Coolio - "Gangsta's Paradise"

Coolio released his second studio album, “Gangsta’s Paradise”, November 21, 1995 on Tommy Boy Records. His most successful album sales wise, “Gangsta’s Paradise” sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone. The title track, which was used in the film Dangerous Minds, also won Coolio a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance. On the album, Coolio depicts the trials of life as a gangster, cautions against the practice of unsafe sex, urges Men to take the responsibility of fatherhood seriously, and blesses us with the Coolio standard party jam. Production was handled by several different producers, each brining a unique sound, but also befitting Coolio, to the album. The album also features appearances by the 40 Thevz, E-40, LA, “J.T.” Taylor, and Ras Kass among others. “Gangsta’s Paradise” is in grained in the memory of every 80s and 90s baby, Hip Hop fans or not. Coolio’s ability to draw fans of other genres is a quality not held by many other artists and is one of the reasons Coolio is so well regard amongst fans of music.

 ******Guest's choice review James (@ghostdriver22) 

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Chris: James! Welcome to the blog! Thank you for coming on! First off, what made you want to review “Gangsta’s Paradise”? Do you have any specific memories from listening to this album when you were younger? 

James: Chris, thanks for having me! What made me want to review “Gangsta’s Paradise” was the memories it brought with as a kid. I was 9 when I first heard it and bought the cassette with my older Godbrother Kevin. One specific memory was finding the cassette in my Mom’s office between a couple office files after she had heard some of the songs I was listening to. 

Chris: So did you take it back then? I think that I’ve mentioned it before on the blog that my parents censored us growing up but it didn’t stop us listening or procuring albums with that “Parental Advisory” label. Actually at one point I had gotten my collection confiscated and I had to resort to keeping my tapes at my next neighbor’s house. 

James: I did. I searched for the tape the next day but it was not until about a week later that I noticed the case peeking out between a couple books on the upper shelf in her office. 

Chris: When I read other reviews on this album, the critics lauded Coolio’s ability to describe the harsh realities of inner city life all while maintaining mainstream appeal. For me, especially when listening to songs like “Geto Highlites” and “Gangsta’s Paradise”, it was hard to take Coolio seriously. The mainstream appeal is probably would turned me off from really delving into what he was actually saying. It was just kind of funny to me. What do think of Coolio as a chronicler of the ghetto experience? 

James: In some ways I can completely relate to how you feel. Some roads Coolio took his listeners down, were a little bumpy and straight up a wall which many just ran into. When I was 9, those songs went right over my head and the only similar experience I had to a ghetto was my first deployment in Kandahar living in a tent with people from around the world that left their country to survive. I think Coolio lived it and was not always sober when he wrote so to understand some/many of his lyrics could be impossible. 

Chris: So after that experience in Kandahar, do the lyrics of a song like “Gangster’s Paradise” resonate more with you now? I can imagine that it might. I don’t know if it’s the hair or the fact that he reminds me of my Uncle or the content of some of his other songs but I couldn’t and still can’t get there. James: I think unless you came up near Coolio or lived the same situations, all one can do is listen and try their best to appreciate each story. 

Coolio feat. L.V. – “Gangsta’s Paradise”

   

Chris: An easy topic for discussion would be Weird Al’s parody of “Gangster’s Paradise” but I’m more interested in your opinion on some of the other “Gangster’s Paradise” parodies that are out there. What are your thoughts on David Lopez’s “Hispanic Paradise” and Miss Cartmell’s “Mathematics Paradise”? 

James: I think those parody’s are entertaining and a tool to latch children by relation into learning. Weird Al was a genius in his own right and the other versions I’m newly familiar with. I typically prefer the original. 

 Chris: If “Gangster’s Paradise” were too come out today, a #GangstasParadiseChallenge would undoubtedly go viral. The “Hispanic Paradise” hits home for me and I enjoy the math humor in “Mathematics Paradise”. After re-listening to this album, I have more of an appreciation for the OG as well. Did you know that LV, the guy that sang the hook, also did all of the voices you hear in the choir? 

David Lopez – “Hispanic Paradise”

   

Miss Cartmell’s Class – “Mathematics Paradise”

   

James: Not until you mentioned LV did I know he did all of them. There may have been a gap from my childhood ‘til now that I did not listen or research Coolio. 

Chris: There were several different producers that contributed to the beats on this album. What did you think about the production on the album? Did you feel like it lacked cohesion with that many different people behind the boards? 

James: As simple as the beat was for “Gangsta’s Paradise”, it was complex for its time. Some of the other songs on the album seemed like fillers but that’s typical with albums is to have 1 or 2 songs that make it to the charts and the rest just sit and fill the room. 

Chris: One thing I learned after listening to this album again is that J.T. from Kool & the Gang sang the hook on “Too Hot”. That got me wondering how J.T. felt singing the hook on a reinterpretation of one of his old songs. The Kool & the Gang version was about a tumultuous relationship hitting its boiling point, while Coolio’s was about the importance of practicing safe sex. Again, this was a song that just came across as funny to me and I appreciate Coolio on that level even if that was not his intention. What did you think of Coolio’s “Too Hot”? 

James: With a couple 15s bumpin’ and a girl in the passenger seat, with tracks like “Too Hot”, there is nowhere else I’d rather be. Once I was old enough to drive the streets, beats like these always made me feel care free. Coolio was being a realist in this track because kids are going to explore and learn the world. Human nature will always prove this. The best thing parents can do is try their best to prepare and make kids aware. 

Chris: My favorite line on “Too Hot” was “Understand that we livin’ in the the 90s, loc/Nuclear waste, cannibalism and pistol smoke”. That cannibalism line really caught me off guard. Was there really a high incidence of cannibalism in the 1990s? So I googled it and there actually was! 

James: Cannibalism is a horrifying topic but still happens today around the world. I think this was noted in the song because people may have had so little that after taking out an enemy in the hood, some may have taken the body home to survive. That is just my guess. Nuclear waste, in Compton CA? Maybe, I was north of Oakland but I know Oakland produced some stuff that was not good for the environment, surprising being right on coast… 

Coolio feat. James “J.T.” Taylor – “Too Hot” 

 

Chris: Probably my favorite song on the album is “1, 2, 3, 4”. It’s just Coolio doing what he does best. The party track. “1, 2, 3, 4” isn’t quite “Fantastic Voyage” but it’s right up there and the use of the Tom Browne sample is just brilliant. I actually prefer the video version (the “Timber Mix”) to the album version. What was your favorite song(s) on the album? 

James: Truth be told, I will always remember and mention “Gangsta’s Paradise” first, but “1, 2, 3, 4” is probably the song my Mom overheard and ended up taking the cassette that day back in 95’. So that memory of the censorship will make me laugh…since I kept listening anyway after I found the cassette later. 

Chris: Do you remember which line it was? James: “Gotta Gotta get up to get down” My mom took it I was listening to songs about partying and hooking up. I was even banned from listening to some disco because of similar lyrics. This lasted a short time. 

 Coolio – “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)” (Timber Mix)

   

Tom Browne – “Thighs High (Grip Your Hips)”

   

Chris: “Gangsta’s Paradise” was a highly successful album in terms of sales and impact on popular culture. Did it stand the test of time for you? How do you feel “Gangsta’s Paradise” now after re-listening? 

James: Yes. Typically I listen to the more upbeat songs to improve my mood. “Gangsta’s Paradise” is one of the songs I will never forget and used to go to sleep to so now days it is still fresh in my mind. After re-listening, I think “Oh man” if I ever met Coolio, I would have to pay respect for what he survived growing up and all the hard work he put in back in the day. Motivates me to keep a poker face and work hard because I have it better than he did. 

Chris: I definitely appreciate how special it is too achieve that level of success. To me, the song “Gangster’s Paradise”, the music video and even the movie “Dangerous Minds” did not age very well. This wasn’t an album I listened to all that much growing up, so in many ways this way my first time through it. It definitely inspired me to listen to more Coolio. While I may not be a big fan of this album, I am definitely a fan of Coolio.