But it’s equally as strong, it didn’t need them. “In the original, we did have a few curse words in there but in order for me to get Stevie Wonder to sign off on it, there was a list of words that after he listened to it, these were the words that he changed and that’s what I had to do.

However, the 53-year-old explains a few swear words were removed as a “conscious choice”. With Coolio’s thoughtful lyrics, distinct verbal flow and the hook lifted from Stevie Wonder’s 1976 track Pastime Paradise, Gangsta’s Paradise is powerful and impossible to ignore. It was written and recorded within four hours of me hearing it. With the hit gaining worldwide attention, it comes as a surprise that it was written so quickly. I wrote the song so quickly, it was almost as if I always knew it.” “I believe that the song gave me some type of divine intervention because it just came, and it wasn’t something that I really had to think about. Then I found out that I couldn’t really do that anymore because it meant so many different things to so many different people, that I let it develop on its own and let it create its own space,” he says. “It was a long time ago, I had one view of what it was a hood song. This ultimate throwback is a reflection on the life of a gangsta, combining rap, popular culture and inspiring lyrics.Ĭoolio made his mark in hip hop forever, with this song receiving an unprecedented response from the public which still resonates today. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox feat.Created by rap artist Coolio (formally known as Artis Leon Ivey Jr.), the 1995 track is, in simple terms, a global phenomenon. Gangsta’s Paradise ( part of a “90’s Hitmix” DJ‐mix) Gangsta’s Paradise ( live, The Howard Stern Show, New York, NY, USA) Gangsta’s Paradise ( part of “The Mix of the Century” DJ‐mix) Gangsta's Paradise (Hyper Go Go radio edit) Gangsta's Paradise (Hyper Go Go Bounty mix)

Gangsta's Paradise ( live, 2000: Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium) circa 1998)ĪlGore Paradise Amish Paradise Ganske hyggeligt paradis Shepherd's Paradise Jobete Music Polygram International ( renamed Universal PolyGram International Publishing, Inc. ( US rapper, actor, chef & record producer) Larry James Sanders ( US R&B singer Larry Sanders, known for “Gangsta’s Paradise”) Doug Rasheed Stevie Wonder

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