"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.

Based on this passage, who sang i'm going back to cali? Let's think fast. Stream of consciousness:
The relevant sentence in the passage is: "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. So the final answer is LL Cool J.