It’s been awhile since MovieFanFare published a Movie Music Video segment, but in light of the passing of rap legend Coolio yesterday at the age of 59 the time felt right to showcase his clip for “Gangsta’s Paradise.” Featured prominently in the film Dangerous Minds (a compelling true story starring Michelle Pfeiffer as Louanne Johnson, a hard-nosed ex-Marine who takes a job teaching English to smart but underachieving kids in an inner-city school), this was 1995’s best-selling single. A portion of the song’s success can be attributed to its accompanying music video. Featuring clips from the movie and Pfeiffer prominently featured, the video was directed by Antoine Fuquq, who went on to helm films like Training Day, Olympus Has Fallen and The Equalizer. As the world remembers Coolio, the “Gangsta’s Paradise” video — which was so popular that Weird Al Yankovic parodied it — is experiencing renewed interest. It remains as powerful today as it did all those years ago, further ensuring Coolio’s role in pop culture history. Rest in peace.
