Gangsta's Paradise

For other uses, see Gangsta's Paradise (disambiguation).

"Gangsta's Paradise"
Single by Coolio featuring L.V.
from the album Gangsta's Paradise, I Am L.V. and Dangerous Minds soundtrack
B-side"Fantastic Voyage"
ReleasedAugust 1, 1995
Recorded1994–1995
Genre
Length4:04
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Doug Rasheed
Coolio singles chronology
"The Points"
(1995) 		"Gangsta's Paradise"
(1995) 		"Too Hot"
(1995)
L.V. singles chronology
"Gangsta's Paradise"
(1995) 		"Throw Your Hands Up"
(1995)
Music video
"Gangsta's Paradise" on YouTube
Audio sample
Coolio feat. L.V – "Gangsta's Paradise"

"Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio, released on August 1, 1995[3] by Tommy Boy, Warner Bros. and MCA. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's song "Pastime Paradise" (1976), "Gangsta's Paradise" features vocals from American singer L.V. who served as a co-composer and co-lyricist with Coolio and Doug Rasheed, with Wonder also being credited for the composition and lyrics. Certified Platinum in October, the song was included on Coolio's second album, Gangsta's Paradise, in November 1995. Its music video was directed by Antoine Fuqua and featured Michelle Pfeiffer. The song is taken from Pfeiffer's movie Dangerous Minds, and the music video is also themed around the movie.

The song was the number one biggest-selling single of 1995 on US Billboard[4] and the first rap single ever to go straight to number one in Britain.[5] In 2008, it was ranked number 38 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".[6] NME listed the song at number 100 in their ranking of "100 Best Songs of the 1990s" in 2012[7] and Billboard magazine ranked it among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.[8] Coolio was awarded a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rap Video and 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 five million copies in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany.[3][9][10] Coolio performed this song live at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards with L.V. and Wonder, and at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards with L.V.

  1. ^ "Coolio :: Gangsta's Paradise :: Tommy Boy/Warner Bros". www.rapreviews.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2021. "Gangsta's Paradise" was an unlikely if engineered hit. A sample-driven g-funk number in the tradition of "Nuthin' But a G Thang," "Gin and Juice," and "Regulate," it features an inescapable hook, slow-burning groove, and general, broad-world philosophy from the perspective of an urban Californian.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference oralhistory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "RIAA – Gold and Platinum Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  4. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1995/Top 100 Songs of 1995". musicoutfitters.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  5. ^ George, Iestyn (November 4, 1995). "Long Play". NME. p. 49. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  6. ^ Macnie, Jim (September 24, 2008). "The 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs Ever". VH1 Blog Reality TV News and Gossip. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015.
  7. ^ "100 Best Songs Of The 1990s". NME. May 8, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  8. ^ "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  9. ^ Copsey, Rob (September 19, 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  10. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. To access, user must enter song title under Titel, select Singles under Formate and click SUCHEN. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2012.