Larry J. Sanders[1] (born December 2, 1960), known professionally as L.V. (short for "Large Variety"),[2] is an American singer, best known for his collaboration with rapper Coolio on the worldwide hit single "Gangsta's Paradise". He has released five solo albums and has been a member of the gangsta rap group South Central Cartel since 1994, usually singing the choruses.[2][3] 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.[4] On July 27, 2025, L.V. was featured on an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver discussing gang databases.[5]
L.V. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Larry J. Sanders December 2, 1960 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | |
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Release | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [6] |
GER [7] |
UK [8] |
US R&B [9] | ||
| I Am L.V. |
|
96 | 72 | 139 | 100 |
| How Long |
|
— | — | — | 59 |
| Hustla 4 Life |
|
— | — | — | — |
| Still L.V. |
|
— | — | — | — |
| The Art of Making Love[10] |
|
— | — | — | — |
Collaborative albums
edit- The Playground (with Prodeje) (2002)
- Hood Affiliated (with Prodeje) (2008)
Compilation albums
edit- The Gangstas In South Central (with South Central Cartel) (1996)
Singles
editAs lead artist
editAs featured artist
edit| Title | Release | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [14] |
AUS |
AUT |
GER |
NL | NOR |
NZ |
SWE |
SWI |
UK [15] | ||||
| "Gangsta's Paradise" (Coolio featuring L.V.) |
1995 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Gangsta's Paradise and Dangerous Minds soundtrack | |
References
edit- ↑ "Larry J Sanders, Born 12/02/1960 in California | CaliforniaBirthIndex.org". www.californiabirthindex.org. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
- 1 2 Hopkins, Tracy E. (2000-03-11). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 29.
- ↑ "L.V. Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | AllM..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ LastWeekTonight (2025-07-27). Gang Databases: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO). Retrieved 2025-07-28 – via YouTube.
- 1 2 Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "L.V. in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 172.
- "Throw Your Hands Up": "The Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 16 Jun 1996". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved December 11, 2017. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
- 1 2 German chart peaks:
- I Am L.V.: "L.V. – I Am L.V. (album)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- "Throw Your Hands Up": "L.V. – Throw Your Hands Up (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- 1 2 UK chart peaks:
- Top 100 peaks: "Official Charts > L.V." The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- Top 200 peaks from November 1994 to December 2010: "Chart Log UK 1994–2010 > DJ Steve L. – LZ Love". zobbel.de. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ↑ "L.V. Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ↑ The Art of Making Love by L.V., March 15, 2017, retrieved December 4, 2018
- 1 2 "L.V. Chart History". Billboard.
- ↑ Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Larry Sanders". lescharts.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ↑ Hung, Steffen. "charts.nz - Discography L.V." charts.nz. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- ↑ "Coolio Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Coolio". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- ↑ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 28 Jan 1996". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ↑ "British certifications – Lv". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 6, 2024. Type Lv in the "Search:" field.
- ↑ "Austrian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Norwegian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ↑ "(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.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Coolio)". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Official NZ Music Charts (10 March 1996)". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
