L.V. (singer)

L.V.
Birth name	Larry J. Sanders
Born	(1960-12-02) December 2, 1960 (age 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Tommy Boy Loud P-Vine

Larry J. Sanders ^[1] (born December 2, 1960), known professionally as L.V. (short for "Large Variety"), ^[2] is an American singer, best known for his collaboration with rapper Coolio on the worldwide hit single "Gangsta's Paradise". He has released five solo albums and has been a member of the gangsta rap group South Central Cartel since 1994, usually singing the choruses. ^{[2] [3]} In 2019, L.V. was featured by NBC News after the Los Angeles Police Department designated him as a gang member or associate for the purposes of a heavily criticized database. ^[4] On July 27, 2025, L.V. was featured on an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver discussing gang databases. ^[5]

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Release	Peak chart positions
		AUS [6]	GER [7]	UK [8]	US R&B [9]
I Am L.V.	Released: 1996 Label: Tommy Boy	96	72	139	100
How Long	Released: August 29, 2000 Label: Loud	—	—	—	59
Hustla 4 Life	Released: March 17, 2010 Label: P-Vine	—	—	—	—
Still L.V.	Released: August 22, 2012 Label: Octave	—	—	—	—
The Art of Making Love [10]	Released: March 15, 2017 Label: ESMG	—	—	—	—

Collaboration albums

• The Playgroundwith Prodeje (2002)
• Hood Affiliatedwith Prodeje (2008)

Compilation albums

• The Gangstas In South Centralwith South Central Cartel (1996)

Singles

Title	Release	Peak chart positions							Album
		US [11]	US R&B [11]	AUS [6]	FRA [12]	GER [7]	NZ [13]	UK [8]
"Throw Your Hands Up"	1995	63	42	84	47	46	5	24	I Am L.V.
"I Am L.V."	1996	—	87	—	—	—	42	64
"How Long"	2000	—	46	—	—	—	—	—	How Long

As featured artist

Title	Release	Peak chart positions										Certifications	Album
		US [14]	AUS	AUT	GER	NL	NOR	NZ	SWE	SWI	UK [15]
"Gangsta's Paradise" (Coolio featuring L.V.)	1995	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	RIAA: 3× Platinum ARIA: 3× Platinum [16] BPI: 5× Platinum [17] BVMI: 2× Platinum IFPI AUT: Platinum [18] IFPI NOR: 4× Platinum [19] IFPI SWE: Gold [20] IFPI SWI: 2× Platinum [21] RMNZ: Platinum [22]	Gangsta's Paradise and Dangerous Minds soundtrack

References

1. "Larry J Sanders, Born 12/02/1960 in California | CaliforniaBirthIndex.org". www.californiabirthindex.org. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
2. Hopkins, Tracy E. (2000-03-11). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 29.
3. "L.V. Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | AllM..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
4. Flaherty, Katie (2019-08-18). "He's a gang intervention worker. But California police call him a gang member". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
5. LastWeekTonight (2025-07-27). Gang Databases: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) . Retrieved 2025-07-28– via YouTube.
6. Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
   • Top 50 peaks: "L.V. in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
   • Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 172.
   • "Throw Your Hands Up": "The Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 16 Jun 1996". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved December 11, 2017. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
7. German chart peaks:
   • I Am L.V.: "L.V. – I Am L.V. (album)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
   • "Throw Your Hands Up": "L.V. – Throw Your Hands Up (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
8. UK chart peaks:
   • Top 100 peaks: "Official Charts > L.V." The Official UK Charts Company . Retrieved December 11, 2017.
   • Top 200 peaks from November 1994 to December 2010: "Chart Log UK 1994–2010 > DJ Steve L. – LZ Love". zobbel.de. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
9. "L.V. Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums . Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
10. The Art of Making Love by L.V., March 15, 2017, retrieved December 4, 2018
11. "L.V. Chart History". Billboard.
12. Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Larry Sanders". lescharts.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
13. Hung, Steffen. "charts.nz - Discography L.V." charts.nz. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
14. "Coolio Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved August 20, 2012.
15. "Coolio". The Official Charts Company . Retrieved August 17, 2012.
16. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 28 Jan 1996". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved December 9, 2016.
17. "British certifications – Lv". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved November 6, 2024.Type Lv in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
18. "Austrian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
19. "Norwegian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
20. "(Guld & Platina) ÅR 1987-1998" [(Gold & Platinum) Year 1987-1998](PDF) (in Swedish). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
21. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Coolio)". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
22. "Official NZ Music Charts (10 March 1996)". Recorded Music New Zealand . Retrieved June 13, 2016.