10 Nineties Songs That Sold Over 1 Million Copies

Few people may be able to remember John N. Smith's 'Dangerous Minds' film. The same cannot be said for its soundtrack though. Coolio's 'Gangsta's Paradise' was released alongside the blockbuster in 1995 and left behind an impressive legacy. The multi-platinum hit has spawned countless parodies and covers since its release. It even won the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance and an MTV award for Best Rap Video.

Singer L.V and producer Doug Rasheed put together a gloomy instrumental before approaching the rapper to collaborate. When it come to write the lyrics, Coolio really made the track his own with a bleak look upon gang violence. The almost religious style of the instrumental compliments the subject matter perfectly and the three songwriters enjoyed high sales figures worldwide, with 1,585,504 units sold in the UK alone.

The main hook was an adaptation of Stevie Wonder's 'Pastime Paradise'. This meant that the Wonder would gain a songwriting credit and would need to personally approve the usage of his material. The first draft didn't make the cut, but the rewritten lyrics would gain his approval after dropping offending words. Coolio would later perform the song alongside Wonder at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards.