[postlink]http://vionde.mpelembe.net/2010/02/2pac-ft-dr-dre-california-love.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwgZalAFNhMendofvid
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"California Love" is a hip hop song by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single upon his release from prison in 1995. A popular remix version of the song appeared on his 1996 double album All Eyez on Me. This is perhaps 2Pac's best-known song and his most successful, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks (as a Double-A side single with "How Do U Want It"). The song was nominated for a posthumous Grammy Award as a Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman) in 1997. The song was actually written and performed by Roger Troutman in the Original Version of California Love, Tupac and Dr. Dre made a modern day version of the song.
The original version of the track was not available on any of Shakur's studio albums, but it can now be found on Shakur's compilation of Greatest Hits.
The tune was adapted from Joe Cocker's song "Woman to Woman", and "California knows how to party" lines listing Los Angeles County neighborhoods are sung by Roger Troutman. The vocals "In the City of Compton" and the other cities and "California knows how to party" is adapted from Ronnie Hudson and the Street People's "West Coast Poplock". The remix features sample from the song "Intimate Connection" by Kleeer written by Norman Durham and Woody Cunningham.
"California Love" was Shakur's only entry on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, ranked #346 and #51 on VH1's countdown of the 100 Greatest songs of the 90s.
Two versions of music video exist. The first video (directed by Hype Williams) was inspired by the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and takes place in a desert in the year 2095. The casting includes singer George Clinton as the evil tribal chief, actor Chris Tucker[2] (then-known only for his role in the film Friday) playing the evil tribal chief's yes-man, Tony Cox as the dwarf soldier and Roger Troutman (formerly with the band Zapp) carrying a talk box. The shooting took place in the Thunderdome set[2] known from the movie. It ends with a cliffhanger cut by a To Be Continued closing. An alternative version, featuring the remix song re-cut, removes the final caption and features 2Pac and Dre naming West Coast towns.
The second video is based on a remix version of the song from the album All Eyez On Me, and is a continuation of the video's story. The premise is that the desert scenes of the previous videos were merely a nightmare 2Pac was having. When he wakes up, he finds himself in his bed beside a woman. Dr. Dre calls him and tells him to get over to his summer house because he's throwing a party. The rest of the music video takes place as if it were a home video and features several cameos, notably Roger Troutman who is now playing the piano, and guest appearances from DJ Quik, Big Syke, Danny Boy, Jodeci, Deion Sanders, B-Legit, and E-40. The video was made for the remix of the song.
The first video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video in 1996. It achieved #9 of the top 10 on MTV's 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made list in 1999. In April, 2005 it reached the Bronze medal spot on MTV2 and XXL's 25 Greatest West Coast Videos. It also achieved #1 on the French MTV's 100 Greatest Rap Music Videos in 2006 (featured from 23 till 30 of July).
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