Coolio made history in 1995 when he released the track that was a perfect union of hip hop, rap, and the mainstream.
It’s one of the genre’s best-selling singles, and the story of redemption and self-reflection is something we can all relate to.
We’re glad to see that the experimentation didn’t stop in the 90s, and we present to you a girl who decided to play with the song’s iconic instrumentation and make an awesome cover.
“Gangsta’s Paradise” is a song by American rapper Coolio, featuring singer L.V.
The track was released in 1995 on Coolio’s album of the same name. It was also a soundtrack for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds. It’s interesting to know that the song samples the instrumentation and the chorus of Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song “Pastime Paradise.”
“Gangsta’s Paradise” was listed at number 85 on Billboard’s Greatest Songs of All Time list, and it was awarded Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.
In some ways, Wonder takes credit for the way the song turned out because he didn’t allow any profanity. There are several parodies of the song, and “Amish Paradise” alongside the one by Weird Al” Yankovic is certainly the most memorable one.
Taylor Reed is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist from Florida.
In a video description, she says that she learned to play the song for a close friend and it ended up becoming one of her favorite songs too. Reed shares her unique, playful covers with 59,200 YouTube subscribers.
The girl swims in different genres, and you’ll find interesting covers on her channel including “Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish, “Adventure of a Lifetime” by Coldplay or “Grade 8” by Ed Sheeran.
And that’s not all. She has successfully released her debut album Let Me Be Honest in 2018. It’s available on most streaming platforms, and you can check it out on Taylor’s channel, of course.
Reed stated that she found inspiration in the work of classical composers such as Johan Sebastian Bach and Hans Zimmer.
Now we understand where all her experimentation with classical sounds and rap comes from.
When Taylor described this video, she said she had no idea what she was doing.
Even so, if this is her just playing around, then we’re more than impressed! It’s amazing. All jokes aside, it’s one of the most interesting covers of this song (or any other song) we’ve heard in a while.
As the video begins, Reed is standing in a room with all her instruments, bathed in light.
Her loop station is on the floor, she’s barefoot, and the guitar is ready.
First she samples the guitar part, and then there’s a surprise. The talented young lady takes out a violin and begins to play the song we all easily recognize. We couldn’t decide if she was a better guitar player, violinist or singer!
Her vocals are such a treat, and she made the song her own.
Listening to Taylor is pure joy. The way she plays with those loops is incredible, so confident, and yet so relaxed.
Since it was posted, it has earned more than seven million YouTube views!
Millions of people reacted to the amazing way that music flows through Reed in this video.
It’s an awesome take on the famous rap hit, and it deserves a huge round of applause. Sometimes it gets overwhelming to think about how much talent there is in the world. Taylor has reminded us of all those gifted people who enjoy great-quality music, and love to recreate it.
Check out the full performance in the link below:
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