What's The Real Meaning Of California Love By Tupac And Dr. Dre? Here's What We Think
One of the greatest music hits of 1995 was "California Love," a hip-hop track by Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre. According to Song Meanings + Facts, the song was a huge milestone for Tupac, who had just been released from prison after serving time for sexual assault charges when the song was recorded. "California Love" soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart after it dropped, making it Tupac's first No. 1 hit, and it became a global sensation as it reached audiences in countries like New Zealand and Italy. After Tupac was murdered in 1996, the song received two Grammy Award nominations: one for best rap solo performance, and another for best rap performance by a duo or group.
Dre introduced the beat of the song to Tupac at a party. DJ Chris "The Glove" Taylor recalled this in an LA Weekly interview, and also said it took Tupac a very short amount of time to add his lyrics to the iconic song. "We said hello and shook hands and then [Tupac] left to enjoy the party — or so I thought," he said. "I saw Tupac in the booth recording a verse to the beat we had just made. The entire process was about 20 minutes all-together and it was just amazing." So what is the meaning behind Tupac's iconic rhyme?
California Love celebrates the west coast lifestyle
"California Love" was a huge hit for Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre upon its release in the mid-'90s, and history has remembered it fondly. Rolling Stone named it as one of "25 Greatest Songs Produced By Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine" in 2017. Aside from its catchy, fun sound, one reason why "California Love" has endured throughout the years is the meaning behind its words, which represent the excitement and freedom of the California lifestyle. With lyrics, "California knows how to party / California knows how to party (Yes, they do) /In the city of LA / In the city of good ol' Watts / In the city, the city of Compton / We keep it rockin', we keep it rockin'," Tupac and Dre show off the fun, glamorous party environment of various California cities.
The song was also recorded at a time when there was an east coast vs. west coast rivalry in rap music, so Tupac and Dre's lyrics served to show rival rappers how they were winning on the west coast. Tupac raps in the song, "It's Westside, so you know the Row won't bow down to no man / Say what you say, but give me that bomb beat from Dre." This is a direct shoutout to east coast rappers, letting them know that artists from Dre's label, Death Row Records, are making quality music that speaks for itself.
California Love will likely be performed at the 2022 Super Bowl
Although it's been over 26 years since "California Love" was released it's still a crowd-pleasing tune that may soon return for a worldwide audience. Dr. Dre is spearheading the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI, and, as Billboard reported, Snoop Dog, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige will make appearances and perform alongside Dre. Billboard also announced their ideal setlist for the show, and "California Love" is the song they chose as the best closing track for the performance.
Choosing to make "California Love" a focus of the performance would make sense for many reasons — it's one of Dre's most successful collaborations, it's a well-loved song amongst a wide-range of music listeners, and the Super Bowl is taking place in the LA area this year for the first time in almost three decades. It's very likely that the track will be featured this Sunday, and if it is, the viewers of the Super Bowl halftime show will no doubt love the song, just as audiences first did in 1995.