L.V. (singer)
L.V. | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Larry Sanders |
| Born | November 21, 1960 |
| Origin | South Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | West Coast hip hop, gospel, R&B, soul |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Tommy Boy Loud Relativity |
Larry Sanders (born November 21, 1960), better known by his stage name L.V. (which stands for "Large Variety"),[1] is an American award-winning R&B singer. He is best known for his collaboration with rapper Coolio on the Grammy Award-winning 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.
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 from 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 had a more soulful style, but also featured guest appearances by the likes of Raekwon and Shari Watson and was well reviewed in magazines such as Vibe and The Source.
In August 2012 L.V. released the album "STILL L.V" in Japan which is Executive produced by Meaku.
Discography
Solo albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions[2] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heatseekers | Top R&B/Hip hop albums | ||
| 1996 | I Am L.V. | - | #100 |
| 2000 | How Long | #33 | #59 |
| 2010 | Hustla 4 Life | - | - |
| 2012 | Still L.V (Japan Release) | - | - |
Collaborative albums
- 2002 : L.V. & Prodeje - The Playground
- 2008 : L.V. & Prodeje - Hood Affiliated
Solo singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US R&B [4] |
NZ [5] |
GER [6] |
FRA [7] |
UK [8] | ||||||||||
| 1995 | "Throw Your Hands Up" | 63 | 42 | 5 | 46 | 47 | 24 | I Am L.V. | |||||||
| 1996 | "I Am L.V." | — | 87 | 42 | — | — | 64 | ||||||||
| 2000 | "Everyday Hustler" (US promo) | — | — | — | — | — | — | How Long | |||||||
| "How Long" (US promo) | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Woman's Gotta Have It" (US promo) | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||||||||
References
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lv-mn0000100472/biography
- ^ "Albums chart history". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
- ^ "L.V. - US Hot 100". billboard.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ "L.V. - US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ "L.V. - New Zealand Chart". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ "L.V. - German Chart". officialcharts.de. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ "L.V. - French Chart". lescharts.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ "L.V. - UK Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
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