Maps of Music

Gangsta's Paradise (1995)

Where the lyrics of Gangsta's Paradise take you, and where it was really made.

The title track reached the public through a 1995 film before this album came out.

Key places

Echo Sounds in Los Angeles (1995)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The album's recording credits list Echo Sounds in Los Angeles, California as a place of recording. The point is placed at city-centre level, not at the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Studio 56 in Hollywood (1995)

Recording site Studio 56 — The album's recording credits list Studio 56 in Hollywood, California as a place of recording. The point uses the studio's building-level coordinates from the candidate record. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Gangsta's Paradise: second studio album by American rapper Coolio
• Released 7 November 1995 according to the English Wikipedia; German and French Wikipedia give 2 October 1995
• German Wikipedia names Tommy Boy Records and Warner Bros. as the labels
• Discogs credits Tommy Boy Music, Inc. for the 1995 copyright and for manufacturing and distribution
• Coolio's best-selling album, with over three million copies sold in the United States
• Title track first used in the 1995 film Dangerous Minds, released before the album

Background

• Three singles released: the title track, 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New), and Too Hot
• French Wikipedia says the title track is also on the soundtrack of Esprits rebelles, released in August 1995
• The title track later appeared on The Green Hornet soundtrack in 2011
• Many songs sample or interpolate older recordings by other artists
• Nine of the 17 songs feature musicians besides Coolio

Recording

• Credited recording places: Echo Sounds in Los Angeles and Studio 56 in Hollywood, California
• Coolio produced part of the album himself, with several other producers on the rest
• Devon Davis, Oji Pierce, James Carter and Brian Dobbs each produced three instrumentals
• Christopher Hamabe and Dominic Aldridge each produced two beats

Cover

• Coolio wears a purple shirt and a white tie
• Dark night sky behind skyscrapers with lit windows
• White titles on a black band at the top and bottom edges

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. on August 1, 1963, in Monessen, Pennsylvania; moved to Compton, California, at age eight.
• Began rapping as a teenager and earned the nickname Coolio Iglesias, later shortened to Coolio.
• Worked for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and at Los Angeles International Airport security before becoming a rapper.

Career

• Recorded first single "Whatcha Gonna Do?" in 1987; joined WC and the Maad Circle in 1991.
• Debut solo album It Takes a Thief (1994) was certified Platinum; lead single "Fantastic Voyage" peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995) topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
• Released nine albums in total; the first three achieved mainstream success. Sold 4.8 million albums in the U.S.
• Appeared in numerous television shows, including Futurama, Charmed, and Celebrity Big Brother 6 (placed 3rd).

Death

• Died on September 28, 2022, in Los Angeles at age 59.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Spin: Barry Walters called it probably the most stylistically broad mainstream rap album of the year
• Spin: Walters said it sounds like a collection of hits even on first listen
• Entertainment Weekly: ranked it #4 on its Top 10 Albums of 1995
• Entertainment Weekly: said Coolio makes the ghetto seem a place of hope as well as desolation
• The Source: Allen S. Gordon wrote that the lyrics reach all levels of the Black experience
• The Source: Gordon said few artists straddle commercial and underground hip-hop
• Musician: said Coolio ties his music to a message as deep as the groove
• Rap Pages: gave the album 7 out of 10
• NME: gave the album 7 out of 10, and saw a more reflective view of urban life in Los Angeles than on the debut

Records

• Sales: over three million copies sold in the United States
• Billboard Hot 100: Gangsta's Paradise reached number 1, 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New) reached number 5, Too Hot peaked at number 24
• US album chart: peaked at number 9 and stayed 62 weeks in the top 200
• Germany: entered the album chart at number 16 on 20 November 1995, peaked at number 6 nine weeks later
• Germany: 28 weeks in the top 100
• Germany year-end chart 1996: number 45
• Grammy: nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1997 Grammys, lost to The Score by the Fugees
• Grammy: the title song won Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1996 Grammys
• Grammy: Sumpin' New was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1997 Grammys

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title track was first used in the 1995 film Dangerous Minds, which was released before this album
• The title track interpolates Stevie Wonder's Pastime Paradise, and its first line is taken from Psalm 23
• Too Hot interpolates the Kool & the Gang song of the same name
• Geto Highlites samples the Isley Brothers' Groove With You, and its intro interpolates two James Brown songs
• The cover shows Coolio in a purple shirt and white tie against a night skyline
• The title track was also used on The Green Hornet soundtrack in 2011

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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