Coolio, “Gangsta’s Paradise” | Rap BNGRZ 🔥

In the 24^th edition of Rap BNGRZ 🔥 (2022), we break down the banger status of “Gangsta’s Paradise,” performed by Coolio.

Bring on the braggadocio, drip, sex, and kick-a$$ery – is that even a real word?  Regardless of whether it is or isn’t, you’ve entered Rap BNGRZ 🔥 territory! On Rap BNGRZ 🔥 (bangers, spelled properly), the premise is simple. BNGRZ provides background info and commentary on cocky, confident, ferocious hip-hop/rap songs. The bangers featured on BNGRZ can be brand-spanking-new or certified classics. In the 24^th edition of Rap BNGRZ 🔥 (2022), we break down the banger status of 🎵 “Gangsta’s Paradise” performed by 🎙 Coolio.

Theme & Lyrics ✍

“They’ve been spendin’ most their lives livin’ in the gangsta’s paradise / We keep spendin’ most our lives livin’ in the gangsta’s paradise.” Sadly, on September 28, 2022, 🎙 Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey, Jr.) passed away at the age of 59 years old 😭.  He was an integral part of hip-hop/rap in the 1990s, with his biggest hit being the no. 1, 🏆 Grammy-winning single, 🎵 “Gangsta’s Paradise”. “Gangsta’s Paradise” famously appeared in the film and soundtrack for 💿 Dangerous Minds (starring 🎭 Michelle Pfeiffer), and reappeared on Coolio’s 1995 album, fittingly titled 💿 Gangsta’s Paradise.

🎙 L.V. sang the chorus, which interpolates a 1970s 🎙 Stevie Wonder joint, 🎵 “Pastime Paradise” (“They’ve been spending most their lives / Living in a pastime paradise”).  Per Rolling Stone, getting Wonder to sign off on the use of “Pastime Paradise,” an integral part of this masterpiece, mind you, was no easy feat.  After Coolio’s wife stepped in, convinced Wonder’s brother to meet with Coolio, and Coolio agreed to remove profanity, and give Wonder writing credit (which yielded ample profit for him), it was cleared.  Woo! Honestly, can you imagine “Gangsta’s Paradise” being reworked sans “Pastime Paradise” – those dramatic strings and chords were a must!

With a timeless chorus and epic production fueled by the sample, that last and most important piece of the puzzle is Coolio.  He slays in his rhymes with an ultra-compelling flow.  Following the intro, which highlights the Stevie Wonder sample, Coolio famously raps, “As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death / I take a look at my life and realize there’s nothin’ left.” Woo! From there, you might say, for Coolio, “It’s on like Donkey Kong!” “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,” he spits, continuing, “You better watch how you talkin’ and where you walkin’ / Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk.” Oh, snap! Those are merely the excerpts from the first verse.  In the second, there’s the gem, “I’m 23 now, but will I live to see 24? / The way things is goin’, I don’t know.” There’s also the third verse, where Coolio rhymes, “They say I gotta learn, but nobody’s here to teach me / If they can’t understand it, how can they reach me?” He has a day-um point! Finally, can’t neglect to mention the refrain, which sometimes prefaces the chorus and ultimately, concludes the record:

“Tell me why are we, so blind to see

That the ones we hurt are you and me?”

Final Thoughts 💭

Honestly, 🎵 “Gangsta’s Paradise” is the type of classic record that you could write an entire book about and probably still wouldn’t have completely analyzed it.  There’s no way that Coolio dies and I don’t highlight this beloved, still relevant, classic rap banger.  Where there are so many rap songs released in the 2020s that have a short shelf life – a clear expiration date if you will – “Gangsta’s Paradise” has proven to be timeless. Coolio’s hit is one of those once-in-a-lifetime gems, NO CAP.

🎙 Coolio • 💿 Gangsta’s Paradise • 🏷 Tommy Boy • 🗓 1995

Coolio, “Gangsta’s Paradise”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 No. 24 (2022) [📷: Brent Faulkner, cottonbro, Epic, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Tommy Boy]