Going Back to Cali ( LL Cool J song ) - wikipedia Going Back to Cali ( LL Cool J song ) For the Notorious B.I.G. song, see Going Back to Cali ( The Notorious B.I.G. song ). `` Going Back to Cali '' Single by LL Cool J from the album Less Than Zero and Walking with a Panther B - side `` Jack the Ripper '' Released January 27, 1988 Format Vinyl, cassette Recorded Genre Golden age hip hop Length 3 : 57 Label Def Jam Songwriter ( s ) Rick Rubin, James Todd Smith Producer ( s ) Rick Rubin LL Cool J singles chronology `` Go Cut Creator Go '' ( 1987 ) `` Going Back to Cali '' ( 1988 ) `` I 'm That Type of Guy '' ( 1989 ) `` Go Cut Creator Go '' ( 1987 ) `` Going Back to Cali '' ( 1988 ) `` I 'm That Type of Guy '' ( 1989 ) `` Going Back to Cali '' is a 1988 single by LL Cool J from the Less Than Zero soundtrack as well as his third album, Walking with a Panther. The song was co-written and produced by Rick Rubin. It peaked at # 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and # 12 on the Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Songs, and was eventually certified gold by the RIAA on May 28, 1991. The song features LL Cool J vacillating about moving to California, rapping in the chorus, `` I 'm going back to Cali '', followed by `` I do n't think so ''. In the verses, he describes a trip to Los Angeles in which he meets several women but is scared off because they are too sexually aggressive. The basic concept for the song was Rubin 's, based on his own ambivalence about possibly moving from New York City to Los Angeles. Contents 1 Music video 2 Covers 3 Parodies and references 4 Track listing 5 Charts 6 References 7 External links Music video The music video for `` Going Back to Cali '' was directed by Ric Menello. It was shot in black and white and was filmed mostly at two Los Angeles landmarks, the Venice neighborhood and the Griffith Observatory, as an homage to two of Menello 's favorite films, Touch of Evil ( 1958 ) and Rebel Without a Cause ( 1955 ), respectively. Covers Rock band Sevendust covered the song on the 2000 album Take a Bite Outta Rhyme : A Rock Tribute to Rap. Parodies and references The 1990 music video `` Going Back to Brooklyn '', starring Colin Quinn and directed by Ben Stiller, parodied the song and music video. In the video, Quinn raps about being afraid to return to his home town because he is no longer tough enough. The 1990 Sonic Youth song `` Kool Thing '' includes references to `` Going Back to Cali '' in both the song 's lyrics and its music video ; the song was intended as an attack on LL Cool J for his perceived misogyny. The 2008 promotional video `` Going Back to Philly '', intended to promote the upcoming season of It 's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, had its music performed by Jeru the Damaja, with the video featuring the show 's cast. The music video for Eminem 's 2013 song `` Berzerk '' referenced the `` Going Back to Cali '' video in a scene showing Rick Rubin playing cards. In 2015, Jimmy Fallon cold - opened an episode of The Tonight Show, with a shortened version of the song and music video, to kick off a week of hosting the show in California. LL Cool J has a cameo appearance in the video. The ESPN commercial for the Los Angeles Rams August 13 preseason game opener against the Dallas Cowboys uses the song. The song was briefly featured in the 2017 movie : Transformers : The Last Knight, one of the live - action movies that are based on the Transformers toyline. The song was used in the third season of the Netflix series Narcos. The final episode of the season was named Going Back to Cali, a play on words between Cali ( short for California ) and Cali ( the city in Colombia where the show takes place ). Track listing `` Going Back to Cali '' ( R. Rubin, J.T. Smith ) -- 3 : 57 `` Jack the Ripper '' ( Rubin, Smith ) -- 4 : 50 Charts Chart Position Billboard Hot 100 31 U.S. R&B / Hip - Hop 12 Hot Dance Music / Maxi - Singles Sales 19 References ^ Jump up to : Aushenker, Michael ( December 31, 2013 ). `` ' Going Back to Cali, ' again : In December 1987, a then 20 - year - old L.L. Cool J filmed an artsy black - and - white rap video on Venice Beach ''. Argonaut News. Jump up ^ Youtube `` Jimmy Fallon 's `` Going Back To Cali '' Cold Open ( with LL Cool J ) '' External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics LL Cool J Discography Studio albums Radio Bigger and Deffer Walking with a Panther Mama Said Knock You Out 14 Shots to the Dome Mr. Smith Phenomenon G.O.A.T. 10 The DEFinition Todd Smith Exit 13 Authentic Compilations All World : Greatest Hits All World 2 Singles `` I Need a Beat '' `` I Ca n't Live Without My Radio '' `` I Can Give You More '' `` Rock the Bells '' `` You 'll Rock '' `` I 'm Bad '' `` I Need Love '' `` Go Cut Creator Go '' `` Going Back to Cali '' `` I 'm That Type of Guy '' `` Big Ole Butt '' `` One Shot at Love '' `` Jingling Baby '' `` To da Break of Dawn '' `` The Boomin ' System '' `` Around the Way Girl '' `` Mama Said Knock You Out '' `` 6 Minutes of Pleasure '' `` Who 's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf ? '' `` Strictly Business '' `` How I 'm Comin ' '' `` Back Seat ( Of My Jeep ) '' `` Pink Cookies In a Plastic Bag Getting Crushed By Buildings '' `` Stand By Your Man '' `` Hey Lover '' `` Doin ' It '' `` Loungin '' `` I Shot Ya '' `` Ai n't Nobody '' `` Hit ' Em High ( The Monstars ' Anthem ) '' `` Phenomenon '' `` 4, 3, 2, 1 '' `` Father '' `` Candy '' `` Zoom '' `` Say What '' `` Deepest Bluest '' `` Hot Hot Hot '' `` Shut ' Em Down `` Imagine That '' `` You and Me '' `` Put Your Hands Up '' `` Blink Blink '' `` Luv U Better '' `` Paradise '' `` All I Have '' `` Amazin ' `` Headsprung '' `` Hush '' `` It 's LL and Santana '' `` Control Myself '' `` Freeze '' `` Cry '' `` Baby '' Featured singles `` Rampage '' `` This Is for the Lover in You '' `` Incredible '' `` Fatty Girl '' `` All I Have '' `` We Are the World 25 for Haiti '' Other songs `` Accidental Racist '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Going_Back_to_Cali_(LL_Cool_J_song)&oldid=800796636 '' Categories : 1988 singles LL Cool J songs Songs about California Songs written by LL Cool J Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin Songs written by Rick Rubin 1987 songs Def Jam Recordings singles Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2014 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 15 September 2017, at 18 : 39. 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Question: who sang i'm going back to cali
Answer: LL Cool J