Going Back to Cali (The Notorious B.I.G. song)
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| "Going Back to Cali" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by the Notorious B.I.G. | ||||
| from the album Life After Death | ||||
| A-side | "Sky's the Limit" | |||
| B-side | "Kick in the Door" | |||
| Released | November 18, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Studio | Daddy's House Recording Studios (New York City) | |||
| Genre | G-funk | |||
| Length | 5:07 (CD single) 5:07 (album) | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Easy Mo Bee | |||
| The Notorious B.I.G. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Going Back to Cali" is a song recorded by American
Background
The song is about Biggie returning to Los Angeles and the West Coast. It begins with a telephone conversion between Diddy and Biggie, in which Diddy tells Biggie that he needs to get ready for a flight from New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX). Biggie sounds as if he's just been woken up by Diddy's telephone call. The second verse begins with Biggie's thoughts on the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry and his relationship to the West Coast:
If I got to choose a coast, I got to choose the East
I live out there, so don't go there
But that don't mean a nigga can't rest in the West
See some nice breasts in the West
Smoke some nice sess in the West
Y'all niggas is a mess
Thinkin' I'm gon' stop givin' L.A. props
All I got is beef with those that violate me
I shall annihilate thee
Cover versions
Harlem rapper Mase (who was associated with Biggie) recorded a cover version of the song titled "Going Back To Harlem".
The song is heavily sampled in E-40's song "Bust Moves" from his 2012 album, The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil 1. The song features E-40's labelmates Big Omeezy and Droop-E, the latter of whom is E-40's son.
The song is sampled in "When We Party", which is by Faith Evans and uses vocals from Biggie and features Snoop Dogg. The song is on his and Faith Evans' 2017 album The King & I.
The song is featured in the trailer to Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, the fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise starring Eddie Murphy. In the trailer, released on YouTube in December, 2023, lyrics from the song are mixed with the 1984 theme from the movie franchise Axel F originally composed by Harold Faltermeyer.
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1997–1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[1] | 26 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[2] | 31 |
| US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[3] | 3 |
| US | 51 |
References
- ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2021.