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 September 20, 1995
Format
Recorded 1994–1995
Genre Hip hop
Length 4:00
Label Tommy Boy
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Doug Rasheed
Coolio singles chronology
"Mama I'm in Love wit a Gangsta"
(1994)		 "Gangsta's Paradise"
(1995)		 "Too Hot"
(1995)
Music video
"Gangsta's Paradise" on YouTube
Audio sample
Coolio feat. L.V – "Gangsta's Paradise"
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"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[1]".

The song was listed at number 85 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All-Time[2] and number one biggest selling single of 1995 on U.S. Billboard.[3] In 2008, it was ranked number 38 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.[4] 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 and Germany alone,[5][6][7] and at least 6 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 38th Annual Grammy Awards with L.V., and also with Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis.

Background and writing

The artists co-wrote the song with 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.

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."[8]

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. This entire sentence is also taken straight out of/heard in the documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills about the "West Memphis Three".[9]

Synopsis

Coolio begins by reflecting on his life in a Biblical fashion: that his partaking in hoodlum activities has drained him of hope, and his damaged 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.[10]

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. In Australia, the song stayed at No. 1 for 14 weeks, a record that would be broken 22 years later by Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You".[11] Following Coolio's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother 6, it re-entered the UK singles chart peaking at No. 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 No. 1 and nine at No. 2, putting "Gangsta's Paradise" in joint fourth place for the most weeks spent at No. 2 by a single in the chart's history. The song was certified triple platinum by the RIAA on February 23, 1996 indicating 3 million copies sold.[12] It has sold a further 1.8 million downloads in the US in the digital era as of September 2017.[13]

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 seeks approval for song parodies through receiving permission from the artists themselves, rather than communicating through intermediaries. Photos from the XM Satellite Radio booth at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show suggest Yankovic and Coolio may have made amends.[14] Coolio himself said in a 2011 interview that he had since "apologized to him (Yankovic)".[15]

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.

In 1996, the song was covered by Battery for the electro-industrial various artists compilation Operation Beatbox and their 1996 album, "Distance".[16] American post-hardcore band In Fear And Faith covered the song in 2008. Austrian melodic death metal band Artas covered the song in 2008 on the album "The Healing". In 2014 post-hardcore band Falling in Reverse covered the song for the compilation album Punk Goes 90s Vol. 2. The video included an appearance by Coolio. In 2015 Postmodern Jukebox produced a version in a 1920s jazz style.

Accolades

Track listings

CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Gangsta's Paradise"4:00
2."Gangsta's Paradise" (instrumental)3:49
CD single bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
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.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gangsta's Paradise" 4:00
2."Gangsta's Paradise" (instrumental) 3:49
3."Fantastic Voyage" (album version)Coolio4:04

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[55] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[56] Platinum 50,000*
Belgium (BEA)[57] Platinum 50,000*
Germany (BVMI)[58] 2× Platinum 1,000,000^
Italy (FIMI)[59] Gold 25,000double-dagger
Netherlands (NVPI)[60] Platinum 75,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[61] 4× Platinum 40,000*
Sweden (GLF)[62] Gold 25,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[63] 2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] 2× Platinum 1,585,504[6]
United States (RIAA)[12] 3× Platinum 3,000,000[65]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Coolio feat. L.V.'s 'Gangsta's Paradise' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  2. ↑ "Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Singles : Page 1".
  3. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1995/Top 100 Songs of 1995". musicoutfitters.com.
  4. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs Ever - VH1 Blog Reality TV News and Gossip". VH1 Blog Reality TV News and Gossip.
  5. ↑ "Gangsta's Paradise" certifications RIAA – Gold and Platinum Searchable Database
  6. 1 2 Copsey, Rob (September 19, 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. To access, user must enter song title under Titel, select Singles under Formate and click SUCHEN.
  8. ↑ "Hot 100 55th Anniversary: The All-Time Top 100 Songs". Billboard.
  9. ↑ "Adventures in Missing the Point: 'Gangsta's Paradise'". RETUNED. Archived from the original on 2015-02-24.
  10. ↑ "The Oral History of Coolio's 'Gangsta's Paradise'".
  11. ↑ Brandle, Lars (24 April 2017). "Ed Sheeran's 'Shape Of You' Breaks 22-Year-Old Chart Record Down Under". Billboard.
  12. 1 2 "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. 
  13. ↑ "Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 09/14/2017" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Weird and COOLIO?!?!? - Yank Blog". yankovic.org.
  15. ↑ Johnson, Billy (1 August 2013). "Coolio Did Not Want Weird Al to Spoof 'Gangsta's Paradise'". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  16. ↑ Christian, Chris (August 1996). "Various Artists: Operation Beatbox". Sonic Boom. 4 (7). Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  18. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  19. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  20. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  21. ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 62, No. 13, October 30, 1995". RPM. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  22. ↑ Billboard January 20, 1996. Billboard. 1996-01-20. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  23. ↑ "Coolio: Gangsta's Paradise" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  24. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in French). Les classement single.
  25. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Coolio feat. LV – Gangsta's Paradise". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  26. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (09.12.1995 - 15.12.1995)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  27. ↑ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie Archived 2009-06-03 at WebCite (Retrieved February 21, 2008)
  28. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". Top Digital Download.
  29. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Coolio" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  30. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  31. ↑ "Charts.nz – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". Top 40 Singles.
  32. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". VG-lista.
  33. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  34. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 1996). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  35. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". Singles Top 100.
  36. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise". Swiss Singles Chart.
  37. ↑ "Coolio: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  38. ↑ "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". officialcharts.com.
  39. 1 2 3 4 Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved August 4, 2008)
  40. ↑ 1995 Australian Singles Chart aria.com Archived August 3, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  41. ↑ 1995 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be Archived March 30, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  42. ↑ 1995 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be Archived April 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  43. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  44. ↑ "Single top 100 over 1995" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  45. ↑ 1995 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com Archived March 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved January 30, 2009)
  46. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  47. ↑ "New Zealand End Of Year Charts 1995". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  48. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". Archived from the original on 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  49. ↑ 1996 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  50. ↑ 1996 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be Archived October 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  51. ↑ 1996 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be Archived October 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  52. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de.
  53. ↑ 1996 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived October 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  54. ↑ 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.
  55. ↑ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 28 Jan 1996". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  56. ↑ "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. 
  57. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1996". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  58. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Coolio; 'Gangsta's Paradise')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  59. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  60. ↑ "Dutch single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Gangsta's Paradise in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  61. ↑ "Norwegian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  62. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  63. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Coolio; 'Gangsta's Paradise')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  64. ↑ "British single certifications – Coolio ft LV – Gangsta's Paradise". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 April 2012. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Gangsta's Paradise in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  65. ↑ Sandiford-Waller, Theda (November 9, 1996). "Hot 100 Singles Spotlight". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 108 (45): 83. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
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