Coolio/ Gangsta’s Paradise/ song review

Rating: 4 stars and a half
Heartbeats gently guide you to sharp instrumentals that will cut your heart off while the chorus whispers a sweet melody. Enter into a gangsta’s paradise. Meet a young man in jail at the parlor talking to his girlfriend.
Life in prison can be compared to the valley of death and Coolio starts making some introspection about his life:
« As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life and realize there’s nothing left
Cause I’ve been blastin and laughing so long that
Even my mama thinks that my mind is gone… »
Blind of smoke, reminiscent of the past, Coolio sometimes questions his actions. He hates tripping, but he feels the ned to get high. Therefore he takes a mixture of meth (chemical drug) and cocaine.
During the whole video clip, you are introduced into a bi racial couple’s relationship. A relation made of love and pain. A relation that is made of long years of absence and fatherless children.
The Gangsta’s Paradise video offers the viewer some autobiographical elements about Coolio’s life. Educated gangsta, confronted by his own cocaine addiction, Coolio had to fight numerous demons before getting his rap career started.
The soft song that deals with hard hood life problems will allow the listener to travel through a gangsta’s mind.
Why do educated people in the hood choose a life of crime?
Sometimes, the harsh living conditions of the ghetto -no matter if you’re educated or not- make young men feel that « the streets are calling ».
The avid desire for money and money might motivate them to grab their chance an illegal way.
Hood life often rhymes with desperation. No jobs available, only misery all around you. When you’re young and your head is full of dreams, you sometimes envision that a life of crime and « fast cash » are the only way to achieve our projects faster.
The reality is often in denial with such thoughts. A life of crime will lead you to jail faster than you think. Many people spend decades into a « gangsta’s paradise ».
The video suddenly shows you Coolio’s Mini Me, a son who barely knows his father, except for his jail visits…
A heartbroken Coolio realizes how much his love relationship has been spoilt by his own sinful actions:
« Tell me why are we — so blind to see
That the ones we hurt — are you and me
Tell me why are we — so blind to see
That the ones we hurt — are you and me… »
Gangsta’s Paradise is a touching description of a gangsta’s world that will give you some insight about hood life.
A mixture of soft and rough elements will make you fully enjoy the message contained in Coolio’s video. Well done, Coolio:)