Gangsta's Paradise [PA]

Performer: L.V./Coolio/Lil Scrappy
Artist: James "J.T." Taylor; E-40; Shorty; Kam; WC; Ras Kass; 40 Thevz
Distributor: Alternative Dis. Alliance

Notes: Personnel: Coolio, Talkbox, Malika, E-40, Kam, 40 Thevz, Rated R, Jeremy Monroe, Leek Ratt, PS, Ras Kass, WC, Shorty, PS, Capucine Jackson (vocals); Romeo, Jammin' James (various instruments); Stan "The Guitar Man" Jones (guitar, bass); Chris Fletcher, Darryl Crookes, Eric "Funkyworm" Park, Brian James (guitar); "Roy Dog" Pennon (keyboards, bass); Chris Hamabe, Devon Davis (keyboards, programming); Frank "Spade" Cannon (keyboards); Charles "Charlie Macc" Anderson, Andrew Gouche (bass); L.V., Trinna Simmons, J.T. Taylor, Shaunna D., Baby G., Lashanna Dendy, Will Wheaton (background vocals). Producers include: Coolio, Christopher Hamabe, Devon Davis, Doug Rasheed, Brian "The Wino" Dobbs. Engineers: Bob Morse, Mark Nathan, Patrick MacDougall. Recorded at Echo Sounds, Los Angeles, California and Studio 56, Hollywood, California. The single "Gangsta's Paradise" won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. The single was also nominated for Record Of The Year. "Sumpin' New" was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, and GANGSTA'S PARADISE was nominated for a 1997 Grammy for Best Rap Album. Personnel: Coolio, Malika, E-40, Kam, 40 Thevz, Rated R, Jeremy Monroe, Leek Ratt, PS, Ras Kass, WC, Shorty (vocals); Romeo, Jammin' James (various instruments); Stan "The Guitar Man" Jones (guitar, bass); Chris Fletcher, Darryl Crookes, Eric "Funkyworm" Park, Brian James (guitar); "Roy Dog" Pennon (keyboards, bass); Chris Hamabe, Devon Davis (keyboards, programming); Frank "Spade" Cannon (keyboards); Charles "Charlie Macc" Anderson, Andrew Gouche (bass); L.V., Trinna Simmons, J.T. Taylor, Shaunna D., Baby G., Lashanna Dendy, Will Wheaton (background vocals). Producers include: Christopher Hamabe, Devon Davis, Doug Rasheed, Brian "The Wino" Dobbs, Jay "Jay Supreme" Williams. Engineers: Bob Morse, Mark Nathan, Patrick MacDougall. Recorded at Echo Sounds, Los Angeles, California and Studio 56, Hollywood, California. The single "Gangsta's Paradise" won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. The single was also nominated for Record Of The Year. "Sumpin' New" was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, and GANGSTA'S PARADISE was nominated for a 1997 Grammy for Best Rap Album. "Be it wrong or right...these are the geto highlites." In that one line lies the genius of Coolio (even if he can't spell "ghetto"). From this disc's first track--a short dialogue that sums up both the violent, inexorable sameness and the strange attraction of ghetto life--to the Grammy-winning title track, Coolio and his crew take an unflinching look at life on the streets of America. The music--sampled from, and made possible by, the likes of Stevie Wonder, the Evasions and Kool And The Gang--stays compelling throughout. Despite his hard-edged stance, Coolio shows a decided preference for summertime cruising grooves, the kind that make you wanna put your arm up on a hot aluminum door strip and watch the underworld go by.

Spin (12/95, p.82) - 8 (out of 10) - "...Today's rappers aren't interested in sharing any knowledge with outsiders. Coolio is the great exception....the most stylistically broad mainstream rap album you'll probably hear all year. Even upon first listen, it sounds like a collection of hits..." Entertainment Weekly (12/29/95-1/5/96, p.132) - Ranked #4 on EW's Top 10 Albums Of 1995. Entertainment Weekly (11/10/95, p.62) - "...the level-headed street philosopher, preaching respect for black women, fatherly responsibility, and safe sex....continuing in the great tradition of Sly Stone and Stevie Wonder....Coolio and his crew make the ghetto seem not just a place of desolation, but of hope." - Rating: B+ The Source (2/96, pp.87-88) - 4 Mics (out of 5) - "...The crazy braided one brings skilled and insightful lyrics that reach and relate to all levels of the Black experience....sets standards that corny lyrics and catchy loops can't compete with....Few artists can straddle the line between commercial and underground hip-hop..." Musician (2/96, p.94) - "...Coolio ties his music to a message that's as deep as the groove..." Rap Pages (12/95, p.30) - 7 (out of 10) - "...maybe because he rapped for a decade with no props, got yanked on record deals...this cool-ass homie from Compton has stayed grounded....Coolio rejoices in the only life he knows..." NME (Magazine) (11/4/95, p.49) - 7 (out of 10) - "...Instead of playing the role of the Uzi-toting big-shot, he adopts a more reflective view of urban life in Los Angeles....In doing so, Coolio takes a deliberate step forward from last year's light-hearted debut..."

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