L.V. (singer)

Larry Sanders (born November 21, 1957), better known by his stage name L.V. (which stands for "Large Variety"),[1] is an American R&B singer. He is best known for his collaboration with rapper Coolio on the single "Gangsta's Paradise" and has been featured on multiple soundtracks since then. Having released two solo albums to date, he was also a member of the gangsta rap group South Central Cartel since their beginning, usually singing the vocals and chorus.

L.V.
Birth name	Larry Sanders
Born	(1957-11-21) November 21, 1957
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	West Coast hip hop gospel R&B soul
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Tommy Boy Loud P-Vine
Associated acts	South Central Cartel Coolio B.G. Knocc Out Dresta

Early life

L.V. grew up with a father who sang gospel music along with the radio every morning, and this helped hook him on singing. He won a high school talent contest by performing L.T.D.'s "Concentrate on You", joined the Los Angeles Trade–Technical College choir. He later joined the Los Angeles Southwest College music department where he studied voice, choir and performed in several stage musicals. He also contributed R&B vocals to a neighborhood rap group, the South Central Cartel.

Later career

Following his success with "Gangsta's Paradise", L.V. landed a contract with Tommy Boy Records, which released his debut album I Am L.V. in 1996. This album spawned the hit single, "Throw Your Hands Up" which featured Treach of Naughty by Nature (produced by Maurice 'DJ Moe' Thompson and Jay 'Supreme' Williams for Barr 9 Productions). The single went on to sell over 400,000 units. The album also features a version of "Gangsta's Paradise" without rap lyrics.

L.V.'s follow-up album was How Long, released on Loud Records in 2000. The record featured guest appearances by the likes of Raekwon and Shari Watson.

In August 2012, L.V. released his fourth solo album Still L.V. in Japan.

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Release	Peak chart positions
		AUS [2]	GER [3]	UK [4]	US R&B [5]
I Am L.V.	Released: 1996 Label: Tommy Boy Records	96	72	139	100
How Long	Released: August 29, 2000 Label: Loud Records	—	—	—	59
Hustla 4 Life	Released: March 17, 2010 Label: P-Vine Records	—	—	—	—
Still L.V.	Released: August 22, 2012 Label: Octave	—	—	—	—
The Art of Making Love[6]	Released: March 15, 2017 Label: ESMG	—	—	—	—

Collaboration albums

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

Compilation albums

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

Singles

Title	Release	Peak chart positions							Album
		US [7]	US R&B [7]	AUS [2]	FRA [8]	GER [3]	NZ [9]	UK [4]
"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
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Featured in

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions										Certifications	Album
		US [10]	AUS	AUT	GER	NL	NOR	NZ	SWE	SWI	UK [11]
"Gangsta's Paradise" (Coolio featuring L.V.)	1995	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	RIAA: 3× Platinum ARIA: 3× Platinum[12] BPI: 2× Platinum BVMI: 2× Platinum IFPI AUT: Platinum[13] IFPI NOR: 4× Platinum[14] IFPI SWE: Gold[15] IFPI SWI: 2× Platinum[16] RMNZ: Platinum[17]	Gangsta's Paradise and I Am L.V.

References

1. Huey, Steve. "L.V. | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
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. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
   • "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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. "L.V. Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
6. The Art of Making Love by L.V., March 15, 2017, retrieved December 4, 2018
7. "L.V. Chart History". Billboard.
8. Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Larry Sanders". lescharts.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
9. Hung, Steffen. "charts.nz - Discography L.V." charts.nz. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
10. "Coolio Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
11. "Coolio". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
12. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 28 Jan 1996". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved December 9, 2016.
13. "Austrian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
14. "Norwegian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
15. "(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.
16. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Coolio)". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
17. "Official NZ Music Charts (10 March 1996)". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved June 13, 2016.