|
In a new episode of Vevo Footnotes, producer Doug Rasheed gives a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” one of the most iconic rap songs of the ‘90s. The episode celebrates the song’s 30th anniversary, originally released on August 1, 1995.
In the episode, Rasheed explains how he first met Coolio while working security, and how he connected with Coolio’s manager Paul Stewart. He recalls how the producers used to compete to see who could pull the best samples for tracks. Rasheed also shares the early challenge they faced when Stevie Wonder initially refused to clear the “Pastime Paradise” sample because of the language and content in the song. Coolio rewrote some of the lyrics and with Stewart’s help, the sample was eventually cleared.
The episode also covers how the music video, directed by Antoine Fuqua, came together using footage from the film Dangerous Minds, where the song first appeared. Rasheed shares that the version of the song in the movie sounded different from the radio version, which had a more prominent drum track and included string overdubs in the final mix. He also discusses how the massive success of “Gangsta’s Paradise” and Coolio’s record deal led to tension between him, Coolio, and Stewart. Although their relationship was strained for a time, they were able to reconcile before Coolio’s death on September 28, 2022.
FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW:
0:10 – Doug Rasheed, Producer: I first met Coolio in 1993 when I was working as a security guard at Sony Pictures Entertainment, while trying to get into the music business. I made some headway working with Coolio’s manager, Paul Stewart. I landed an album track, “Ugly Bitches,” and we remained in the same creative circles.
0:40 – Doug Rasheed, Producer: Paul and I used to do challenges with each other to see who could pull the dopest samples out of our record collections. One time, I pulled out the Stevie Wonder album ‘Songs In The Key Of Life,’ lifted the “Pastime Paradise” sample, and flipped it. When I let him hear it, we both knew instantly that it had potential to be dope, so I continued to work on the track after winning that challenge.
1:10 – Doug Rasheed, Producer: One night during an industry party, I was in the studio with L.V. working on a hook for the track. Coolio showed up and heard us as he was coming in. The studio was the first door on the right when you entered the house. You could see and hear us right there working. We drew a nice crowd by the studio door that night because L.V. was belting out the hook but changing the word “Pastime” to “Gangsta’s,” and flipping some other words around Stevie’s original melody.
1:40 – Doug Rasheed, Producer: Stevie Wonder had originally said no to the clearance because of the language. He wanted the violence out as well. It took another week to even get him to let us take the cursing out, and he finally agreed. So Coolio had to rewrite a few lines. His lyrics ended up being so dope that I can’t even remember the cursing and violence parts from the original demo.
2:10 – The video was directed by Antoine Fuqua, and much of the footage incorporates scenes from his 1995 thriller ‘Dangerous Minds.’
2:30 – Doug Rasheed, Producer: The original final mix-down of the record was kind of whatever. You can hear it in ‘Dangerous Minds.’ I decided to do a more radio friendly version. I added the radio style drums along with some high stabbing string overdubs. Kevin Davis mixed it in like 20 minutes. He just stood up and said “It’s done!” We went outside and played basketball in the studio parking lot to kill the rest of the 4 hour window I’d booked.
3:00 – Doug Rasheed, Producer: They say money changes everything. And “Gangsta’s Paradise” was no different. From the moment Coolio signed the deal for the recording, there was tension between them – Coolio and Paul – and me over money.
3:25 – Doug Rasheed, Producer: Coolio was a good dude and fun to be around. I’m glad we got a chance to link up and make amends after the split, before he passed.
|
