California Love

Death Row Records
Company type	Record label
Industry	Music
Founded	1991
Founder	Suge Knight, Dr. Dre, The D.O.C.
Headquarters	Los Angeles, United States
Products	Music recordings
Parent	Interscope Records (at time of "California Love" release)

California Love is a track by American rapper 2Pac, featuring contributions from rapper Dr. Dre and musician Roger Troutman. Dropped on December 3, 1995, it served as 2Pac's comeback single following his release from prison and marked his first release under Death Row Records. The original version is included on the UK pressing of his fourth studio album, All Eyez on Me (1996), and stands as one of 2Pac's most iconic hits. It claimed the top position on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for two consecutive weeks as a double A-side alongside "How Do U Want It" and also reached number one in Italy, New Zealand, and Sweden. In 1997, the song earned a posthumous Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Its music video, influenced by the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and conceptualized by Jada Pinkett Smith, was directed by Hype Williams.

Writing, samples and background

The initial version of "California Love" was crafted by Dr. Dre, featuring three verses delivered by him along with Roger Troutman's distinctive talk box chorus. According to Death Row engineer Tommy Daugherty, the sole copy was sent to DJ Jam, who performed as Snoop Dogg's concert DJ. Following Tupac's arrival at Death Row, Dr. Dre contemplated departing and had originally intended "California Love" to be the inaugural release for his Aftermath Entertainment label. Nonetheless, Suge Knight insisted that Tupac replace Dre as the lead rapper, transforming the track into Tupac's comeback single for Death Row. Producer Laylaw also created a remix of the song, which is frequently misattributed to Dr. Dre. The original version was issued as a double-A side alongside "How Do U Want It" for Dre’s The Chronic II, while the remix appeared on Tupac’s All Eyez on Me. The song was developed in Dre’s studio; Tupac reportedly wrote his verse within 15 minutes, and the music video was filmed the following weekend.

The song’s hook originates from EPMD’s 1989 track "Knick Knack Patty Wack," which itself samples Joe Cocker’s 1972 piece "Woman to Woman." The chorus line, "California knows how to party," is performed by Roger Troutman using his trademark talk box, sampled from Ronnie Hudson & The Street People’s 1982 hit "West Coast Poplock," which reinterpreted Troutman’s own 1981 song "So Ruff, So Tuff." Additionally, Troutman’s phrase "shake it, shake it baby" is an interpolation from his 1982 Zapp single "Dance Floor." The remix incorporates samples from Kleeer’s 1984 track "Intimate Connection."

Composition

According to sheet music, "California Love" is composed in the key of G minor with a moderate pace of approximately 92 beats per minute.

Critical reception

Michael Hill of Cash Box highlighted that 2Pac and Dr. Dre deliver smooth lyrical performances over an outstanding dance beat, further elevated by funk icon Roger Troutman’s talk box contribution, which makes the track distinctive. Will Hermes from Entertainment Weekly described it as a quintessential West Coast dance anthem. Victoria Segal of Melody Maker characterized it as possessing a disco atmosphere layered with vocoder effects and synthesizers that embody the spirit of California Love.

European publication Music & Media remarked on West Coast gangsta rap’s evolution toward an R&B-influenced soundscape, noting 2Pac’s adoption of a George Clinton-inspired p-funk style with distorted vocal elements and heavy grooves while preserving lyrical themes centered on Los Angeles street life. Ralph Tee from Music Week awarded the track four out of five stars, commending Dr. Dre’s production for fusing elements of funk and hip hop, drawing inspiration from Zapp’s "So Ruff So Tuff" and Kleeer’s "Intimate Connection," emphasizing its strong commercial appeal.

Music videos

Two distinct music video versions were created for the track. The initial concept was developed by actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who was a close associate of Shakur and drew inspiration from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. However, she later relinquished her role as director, with Hype Williams assuming the position. Filming took place between November 10 and 13, 1995, at El Mirage, California. Set in a dystopian desert landscape in the year 2095, the video features actor Clifton Powell portraying the party leader "Monster," Chris Tucker as the MC, Tony Cox as a dwarf soldier, alongside Roger Troutman utilizing a talk box. The narrative concludes with a cliffhanger marked by a "To Be Continued" message; an alternate remix version omits this ending and includes appearances by 2Pac and Dr. Dre mentioning various West Coast cities.

The second video, which corresponds to the album All Eyez on Me remix, extends the storyline by revealing that the desert scenes were part of a nightmare. It then shifts to a lively house party hosted at Dr. Dre's summer residence, featuring guest appearances from Roger Troutman on piano, DJ Quik, Big Syke, Deion Sanders, Danny Boy, Nadia Cassini, Jodeci, B-Legit, and E-40. This version was filmed in Compton, California.

