Larry J. Sanders[1] (born December 2, 1960), known professionally as L.V. (an acronym for "Large Variety"),[2] is an American singer. He is best known for his collaboration with rapper Coolio on the single "Gangsta's Paradise". He has released five solo albums and was a member of the gangsta rap group South Central Cartel since it formed, usually singing the choruses.[citation needed] In 2019, L.V. was featured by NBC News after the Los Angeles Police Department designated him as a gang member or associate for the purposes of a heavily criticized database.[3]

L.V.
Birth nameLarry J. Sanders
Born (1960-12-02) December 2, 1960 (age 64)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
OccupationSinger
Years active1990–present
Labels

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Release Peak chart positions
AUS
[4]
GER
[5]
UK
[6]
US
R&B

[7]
I Am L.V. 96 72 139 100
How Long
  • Released: August 29, 2000
  • Label: Loud
59
Hustla 4 Life
  • Released: March 17, 2010
  • Label: P-Vine
Still L.V.
  • Released: August 22, 2012
  • Label: Octave
The Art of Making Love[8]
  • Released: March 15, 2017
  • Label: ESMG

Collaboration albums

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  • The Playground with Prodeje (2002)
  • Hood Affiliated with Prodeje (2008)

Compilation albums

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  • The Gangstas In South Central with South Central Cartel (1996)

Singles

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Title Release Peak chart positions Album
US
[9]
US R&B
[9]
AUS
[4]
FRA
[10]
GER
[5]
NZ
[11]
UK
[6]
"Throw Your Hands Up" 1995 63 42 84 47 46 5 24 I Am L.V.
"I Am L.V." 1996 87 42 64
"How Long" 2000 46 How Long
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Title Release Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[12]
AUS
AUT
GER
NL NOR
NZ
SWE
SWI
UK
[13]
"Gangsta's Paradise"
(Coolio featuring L.V.)
1995 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
  • RIAA: 3× Platinum
  • ARIA: 3× Platinum[14]
  • BPI: 5× Platinum[15]
  • BVMI: 2× Platinum
  • IFPI AUT: Platinum[16]
  • IFPI NOR: 4× Platinum[17]
  • IFPI SWE: Gold[18]
  • IFPI SWI: 2× Platinum[19]
  • RMNZ: Platinum[20]
Gangsta's Paradise
and
Dangerous Minds soundtrack

References

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  1. ^ "Larry J Sanders, Born 12/02/1960 in California | CaliforniaBirthIndex.org". www.californiabirthindex.org. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  2. ^ Huey, Steve. "L.V. | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  3. ^ Flaherty, Katie (2019-08-18). "He's a gang intervention worker. But California police call him a gang member". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  4. ^ a b Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
  5. ^ a b German chart peaks:
  6. ^ a b UK chart peaks:
  7. ^ "L.V. Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  8. ^ The Art of Making Love by L.V., March 15, 2017, retrieved December 4, 2018
  9. ^ a b "L.V. Chart History". Billboard.
  10. ^ Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Larry Sanders". lescharts.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  11. ^ Hung, Steffen. "charts.nz - Discography L.V." charts.nz. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  12. ^ "Coolio Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  13. ^ "Coolio". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  14. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 28 Jan 1996". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  15. ^ "British certifications – Lv". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 6, 2024. Type Lv in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  16. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  17. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  18. ^ "(Guld & Platina) ÅR 1987-1998" [(Gold & Platinum) Year 1987-1998] (PDF) (in Swedish). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  19. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Coolio)". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  20. ^ "Official NZ Music Charts (10 March 1996)". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved June 13, 2016.