Gangsta's Paradise
Encyclopedia
Gangsta's Paradise is the second album
by rapper Coolio
, released on November 21, 1995. The album contained three hits: "Gangsta's Paradise
", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
, "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)
", which reached #5, and "Too Hot," which peaked at #24.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by rapper Coolio
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
, released on November 21, 1995. The album contained three hits: "Gangsta's Paradise
Gangsta's Paradise (song)
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a rap song by Coolio featuring L.V.. The song was released on the Coolio album Gangsta's Paradise, as well as the Dangerous Minds soundtrack in 1995. Coolio was awarded a Grammy for the song/album...
", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)
1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)
"1, 2, 3, 4 " is a 1995 song recorded by American rapper Coolio. It was the third single from the album Gangsta's Paradise and was released in early 1996. Initially entitled "Sumpin' New", the song uses a sample from "Thighs High ", recorded in 1981 by American jazz trumpeter Tom Browne...
", which reached #5, and "Too Hot," which peaked at #24.
Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "That's How It Is" | Coolio | Coolio, Talkbox |
| 2 | "Geto Highlites" | Christopher Hamabe, Devon Davis | Coolio, 40 Thevz (backing vocals) |
| 3 | "Gangsta's Paradise Gangsta's Paradise (song) "Gangsta's Paradise" is a rap song by Coolio featuring L.V.. The song was released on the Coolio album Gangsta's Paradise, as well as the Dangerous Minds soundtrack in 1995. Coolio was awarded a Grammy for the song/album... " |
Doug Rasheed | Coolio, L.V., Trinna Simmons (backing) |
| 4 | "Too Hot" | Bryan Dobbs | Coolio, J.T. Taylor |
| 5 | "Cruisin'" | Christopher Hamabe, Devon Davis | Coolio, Malika, Shaunna D. (backing) |
| 6 | "Exercise Yo Game" | Jay Williams, Maurice Thompson | 40 Thevz, Coolio, E-40 E-40 Earl Stevens , better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and investor from Vallejo, California. He is also part of the rap group The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. His solo debut album, Federal, was released in November 1992, after The Click's debut... , Kam Kam (rapper) Kam is an American political emcee known primarily among hip hop fans and music critics during the 1990s. Born in Los Angeles, he is considered an esteemed West Coast underground rapper. He is known for his Nation of Islam-influenced lyrics and membership, and affiliation with his cousin, fellow... |
| 7 | "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New) 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New) "1, 2, 3, 4 " is a 1995 song recorded by American rapper Coolio. It was the third single from the album Gangsta's Paradise and was released in early 1996. Initially entitled "Sumpin' New", the song uses a sample from "Thighs High ", recorded in 1981 by American jazz trumpeter Tom Browne... " |
James Carter, Poison Ivey | Coolio |
| 8 | "Smilin'" | Dominic Aldridge, James Carter, Reece Carter (co-producer) | Coolio, Baby G (backing) |
| 9 | "Fucc Coolio" | Coolio | Coolio |
| 10 | "Kinda High Kinda Drunk" | Dominic Aldridge, James Carter, Danny Taylor (co-producer) | Coolio |
| 11 | "For My Sistas" | Oji Pierce | Coolio, Lashann Dendy |
| 12 | "Is This Me?" | Devon Davis | Coolio, LV, Rated R |
| 13 | "A Thing Goin' On" | Oji Pierce | Coolio, Jeremy Monroe |
| 14 | "Bright As the Sun" | Oji Pierce | Coolio, Will Wheaton |
| 15 | "Recoup This" | Spoon | Coolio, Capucine Jackson (backing), P.S. (backing) |
| 16 | "The Revolution" | Bryan Dobbs | Coolio |
| 17 | "Get Up, Get Down" | Bryan Dobbs | Coolio, Leek Ratt, Malika, P.S., Ras Kass Ras Kass John Austin IV, better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is also a part of hip hop supergroup The HRSMN along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt... , Shorty Shorty Shorty is a 2000 film produced by Noontide Filmworks, written, produced and directed by Jon Chang. The story follows Russell, aka "shorty", a modern urban Cyrano afflicted by his lack of height. shorty is played by Andre Canty, with Michele Persley as Venus and Frank Mayers as Eric... , WC WC -Computing:* wc , a Unix utility used for counting words and lines in a file* Wing Commander , a video game media franchise* Write-combining, a computing performance method of combining multiple memory writes before sending them-Industry:... |
Samples and interpolations
- "Gangsta's Paradise" contains samplesSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of "Pastime Paradise", performed by Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
. - "Too Hot" contains an interpolation of "Too Hot", originally performed by Kool & The GangKool & the GangKool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and...
. - "Cruisin'" contains an interpolation of "Cruisin'", originally performed by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles.
- "Sumpin' New" contains samples of "Thighs High (Grip Your Hips More)", performed by Tom Browne, and "Wikka Wrap", performed by The Evasions.
- "Smilin'" contains an interpolation of "You Caught Me Smiling", originally performed by Sly & The Family StoneSly & the Family StoneSly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
. - "Kinda High, Kinda Drunk" contains interpolations of "Saturday Night" and "The Boyz in Da Hood"
- "For My Sistas" contains an interpolation of "Make Me Say It Again Girl", originally performed by The Isley BrothersThe Isley BrothersThe Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
. - "A Thing Goin' On" contains an interpolation of "Me & Mrs. Jones".
- "The Revolution" contains an interpolation of "Magic Night".
- "Get Up, Get Down" contains an interpolation of "ChameleonChameleon (composition)"Chameleon" is a jazz standard composed by Herbie Hancock in collaboration with Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson and Harvey Mason, all of whom also performed the original 15'44" version on the 1973 landmark album Head Hunters featuring solos by Hancock and Maupin....
", originally performed by Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
. - Song "Gangsta's Paradise" is used in the film Dangerous MindsDangerous MindsDangerous Minds is an American drama film based on the autobiography My Posse Don't Do Homework by former U.S. Marine LouAnne Johnson, who took up a teaching position at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, where most of her students were African-American and Hispanic teenagers from East...
(1995). - The first line of "Gangster's Paradise" is taken from Psalm 23Psalm 23In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....
.
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Platinum | July 21, 1997 | 100,000 |
| Germany | Gold | 1996 | 250,000 |
| Netherlands | Gold | 1996 | 40,000 |
| Sweden | Gold | March 28, 1996 | 10,000 |
| UK | Gold | January 1, 1996 | 300,000 |
| U.S. | 2 x Platinum | April 10, 1996 | 2,000,000 |
Peak positions
| Chart (1995–1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 12 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 4 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart | 28 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart | 14 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 9 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 11 |
| French SNEP Albums Chart | 38 |
| German Albums Chart | 6 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart | 5 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 24 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 16 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 2 |
| UK Albums Chart | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 14 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 33 |