YouTube [song starts at about 1:24]
This track seems to crop on a surprising number of RnB Love compilations, for no better reason than literal-minded readings of the title. Its presence on the Hip-Hop Classics album I've linked to below seems more assured: it's a tune that seems to have found its place in history. It's also one that sounds surprisingly contemporary, and not only because 2Pac has kept up a surprisingly prolific output for a dead bloke (indeed, this is one of only two UK hits he managed while alive); the talkbox vocals of the late Roger Troutman has a present-day echo in the knowing use of autotune effects by the likes of Lil' Wayne... wow, it almost seems like I know what I'm talking about here, doesn't it?
Anyway, I'm not hugely surprised to learn that the still-alive Dr Dre originally intended this song for one of his own records. He really seems to dominate the track where he nominally guests, taking the first verse and setting the whole tone for a party record (admittedly a somewhat sexist one) about the joys of his home state. I've never actually been to California, so I can make no claims for the accuracy of this portrayal. Neither have I ever bought into the myth about Tupac Shakur as some great visionary figure, or indeed any more than a bloke who was OK at rapping. Credit where it's due to this as a piece of entertainment though. But minus a few points for that bit at the end where they start reading out the names of lots of cities in the state. That's just lame.
2Pac also appears on: Now 61 (with Elton John)
Available on:Hip Hop Classics
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