstas-paradise-the-oral-history-of-1995s-pop-rap-smash-20150807
10. Weird and COOLIO?!?!? » Yank Blog
11. Johnson, Billy (1 August 2013). "Coolio Did Not Want Weird Al to Spoof ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
12. "Australian-charts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
13. "Austriancharts.at – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
14. "Ultratop.be – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
15. "Ultratop.be – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in French). Ultratop 50.
16. "Top Singles - Volume 62, No. 13, October 30, 1995". RPM. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
17. Billboard January 20, 1996. Billboard. 1996-01-20. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
18. "Coolio: Gangsta's Paradise" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
19. "Lescharts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in French). Les classement single.
20. "Musicline.de – Coolio Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
21. Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved February 21, 2008)
22. "Italiancharts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". Top Digital Download.
23. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Coolio search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
24. "Charts.org.nz – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". Top 40 Singles.
25. "Norwegiancharts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". VG-lista.
26. Salaverri, Fernando (September 1996). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
27. "Swedishcharts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". Singles Top 100.
28. "Swisscharts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". Swiss Singles Chart.
29. "Coolio: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company.
30. Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved August 4, 2008)
31. 1995 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
32. 1995 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
33. 1995 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
34. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
35. "Single top 100 over 1995" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
36. 1995 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved January 30, 2009)
37. "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
38. 1996 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
39. 1996 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
40. 1996 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
41. 1996 German Singles Chart [www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1996]
42. 1996 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
43. Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
44. "Accreditation Awards". Australian Fun Countdowns. 2011-04-07. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
45. "Austrian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Coolio in the field Interpret. Enter Gangsta's Paradise in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
46. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Coolio; 'Gangsta's Paradise')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
47. "Dutch single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
48. "Norwegian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
49. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
50. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Coolio; 'Gangsta's Paradise')". Hung Medien.
51. "British single certifications – Coolio ft LV – Gangsta's Paradise". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Enter Gangsta's Paradise in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
52. "American single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
53. Sandiford-Waller, Theda (November 9, 1996). "Hot 100 Singles Spotlight". Billboard (BPI Communications Inc.) 108 (45): 83. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 26, 2015.

External links

• Rock on the Net
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics