Talk:Gangsta's Paradise

Gangsta's Paradise (song)
Since the song is much more well-known than the album and was a hit before the album was even released, I think that this page and Gangsta's Paradise should be switched. Tuf-Kat 21:09, May 12, 2005 (UTC)
 * Just to clarify, I'm not saying the album should be moved to the factually-impaired Gangsta's Paradise (song), but rather to Gangsta's Paradise (album). Tuf-Kat

There's also a few other versions of Pastime Paradise out there as well... * Pastime Paradise by Stevie Wonder (September 1976) o Pastime Paradise by Ray Barretto (1979) o Past Time Paradise by Panache Culture (1994) o Pastime Paradise by Najee (1995) o Gangsta's paradise by Coolio (1995) + Amish Paradise by "Weird Al" Yankovic (March 1996) + Gangster's Paradise by Havana Express (2002) o Pastime Paradise by Rainer (2000) o Pastime Paradise by Sherry Winston (2000) o Pastime Paradise by Youngblood Brass Band (2000) --Ronski 20:55, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

"different orchestration"
the line "and a different orchestration of the same backing music" is unclear. the song is directly sampled, you can hear it in the percussion that got carried with the short sample that loops. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.238.11.21 (talk) 07:15, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

this isnt completly rap
Anyone else think R&B is too present in this song to just put it as Gangsta Rap. The Riff is even stevie wonder. I think this should have two genres not just one.

unclear reference
In the article, it says that "'This song was also played in 2003 as a soundtrack to new coverages during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, especially when featuring the Iraqi people, and their hardships.'". However, just above this is a reference to Ian Brown's F.E.A.R. "'The Ian Brown song 'F.E.A.R.' borrows the main riffs from 'Gangsta's Paradise.'" I was was wondering which song was played as a soundtrack during the news coverage of the invasion? Was it "Gangsta's Paradise" or was it "F.E.A.R."? A clarification would be nice. :) 198.109.26.18 22:42, 11 November 2006 (UTC)roket21

Song interpretation is POV
I think the following section is POV

'''Much of the lyrics are very tragic and are meant to be a criticism of the violence and tragedy of the "gangsta" life. The choral lines (sung by L.V.) Tell me why are we so blind to see / That the ones we hurt are you and me offer an especially plaintive self-criticism.'''

It might have another meaning and might not be meant to be taken literally. It could just as easily be a criticism of the greater part of society that produces "gangsta" life. The lines

Tell me why are we so blind to see / That the ones we hurt are you and me

This line might symbolize the way that gangstas are meant to feel by society. It represents the guilt felt by the gangsta. This is not self criticism because it is the same society that produces gang life that later goes onto to blame those who forced into it.

It might seem a little anti-intuitive, but song interpretation is very easy to screw up, and often times there may not really be any underlying meaning at all. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.100.41.73 (talk) 18:43, 17 December 2006 (UTC).


 * Any song interpretation is very likely to be biased depending on who is interpreting. A solution would be to offer several interpretations, but this would require care as there would be a tendancy to use weasel words e.g. some people say. Lemon Demon (talk) 16:11, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

English?
Can anyone provide a translation into standard English for the following lyrics?

"I really hate to trip, but I gotta loc"

"I'm the kinda G that little homies wanna be like"

"Got my ten in my hand and a gleam in my eye"

"I'm a loced-out gangsta, set-trippin banger"

Unjedai 15:14, 4 June 2007 (UTC)


 * The second and third are, respectively, "I'm the kind of gangster other people want to be" and "I've got my gun in my hand and a gleam in my eye". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.138.237.4 (talk) 22:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

Lads/Ladies - i feel strongly about the parodies section - basically its too long. Perhaps list the main ones like weird al yankovic. Thoughts —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kai360uk (talk • contribs) 11:11, 18 March 2010 (UTC)

Which Larry Sanders?
In the Single infobox under Writer(s) there is a link to County Councillor Larry Sanders. Shouldn't this be Larry "L.V." Sanders? —Preceding unsigned comment added by UdovdM (talk • contribs) 20:50, August 25, 2007 (UTC)
 * You're right, I fixed it. - DrWarpMind (talk) 18:37, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Gangsta's Paradise.jpg
Image:Gangsta's Paradise.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 19:44, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Korean version?
Theres a Korean ver. of this song. It should be listed on here. Anyone know the name of the artist?? 58.120.147.238 15:29, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

only know this cover http://www.lastfm.de/music/In%20Fear%20And%20Faith/_/Gangsta%27s%20Paradise —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.75.6.248 (talk) 19:24, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

Stevie Wonder's reaction
I seem to remember reading an article years ago which claimed Stevie Wonder was initially unhappy with the 'Gangsta' link. Later Coolio claimed once it had been explained their version was to try and point out the terrible waste from 'gang-banging' etc rather than glorifying violence Stevie Wonder approved of the song. I think this would be an interesting, relevant aspect to add but don't know the article (or how to do it). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.165.86.213 (talk) 12:05, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

(?) Bruno Rosa Nascimento (?)
Who is this character? Is this a troll? I have not found anything on him besides this article and the copies of it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fsjs (talk • contribs) 21:09, 31 August 2012 (UTC)

Requested moves

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: Move as proposed. We have a unanimous consensus to move the album and a rough consensus to move the song to the base name. Cúchullain t/ c 19:58, 1 September 2014 (UTC)


 * Gangsta's Paradise (song) → Gangsta's Paradise
 * Gangsta's Paradise → Gangsta's Paradise (album)

– The song seems to be much more notable than the album Unreal7 (talk) 19:01, 24 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Oppose first, support second - a sudden flipflop between two articles isn't helpful to readers even if agree that the song is more important than the album; suggest also create dab at Gangster's Paradise - dab should list song, album, Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema, Gangster's Paradise Tenth Doctor comic stories. Neutral on where Gangsta's Paradise should head, the (song) and (album) and infobox jpgs will do the job of choice/direction. In ictu oculi (talk) 21:06, 24 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Unreal7, honestly I see the move from (album) to baseline was done by yourself only a year ago. I've just been through the first 20 of Special:WhatLinksHere/Gangsta's Paradise and they're jumbled between (album) and (song), fixing out to full dab, which confirms both (song) and (album) should be in titles. In ictu oculi (talk) 21:26, 24 August 2014 (UTC)


 * Support per IIO. -- 65.94.169.222 (talk) 22:24, 24 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Support second, not first, and agree that Gangsta's Paradise and Gangster's Paradise should be disambiguation pages; in many English varieties, there's no pronunciation difference at all.  — SMcCandlish ☺ ☏ ¢ ≽ʌⱷ҅ᴥⱷʌ≼  01:03, 25 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Support both – I think the song is more notable. It is one of the best-selling singles of all time. It went to number one in over 15 countries, and won a Grammy. I believe people would expect to reach the song's article if they search Gangsta's Paradise. Melonkelon (talk) 01:10, 25 August 2014 (UTC)
 * "More notable" right now because of recent popularity is not the same as WP:PRIMARYTOPIC. Even if it was, we have a situation here where the name overlaps with the phrase in more standard English, which in many dialects cannot be audibly distinguished.  — SMcCandlish ☺ ☏ ¢ ≽ʌⱷ҅ᴥⱷʌ≼  01:17, 25 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Recent popularity? The song was released 19 years ago. It seems to have established enduring notability. bd2412  T 17:09, 25 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Agreed, BD. Err… &mdash;innotata 22:38, 25 August 2014 (UTC)


 * Oppose first, support second Discussion regarding which is the primary topic omits to consider what the casual reader requires or understands. Also switching article titles like this is a nightmare best avoided. --Richhoncho (talk) 14:35, 25 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Support even if switching article titles is a mess, that's because sometimes we mess things up on Wikipedia. The song is a cultural icon that's vastly more well-known than the album, easily the primary topic by our usual definition. &mdash;innotata 22:38, 25 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Agreed. Melonkelon (talk) 00:24, 26 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Disagree. There will be no mess if left as is, or if only the album is moved - my preferred solution. As for beauty contests for the most popular topic. Ugh! Doesn't work for popular works titles. --Richhoncho (talk) 15:11, 28 August 2014 (UTC)


 * Support both per nom and WP:TWODABS. We don't need an extra DAB page to create more work for readers.  A hatnote on the song page will require the same one click for those seeking the album as a DAB page would and it will save one step for those seeking the song.  —  AjaxSmack   21:38, 28 August 2014 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

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Isn't the song grammatically wrong?
The question in the subject refers to the following line from verse 2:"But my homies is down". Shouldn't it be "But my homies are down"? --Fandelasketchup (talk) 16:59, 10 August 2017 (UTC)
 * I'm pretty sure that it's intended to be vernacular, as in the way people talk. Persistent Corvid (talk) 08:41, 6 March 2018 (UTC)

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Orphaned references in Gangsta's Paradise
I check pages listed in Category:Pages with incorrect ref formatting to try to fix reference errors. One of the things I do is look for content for orphaned references in wikilinked articles. I have found content for some of Gangsta's Paradise's orphans, the problem is that I found more than one version. I can't determine which (if any) is correct for this article, so I am asking for a sentient editor to look it over and copy the correct ref content into this article.

Reference named "BBFC": From Pain & Gain:  From Sonic the Hedgehog (film):  

I apologize if any of the above are effectively identical; I am just a simple computer program, so I can't determine whether minor differences are significant or not. AnomieBOT ⚡ 03:59, 4 October 2021 (UTC)

sample vs. compose
Is it correct to say that Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise" is being "sampled" for "Gangsta's Paradise"? Wonder's music provides essentially all of the music for "Gangsta's"-- the latter seems to be just an arrangement--, and even much of the lyrics in the chorus. Wonder is of course properly credited in the infobox, but it seems his contribution is much more substantial than just having been sampled; "Gangsta's" is more of a cover with revised lyrics. (Wonder did get 3/4 of the publishing proceeds, fide the NY Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/29/arts/music/coolio-gangstas-paradise.html .) Some other word than "sampling" should be used to describe his relation to the song. MayerG (talk) 11:11, 30 September 2022 (UTC)