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"Gangsta's Paradise"
Single by Coolio featuring L.V. from the album Gangsta's Paradise and I Am L.V.
Released	November 7, 1995
Format	CD single, Cassette Single
Recorded	1995
Genre	Gangsta rap
Length	4:00
Label	Tommy Boy Records
Writer	Coolio Doug Rasheed Larry Sanders
Producer	Doug Rasheed
Coolio featuring L.V. singles chronology
"It Takes a Thief Bitch" 1994 "Gangsta's Paradise" 1995 "Mama I'm in Love Wit a Gangsta Whore" 1995

"Gangsta's Paradise" is a rap song by Coolio from the movie Dangerous Minds (1995) (starring Michelle Pfeiffer). The song was later released on the albums Gangsta's Paradise and Dangerous Minds (Soundtrack) in 1995. Coolio was awarded a Grammy for the song/album. The song was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. The United World Chart ranked it as the 15th most successful single of all time.

The single reached number one in the U.S., UK, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand, making it Coolio's most successful single ever.

The music is a reworking of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise", a song from his album Songs in the Key of Life. "Gangsta's Paradise" uses the same tune, and a different orchestration of the same backing music. Coolio changed the lyrics to be more relevant to life on the streets.

The song begins with a line from Psalm 23:4 from the Bible: 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 nothing left. Adding to some of the religious overtones are choral vocals in the background.

Many of the lyrics are very dark and tragic and are meant to be a criticism of the violence and tragedy of the "gangsta" life. The choral lines (sung by L.V.) Tell me why are we so blind to see / That the ones we hurt are you and me offer an especially plaintive self-criticism.

The song is arguably one of the biggest Hip Hop songs of all time, reaching #1 in more than 13 countries around the world, including the UK, where it was the first rap song to sell over a million copies.

Contents 1 Parodies 2 Influence 3 Music Video 4 Sales records and awards 5 External links

There are some parodies of the song, including "Amish Paradise" by "Weird Al" Yankovic. 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, Mr. Yankovic only now 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. [1]

Another parody by Paul Shanklin using Gangsta's Paradise is "Algore Paradise," in which Shanklin sings in the voices of Al Gore and Bill Clinton. The Choral Line as sung by Shanklin (as Clinton) goes, Tell me why is it / so hard to see / If he's really a man, or just a tree.

Death metal parody-group Ten Masked Men have also done a rendition of the song.

There are also several fan-made parodies such as "Hobo's Paradise", "Atheist's Paradise", and even " Desert Paradise".

The Ian Brown song "F.E.A.R." borrows the main riffs from "Gangsta's Paradise".

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. The single didn't repeat the popularity of the original with Coolio^{[citation needed]}.

The music video for the song was directed by Antoine Fuqua of Propaganda Films, and featured Michelle Pfeiffer reprising her earlier role in Dangerous Minds.

When Coolio won the Best Rap Video he said that Bone Thugs-n-Harmony deserved the award for "Tha Crossroads".

The Chorus Chord Progression follows the chords of Ab Fm G7 Cm and the main riff follows a pattern of A, A, A, A, G#, G#, A, E, E.

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

MTV

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

Preceded by "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson	Billboard Hot 100 number one single- September 9, 1995- September 23, 1995	Succeeded by "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey
Preceded by "The Sign" by Ace of Base	Billboard Hot 100 Number one single of the year 1995	Succeeded by "Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)" by Los Del Rio
Preceded by "Fairground by Simply Red	UK Singles Chart Number 1 single October 22, 1995 for 2 weeks	Succeeded by "I Believe"/"Up on the Roof" by Robson & Jerome
Preceded by "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey	RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single October 27, 1995	Succeeded by "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
Preceded by N/A	United World Chart number one single November 4, 1995 – January 20, 1996	Succeeded by "One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey featuring Boyz II Men

• Lyrics to "Gangsta's Paradise"
• Rock on the Net