S.O.D. "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring L.V.

10/3/2015     This 1995 hip hop/rap masterpiece basically took over the charts landing the #1 position in 18 countries and becoming the UK's first rap song to sell more than 1 million copies.  It went Platinum in 8 countries and won 4 awards including best music video in a film- "Dangerous Minds" starring Michelle Pfeiffer who also stars in the video.  Writing credits go to Coolio, Larry Sanders AKA L.V., Doug Rasheed and Stevie Wonder.  

     The melody of the tune is the same as Wonder's 1976 song "Pasttime Paradise" with a different orchestration of the same music.  The lyrics first written by Coolio had some swearing in them as many of his songs do.  When Wonder told him he wasn't cool with that, he changed it and was pleased with the results.  Beginning with Psalm 23:4 "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" it tells the story of a young African-American gangster and his realization that there is no way out of the choices he has made.