"Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio, released on August 1, 1995 by Tommy Boy, Warner Bros. and MCA. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's song "Pastime Paradise" (1976), "Gangsta's Paradise" features vocals from American singer L.V. who served as a co-composer and co-lyricist with Coolio and Doug Rasheed, with Wonder also being credited for the composition and lyrics. Certified Platinum in October, the song was included on Coolio's second album, Gangsta's Paradise, in November 1995. Its music video was directed by Antoine Fuqua and featured Michelle Pfeiffer. The song is taken from Pfeiffer's movie, Dangerous Minds. The music video is also themed around the movie.
"Gin and Juice" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on January 18, 1994, as the second single from his debut album, Doggystyle (1993). The song was produced by Dr. Dre and contains an interpolation from Slave's "Watching You" in its chorus and a sample from George McCrae. Tony Green created its bassline; additional vocalists on the song include Dat Nigga Daz, Jewell, Heney Loc, and Sean "Barney" Thomas. "Gin and Juice" peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It earned a gold certification from the RIAA and sold 700,000 copies.
"Right in the Night (Fall in Love with Music)" is a song by German electronic music duo Jam & Spoon, released by JAM! and Dance Pool as the second single from the duo's second album, Tripomatic Fairytales 2001 (1993). It is a Eurodance song with elements from progressive and vocal trance. It is based on "Leyenda" by the classical composer Isaac Albéniz and features vocals by American vocalist Plavka, with lyrics by Nosie Katzmann. The flamenco-styled riff in the song is played by duo member Jam El Mar, who was trained as a classical guitarist.
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic (1992). As the album's first single it reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 20, 1993, behind "Informer" by Snow, outperformed The Chronic's other singles, "Fuck wit Dre Day ", which peaked at number 8, and "Let Me Ride", which peaked at number 34. The single also reached number 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and was a number 31 hit in the UK. Its music video was directed by Dr. Dre himself.
"Find a Way" is a song by A Tribe Called Quest, the first single from their fifth album The Love Movement. The New York Times' Ben Ratliff wrote that "Find a Way" "innocently wonders about the point at which friendship spills over into sex."
"Regulate" is a song performed by American rapper Warren G featuring American singer Nate Dogg. It was released in the spring of 1994 as the first single on the soundtrack to the film Above the Rim and later Warren G's debut album, Regulate... G Funk Era (1994). It became an MTV staple and the song reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. "Regulate" was number 98 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop and number 108 on Pitchfork Media's "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s".
"Keep Their Heads Ringin'" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre featuring vocalist Nanci Fletcher. It was the only single released from the soundtrack of the 1995 movie Friday, starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. Although the soundtrack was released on Priority Records, Death Row Records still owns the masters to the song. In the United States, the song topped the Hot Rap Tracks chart and peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified gold by the RIAA on May 10, 1995, and sold 700,000 copies domestically. It interpolates "Funk You Up" by The Sequence from their 1980 single released under Sugar Hill. F. Gary Gray directed the music video for the song.
It Takes a Thief is the debut studio album by American rapper Coolio. It was released on July 19, 1994, on Warner Bros. Records. The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to the often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.
"Da Bomb" is the third and final single released by American hip hop duo Kris Kross from their second album of the same name. It features female rapper Da Brat in what was her first appearance on a song. Da Bomb would prove to be the least successful single released from the album, not charting on the Billboard Hot 100 and making it to #25 on the Hot Rap Singles. Two versions of the song were released the original LP version and the Explosive Mix that was used in the music video. The line "I drop bombs like Hiroshima" was edited out of the song for the album's Japanese release.
"Mr. Wendal" is a song by American rap group Arrested Development from their debut album, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... (1992). In Europe and Australia, it was issued as a double A-side with their following single, "Revolution." In the United States, the song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, selling 500,000 copies and earning a gold certification. Worldwide, it reached the top 10 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The song's music video was directed by Keith Ward and received a nomination at the 1994 Soul Train Music Awards.
"Dirty Dawg" is a song by American boyband NKOTB, which became their final single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 until the 2008 single "Summertime". It was featured on their 1994 album Face the Music. The lead vocals were sung by Jordan Knight and Donnie Wahlberg rapped in the song, but he rapped only small bits during the instrumental breaks. There was another rap in the song featured by the former East Coast hip hop duo Nice & Smooth.
This is the discography of Coolio, an American rapper.
"Shoop" is the lead single released from American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa's fourth studio album, Very Necessary (1993). The song was produced by group members Sandra "Pepa" Denton and Cheryl "Salt" James with Mark Sparks. It features an uncredited verse by rapper Otwane "Big Twan Lov-Her" Roberts. Released in September 1993 by Next Plateau, the song became one of the group's more successful singles, reaching number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Rap Singles chart at number one. Two months after its release, "Shoop" was certified gold by the RIAA; it went on to sell 1.2 million copies. Its accompanying music video was directed by Scott Kalvert. The success of both this single and the follow-up single "Whatta Man" propelled Very Necessary to sell over 5 million copies in the US, becoming the group's best-selling album.
"C U When U Get There" is a song by American rapper Coolio featuring 40 Thevz. It was released in June 1997 as the first single from Coolio's third studio album, My Soul (1997). The track was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1997 comedy film Nothing to Lose. It heavily interpolates Johann Pachelbel's Baroque "Canon in D Major."
"I Wish" is a song written and performed by American rapper Skee-Lo. It was released on April 10, 1995, via Scotti Brothers Records as the lead single from the rapper's debut studio album of the same name (1995). Recording sessions took place at Sunshine Studios in Hollywood, California. Production was handled by Walter "Kandor" Kahn and Skee-Lo himself.
"1, 2, 3, 4 " is a song by American rapper Coolio. It was the third single released from his second studio album, Gangsta's Paradise (1995), in February 1996. Initially entitled "Sumpin' New", the song uses a sample from "Thighs High ", recorded in 1981 by American jazz trumpeter Tom Browne, and also includes a vocal sample from "Wikka Wrap" by the Evasions, from 1981. The song achieved success in several countries, including the United States, France, Iceland, and New Zealand, where it was a top-10 hit.
"Physical Funk" is a song written, performed and produced by American rapper Domino. It was released on February 6, 1996 through Outburst Records as the lead single from his second studio album Physical Funk.
"It's All the Way Live (Now)" is a song by American rapper Coolio. It was released in May 1996 as the lead single to the Eddie soundtrack. The song became Coolio's fifth top-40 single and his fourth to achieve at least a gold certification from the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies. The song sampled "It's All the Way Live" by funk band Lakeside, his second single to both sample and take the name from a Lakeside song after his 1994 hit, "Fantastic Voyage".
"Too Hot" is a song recorded by the American band Kool & the Gang for their 1979 album Ladies' Night. It was written by George Brown and Kool & the Gang, and produced by Eumir Deodato and Kool & the Gang. The song reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Ooh La La" is a song by American rapper Coolio, released as the second single from his third solo album, My Soul (1997), on September 9, 1997. The song contains a sample of "Pull Up to the Bumper" by Grace Jones, so Jones, Sly and Robbie, and Dana Manno were given writing credits. The song did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 but became a top-40 hit in other countries, including New Zealand, where it reached number two and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).