The original video is included on the All Eyez on Me DualDisc release, while the second can be found on the Tupac: Live at the House of Blues DVD. Released in December 1995, the video received the 1996 MOBO Award for Best Video.

Live performances

2Pac delivered a live rendition of the song on January 6, 1996, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans during the Tribute to Eazy-E tour. He also performed it alongside Roger Troutman on Saturday Night Live on February 17, 1996. On February 13, 2022, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg showcased the song during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show. Later, on June 19, 2024, Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar performed it at The Pop Out: Ken & Friends event. Additionally, Dr. Dre joined by Anderson .Paak and Sheila E. presented a live performance of the track on January 30, 2025, at FireAid, a benefit concert supporting relief efforts for the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.

Accolades

"California Love" secured the position of 11th best single in 1996 according to the Pazz & Jop, an annual critics' poll conducted by The Village Voice. Its original video was nominated for Best Rap Video at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards and was ranked ninth on MTV's list of the 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made in 1999. In 2005, it received a Bronze distinction in MTV2 and XXL's ranking of the 25 Greatest West Coast Videos and topped French MTV’s list of "100 Greatest Rap Music Videos" in 2006. The song was placed at number 51 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s in 2007 and ranked number 23 on Entertainment Weekly's The 100 Greatest Summer Songs in 2009.

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Ego Trip	United States	Hip Hop's 40 Greatest Singles by Year 1980–98	1999	22
VH1		100 Greatest Songs of the 90's	2007	51
Blender		The 1001 Greatest Songs to Download Right Now!	2003	*
rap.about.com		50 Great Hip Hop Songs	2001	6
Rolling Stone		The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time	2004	346
Bruce Pollock		The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944–2000	2005	*
Entertainment Weekly		The 100 Greatest Summer Songs	2009	23
Rolling Stone		The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (Updated 2010)	2010	355
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame		The Songs That Shaped Rock (Additions 2011)	2011	*
Slant		The 100 Best Singles of the 90s		17
Time		The All-Time 100 Songs			*
'Pause & Play'			'Songs Inducted into a Time Capsule, One Track at Each Week'		*'
'Gary Mulholland'	United Kingdom'	'This Is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock'	'2002'	*'
'Paul Morley'	'Words and Music, 210 Greatest Pop Singles of All Time'	2003'	\|-	'Q'	'The 1001 Best Songs Ever'	118 \|-	'Q'	'The 1010 Songs You Must Own'	2004 \| style="text-align:center;" \| *
'Giannis Petridis'	'Greece'	'2004 of the Best Songs of the Century'	'2003'	*'
'Technikart'	'France'	'Top 20 Songs per Year 1991–2011'	'2012'	13'
'Village Voice'	'United States'	'Singles of the Year'	11 \|-	'Face'	'United Kingdom'	'Singles of the Year'	3 \|-	'Melody Maker'	'United Kingdom'	'Singles of the Year'	24 \|-	'Vox'	'United Kingdom'	'Singles of the Year'	8 \|-	'Rolling Stone'	'United States'	"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (Updated 2021)"	'2021'	'320'

Personnel

Lyrics – Tupac "2Pac" Shakur (second verse); James "J-Flexx" Anderson (first verse)
Keyboard instruments – Sean "Barney" Thomas
Percussion instruments – Carl "Butch" Small
Production, mixing, featured rap – Dr. Dre
Lead vocals, talkbox performance – Roger Troutman
Supporting vocals – Danette Williams, Dorothy Coleman, Barbara Wilson
Sound engineers – Keston E. Wright, Rick Clifford
Assistant sound engineer – Alvin McGill
Production coordinator – Larry Chatman
Video director – Hype Williams

Weekly charts

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Year-end rankings

Chart (1996)	Highest position
Denmark (IFPI)	4
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)	3
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)	7
Italy (Musica e dischi)	1
Italy Airplay (Music & Media)	9

Chart (1996)	Rank
Australia (ARIA)	34
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)	61
Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)	5
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)	30
France (SNEP)	77
Germany (Media Control)	50
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	98
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	100
New Zealand (RIANZ)	11
Sweden (Topplistan)	15
Sweden (Swedish Dance Chart)	2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	27
UK Singles (OCC)	87
US Billboard Hot 100	17
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)	6
US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard)	1

Decade-end rankings

Chart (1990–1999)	Rank
US Billboard Hot 100	97

Distribution timeline

Territory	Release date	Formats	Record label(s)
United States	December 3, 1995	12-inch vinyl CD cassette	Death Row Records (Death Row) Interscope Records (Interscope)
United States	January 30, 1996	Contemporary hit radio
Japan	March 25, 1996	CD
United Kingdom	April 1, 1996	12-inch vinyl CD cassette

References