Gangsta's Paradise, the raw portrait that took rap to the top worldwide

Gangsta's Paradise is a song by Coolio, released in 1995 as part of the soundtrack for the film Dangerous Minds and later included on his album of the same name. The track samples Stevie Wonder's Pastime Paradise and has a darker, more minimalist feel.

The lyrics portray life in neighborhoods marked by violence, poverty, and lack of opportunity, revealing internal conflict, fear, and resignation. Coolio narrates from the perspective of someone trapped in an environment from which it is difficult to escape, giving it a more reflective approach than traditional gangsta rap.

It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the most successful rap song of the 1990s in several countries. Globally, it won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance and is considered the most important work of Coolio's career, as well as one of the most influential mainstream hip-hop tracks of that decade.