Coolio’s "Gangsta’s Paradise" — featuring L.V. — remains one of the defining rap anthems of the 1990s, blending West Coast hip hop, gangsta rap and G-funk with a haunting interpolation of Stevie Wonder’s "Pastime Paradise." Released 1 August 1995 and tied to the film Dangerous Minds, the single became the top-selling single on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1995, went straight to No. 1 in the UK (the first rap single to do so there), and was later certified multi-platinum across major markets; it also earned Coolio a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance and multiple MTV Video Music Awards. The Antoine Fuqua-directed video, featuring Michelle Pfeiffer and film footage, further cemented the track’s cultural impact; it reached one billion YouTube views in July 2022. Released under Fair Usage in a free open source environment.
🎵 L Y R I C S 🎵:
As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left
'Cause I've been blastin' and laughin' so long that
Even my mama thinks that my mind is gone
But I ain't never crossed a man that didn't deserve it
Me be treated like a punk, you know that's unheard of
You better watch how ya talkin' and where ya walkin'
Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk
I really hate to trip, but I gotta loc
As they croak, I see myself in the pistol smoke, fool
I'm the kinda G that little homies wanna be like
On my knees in the night, sayin' prayers in the streetlight
Been spendin' most their lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
Been spendin' most their lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
We keep spendin' most our lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
We keep spendin' most our lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
Look at the situation they got me facin'
I can't live a normal life, I was raised by the street
So I gotta be down with the hood team
Too much television watchin' got me chasin' dreams
I'm a educated fool with money on my mind
Got my ten in my hand and a gleam in my eye
I'm a loc'd out gangsta, set trippin' banger
And my homies is down, so don't arouse my anger, fool
Death ain't nothin' but a heartbeat away
I'm livin' life do-or-die, uh, what can I say?
I'm 23 now, but will I live to see 24?
The way things is goin', I don't know
Tell me why are we so blind to see
That the ones we hurt are you and me?
Been spendin' most their lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
Been spendin' most their lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
We keep spendin' most our lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
We keep spendin' most our lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
Power and the money, money and the power
Minute after minute, hour after hour
Everybody's runnin', but half of them ain't lookin'
It's goin' on in the kitchen, but I don't know what's cookin'
They say I gotta learn, but nobody's here to teach me
If they can't understand it, how can they reach me?
I guess they can't, I guess they won't, I guess they front
That's why I know my life is outta luck, fool
Been spendin' most their lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
Been spendin' most their lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
We keep spendin' most our lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
We keep spendin' most our lives livin' in a gangsta's paradise
Tell me why are we so blind to see
That the ones we hurt are you and me?
Tell me why are we so blind to see
That the ones we hurt are you and me?
Album Artist: Coolio
Album(s): Gangsta's Paradise (1995), Dangerous Minds: Music from the Motion Picture (1995), I Am L.V.
Written by: Artis Ivey Jr., Larry Sanders, Doug Rasheed, Stevie Wonder
Music genre(s): West Coast Hip Hop, Gangsta Rap, G-funk
Released: 01 August 1995
Decade for first release: #1990s
https://u2be.ovh/w/eWzGZRwPvX7U69dasWpZMs?start=0s&autoplay=1
#coolio #lv #westcoasthiphop #gangstarap #gfunk #gangstasparadise #dangerousminds #steviewonder #1990s #soundtrack #HipHop #ClassicHipHop #HipHop #ripcoolio #MichelleMariePfeiffer #MichellePfeiffer #youtubefree #googlefree #metafree #SongOfTheHour #SOTH #songoftheday #SOTD #MeinSongDesTages #MSDT
Tommy Boy Records is a legendary Hip Hop & Electronic record label founded in New York City in 1981. The label is credited with launching the careers of notable legends Queen Latifah, House of Pain, Coolio and Naughty By Nature.