The rapper became world famous in 1995 when he released this title for the soundtrack of the film Dangerous Minds (Dangerous Minds) with Michelle Pfeiffer. It became the year’s top single and earned Coolio a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. With a melody taken from the title Pastime Paradise by Stevie Wonder, published in 1976 in his album Songs In The Key of Lifethe hit sold millions of copies worldwide, reaching the top of the pop music charts in 16 countries.
I have not written Gangsta’s Paradise. She wrote to me…
“Gangsta’s Paradise is about life, cause we also live in gangster heaven“, said Coolio about his song in 1995, guest of the radio show Howard Stern Show. In an interview given more than ten years later to the British broadcast The Voice, Coolio said he had no idea the song would stick around for so many years. “I have not written Gangsta’s Paradise. She was the one who wrote to me… It was her own entity, out there in the spirit world, trying to make its way into the world, and she chose me as her vessel.“, he assured. “I never thought it would spread like it did, touching all ages, races, genders, countries and generations“, he said.
Coolio subsequently never replicated the success of his flagship title, but released hits like 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New) and Too Hot. An endearing gangsta rap star, Coolio has seen his popularity grow thanks to colorful music videos. He then embarked on an acting career, notably landing a role in batman and robin in 1997 and making several appearances on television, notably in the seminal series of the 1990s A nanny from hell. He had remade the news for a less glorious reason, in 2016 for illegally carrying a firearm. In a relationship with Lesly Mess, now known as Afida Turner, for several years, he was accused of domestic violence against his partner Anabella Chatman. The announcement of his disappearance puts his music in the foreground, far from his accusations of violence.