Northern California

[Chorus]
Yeah, yeah
It's Northern California cranking off the hook
Where the rappers are affiliated everywhere you look

[Verse 1]
Too $hort '85, girl that's your life smoking on that glass pipe
Had me paying attention my cousin losing weight fast
Like apartments crooked in Lakeview, Grandma stayed across the street
Playing hoop in the gym when I heard the Cougar speak
Voice deep spitting rap said he was rolling, dippin' sick
Snakeskin on top of the 'Ville and that was eighty-six
I was nine, then came eighty-nine
Then came Richie Rich and D-Loc
Oakland's 4-1-5
Groupie ass bitch tried to get a baller from the sideshow
And tried to be apart of MC Hammer's stage show
Hammer had MTV locked before Nelly and Will
I'm telling you this is real
He sold seventeen mil
Digital Underground, Money B, Fuse, and Shock
Refuel the rap world by introducing Pac
From the same spot slang rocks wrote raps on the same soil
Check the next verse I'll spit more game for you

[Chorus]
It's Northern California cranking off the hook
Where the rappers are affiliated everywhere you look
They juke, hit banks and rank high in the pen
Rest in peace to every one that's not here

[Verse 2]
Richie Rich got cracked early nineties with a half a thing
Heavy in that rap game still getting that dough
MC Hammer bought helicopters from the cops from the O
Probably pushing that shit (shhhh), probably keeping it low
Mac Dre put Vallejo on the map first in The Bay
You can tell me something good, if you know what to say
A Richmond cat named Filthy Phil made player hating a statement
Then he got even more famous
When he gave it to a cop trying to stop him
On some true bay thug shit, pulled his shit quick and popped him
I watched him on America's Most
I watched him put out a tape called the Manhunt and the nigga got ghost
Mac Dre still doing his thang, instead his Romper Room gang
Was robbing banks, media tried to ruin his name
Got convicted seven year in the feds
And about this time started writing them rhymes
And about this time the year was ninety one
I'm in the studio laying raps only for fun
Selling crack doing strong armed robberies at ATM's
Ninth grade high school always in the gym
My verses getting props in the bleachers
Spitting verbal heaters finna be on the shelf next season
Check the next verse I got more to say
About the real element going down in The Bay

[Chorus]
Northern California where the rappers crooks
Rappers locked down for years got they fame took
We made game made niggas put the world in fear
You better know that it's real out here

[Verse 3]
Spice One ninety-one ninety-two had the East Bay shining
Spitting about that killing that jacking and that grinding
Then came 40 'I'm tired of being stepped on'
Mr. Flamboyant, here our respect come
2Pac dropped 2Pacalypse Now, nine-one
Brenda got a baby girl my age had a son
Real shit from a real nigga who ya'll mocked
Real game from a real place it's about to be hot
Since Too Short we sold tapes out of the trunk
And we never gave parties without having funk
It was 40 and The Click, Dru Down and the Luniz
Too Short and the Dangerous Crew, here come The City
JT and the G-L-P, RBL Posse, Cougnut, Cellski, and I-M-P
X-Raided out in Sac, Brotha Lynch, and C-Bo
Totally Insane, Sean from Palo Alto
Murder capitol nineteen ninety-two
You niggas perpetrate the rhymes I rap are true
One cat on Rap-A-Lot named Sea from the East-O
The Bay was on fire recognize it my people
Had deals on the table another verse to write
Let the world know The Bay is worthy of the hype
From The Bay to Sac, I testify on this track
So we can get back on track as I spit these raps

[Chorus]
It's Northern California cranking off the hook
Where the rappers are affiliated everywhere you look
They juke, hit banks, rank high in the pen
Rest in peace to every one that's not here

[Verse 4]
X-Raided went to jail, for killing somebody's momma
Up in Sac, with that blood and crip drama
Forty selling thousands of records got a deal with Jive
Worth about three point five
Don't give me no bammer weed
We don't smoke that shit in the S-F-C
C-Bo and AWOL playing with change ya'll
Trips to Atlanta, twenty deep on the plane dog
JT hooked 4 up with EMI
We sat back for a year and we seen him fly
2Pac sentenced for rape in ninety four
After being shot in skanless ass New York
Master P emerging hard up out of Richmond
Playing real tough but he's only a sixth man
Luniz really put your eyes on him
When they dissed him on the flip side of 5 on It
G-L-P signed in ninety-five along with Master P
Things about to change fast as can be
$hort gave a picnic in Fairfield
Niggas busting a thousand people trying to find a shield
Death Row and Southern Cal running the rap game
Niggas got big deals (while) we fucking off big change
C-Bo in and out of jail parole violating and such
The whole nation is biting our stuff
Farrakhan Million Man March
Half a million guns spark
2Pac released on bail Suge Knight bought him
He told us the east would hate instead of jocking our style
On radio shows, commercials knocking us down
In the city R-B-L signed a deal at the end of the nine-fifth
Then Mister C from R-B-L was shot dead
January first nineteen ninety-six
And they say The Bay isn't sick

[Chorus]
Northern California cranking off the hook
Where the rappers are affiliated everywhere you look
They juke, hit banks, rank high in the pen
Rest in peace to the ones that's not here

Coming straight from
Northern California where the rappers crooks
Rappers locked down for years got they fame took
We made dank, made millions put the world in fear
You got to know that it's real out here

In Northern California