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California Love Lyrics
California love!
1-California...knows how to party
California...knows how to party
In the citaaay of L.A.
In the citaaay of good ol' Watts
In the citaaay, the city of Compton
We keep it rockin! We keep it rockin!
Verse One: Dr. Dre
Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west
A state that's untouchable like Elliot Ness
The track hits ya eardrum like a slug to ya chest
Pack a vest for your Jimmy in the city of sex
We in that sunshine state with a bomb ass hemp beat
the state where ya never find a dance floor empty
And pimps be on a mission for them greens
lean mean money-makin-machines servin fiends
I been in the game for ten years makin rap tunes
ever since honeys was wearin sassoon
Now it's '95 and they clock me and watch me
Diamonds shinin lookin like I robbed Liberace
It's all good, from Diego to tha Bay
Your city is tha bomb if your city makin pay
Throw up a finger if ya feel the same way
Dre puttin it down for
Californ-i-a
(repeat 1)
2-Shake it shake it baby
Shake it shake it baby
Shake it shake it mama
Shake it Cali
Shake it shake it baby
Shake it shake it shake it shake it...
Verse Two: 2Pac
Out on bail fresh outta jail, California dreamin
Soon as I stepped on the scene, I'm hearin hoochies screamin
Fiendin for money and alcohol
the life of a west side playa where cowards die
Only in Cali where we riot not rally to live and die
In L.A. we wearin Chucks not Ballies (that's right)
Dressed in Locs and khaki suits and ride is what we do
Flossin but have caution we collide with other crews
Famous cause we program worldwide
Let'em recognize from Long Beach to Rose Grands
Bumpin and grindin like a slow jam, it's west side
So you know the row won't bow down to no man
Say what you say
But give me that bomb beat from Dre
Let me serenade the streets of L.A.
From Oakland to Sacktown
The Bay Area and back down
Cali is where they put they mack down
Give me love!
(rpt 1)
(dre) now make it shake...
(rpt 2)
Outro: Dre, 2Pac
uh, yeah, uh, longbeach in tha house, uh yeah
Oaktown, Oakland definately in tha house hahaha
Frisko, Frisko
(Tupac) hey, you know LA is up in this
Pasadina, where you at
yeah, Ingelwood, Ingelwood always up to no good
(Tupac) even Hollywood tryin to get a piece baby
Sacramento, sacramento where ya at? yeah
Throw it up y'all, throw it up, Throw it up
Let's show these fools how we do this on that west side
Cause you and I know it's tha best side
yeah, That's riight
west coast, west coast
uh, California Love
California Love
California...knows how to party
In the citaaay of L.A.
In the citaaay of good ol' Watts
In the citaaay, the city of Compton
We keep it rockin! We keep it rockin!
A state that's untouchable like Elliot Ness
The track hits ya eardrum like a slug to ya chest
Pack a vest for your Jimmy in the city of sex
We in that sunshine state with a bomb ass hemp beat
the state where ya never find a dance floor empty
And pimps be on a mission for them greens
lean mean money-makin-machines servin fiends
I been in the game for ten years makin rap tunes
ever since honeys was wearin sassoon
Now it's '95 and they clock me and watch me
Diamonds shinin lookin like I robbed Liberace
It's all good, from Diego to tha Bay
Your city is tha bomb if your city makin pay
Throw up a finger if ya feel the same way
Dre puttin it down for
Californ-i-a
(repeat 1)
Shake it shake it baby
Shake it shake it mama
Shake it Cali
Shake it shake it baby
Shake it shake it shake it shake it...
Soon as I stepped on the scene, I'm hearin hoochies screamin
Fiendin for money and alcohol
the life of a west side playa where cowards die
Only in Cali where we riot not rally to live and die
In L.A. we wearin Chucks not Ballies (that's right)
Dressed in Locs and khaki suits and ride is what we do
Flossin but have caution we collide with other crews
Famous cause we program worldwide
Let'em recognize from Long Beach to Rose Grands
Bumpin and grindin like a slow jam, it's west side
So you know the row won't bow down to no man
Say what you say
But give me that bomb beat from Dre
Let me serenade the streets of L.A.
From Oakland to Sacktown
The Bay Area and back down
Cali is where they put they mack down
Give me love!
(rpt 1)
Oaktown, Oakland definately in tha house hahaha
Frisko, Frisko
(Tupac) hey, you know LA is up in this
Pasadina, where you at
yeah, Ingelwood, Ingelwood always up to no good
(Tupac) even Hollywood tryin to get a piece baby
Sacramento, sacramento where ya at? yeah
Let's show these fools how we do this on that west side
Cause you and I know it's tha best side
west coast, west coast
uh, California Love
California Love
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
This song is a classic, I'm surprised nobody has commented it. Great beat and even better lyrics. I gotta throw it down for Dre and Pac on this one.
Gotta show the love for "California Love", one of the finest odes to the state, and in particular LA. But look at the lyrics, is this a dedication to the whole of California or only a part...?
Note the places namechecked, especially in the chorus. Areas like Watts, Inglewood and Compton. By concentrating on these 'hoods' the song is fundamentally a shout out to a specific demographic. Not Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Santa Barbara and the more famous white-centric upmarket places. The one mention of Hollywood informs us that famous area considers itself lacking in something desirable that can be found in South Central (a soul perhaps).
So while the beat and hooks are enjoyed by anyone no matter where they are from, Dre and Tupac are only showing respect for "their" California. This contrasts with what would be a more universally written lyric (perhaps by an outsider or non-rapper) that name checks all the places and themes the California tourist board would like to hear.
While this is nothing unusual for West Coast rap, I find it especially enjoyable in California Love because of the wide appeal of this track since its creation is independent on whether the listener has spent time in Watts and so on. Dr Dre and Tupac successfully stayed true to their roots whilst at the same time making a song for the masses.
And yes, it is the best side :)
Damn, only 3 comments. This is a classic. Great song.
I think this is the only song, where dr. Dre collaborated with tupac. Tupac just joined deathrow, after suge knight bailed hm 0uta jail. it took pac 2 weeks 2 record ALL EYEZ 0N ME and went quituple plantinum...
...(cont) dre also produced it. dre made s0 much m0ney 0f it, he went s0l0 with "Aftermath" ... then a few weeks later 2pac realized he had m0ney t0 leave death row and start his own label...(2 b cont)
...(cont.) named "Amaru" Records. He gave da news 2 suge knight (1 of deathrow founders) n0w suge was in tr0uble, dre left and n0w pac! the wh0le label wil g0 t0 da doggs with0ut hm n0w. s0 suge decided to set up pac, and get him sh0t...wat a fucker.
Thats actually wrong, Pac was gonna start his own label with Suge as an offshoot of Death Row called Makaveli records with Outlawz and Wu Tang Clan.
Great song! I suppose the song meaning is pretty self explanatory as clearly 2pac/Dr. Dre are showing love to the West Coast. [I believe]This was Tupac's first single after his brief stint in jail and clearly this song was the beginning of his allegiance to Death Row and Suge Knight.