Having spent the majority of the early part of his career behind the control board and not the mic, Kid Ink crafting his production skills working with multi-platinum artists like Sean โDiddyโ Combs and Sean Kingston as well Yung Berg and Nipsey Hussle. Production came natural for Kid Ink, "I started making the beats because I already had several artists trying the rap thing out, so I thought I would be more useful supplying the production." But sitting behind the board was not enough for Kid Ink. Just a few short years ago, Kid Ink picked up the mic and a new contender in the Hip-Hop game was born.
Honing his skills as a songwriter creating hooks for his beats, Kid Ink stepped up his lyrical repertoire with full length and completed songs.
2010 was a breakout year in the young rapperโs career. Teaming up with world-renowned DJ ill Will and DJ Rockstarโs newly formed Tha Alumni Music Group; Kid Ink became more focused in his grind and began working on the underground hit, Crash Landing Mixtape. His hard work paid off and the music industry began to take notice. Within 10 days of its release, Crash Landing garnered critical acclaim, a position at the top of Datpiff.comโs โTop Mixtapes of the Weekโ section and amassed an astonishing 50 thousand downloads.
After Crash Landingsโ debut, national and international request to perform rolled in. Kid Ink has toured the states with stops in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City and Buffalo; and internationally in Toronto, Canada, Zurich, Switzerland, Melbourne, Australia and Krasnador, Russia.
Solidifying himself as a real MC, Kid Ink garnered career-defining features from Hip-Hop and R&B stars including Young Money's Gudda Gudda, Roscoe Dash, Sterling Simms, Bei Maejor, Meek Mill and many more. Kid Inkโs uncompromising work ethic would not allow him to rest on his more than impressive laurels; there needed to be a โvisualโ movement to showcase his innovative style and unique persona.
Lensed by Director Alex Nazari, Kid Ink released an astounding 8 cutting-edge music videos in 2010 alone. Tearing the Net to shreds, to date his now 26 released videos have garnered a very impressive 50 plus million views.
2011 continued to be phenomenal for the young MC. Having released his (free to the public) sophomore album Daydreamer on June 21st via the internet, the lyrical juggernaut accumulated over 150 thousand downloads in its first week. Fans went ballistic over the album that featured all original production from the likes of The Runners, Lex Luger, Jahlil Beats, Cardiak & Tha Bizness as well as major features from the Cory Gunz, Meek Mill, Ray J, Sean Kingston, Dorrough, Bei Maejor and more.
Bucking the norm of waiting for a major label deal to kick off his career, the rapper has taken his fate in to his own hands and crafted an internet campaign that rivals many of the acts resting high on the Billboard charts. With videos under his belt including Internet sensations โLowkey Poppin,โ โPleaseโ and โCali Dreamin,โโ Kid Ink is definitely rockinโ to his own beat.
Kid Ink continued his 2011 tear by releasing โWheels Up,โ yet another all original Mixtape on October 10th to an overwhelming response. Once again outdoing the numbers his previous project accumulated. Following the release of โWheels Up,โ Ink has been on a mini โWheels Upโ tour including stops in the Bay Area, Denmark, New York, Boston, Toronto, Denver & Chicago to name a few, performing to packed crowds of 600-2,000.
Ink started 2012 red hot as the first single โTime Of Your Lifeโ off his debut album โUp & Awayโ was picked up in early January by radio & the first week this song was released on iTunes it sold a staggering 20k copies. โTime Of Your Lifeโ peaked at #32 on the Rythmic Radio Charts with 750+ spins a week and has reached an audience of over 100 million selling 160k + singles Independently. In addition, the official video for โTime Of Your Lifeโ has reached over 12 million views on Youtube and was added to regular rotation on MTV Jams and MTV2. Following the success of โTime Of Your Lifeโ and the follow up single โDrippin,โ Ink launched his Indie album โUp & Awayโ in June to commercial success with 20k albums sold the 1st week in the US reaching top 20 on Billboard charts (All Albums) and #2 that week in Hip-Hop/Rap. Immediately following the success of โUp & Awayโ Ink toured the US, selling out shows throughout the Country including 6 Summer Jam concerts, followed by a headlining โUp & Awayโ UK Tour that included 25 shows in 35 days โ selling out 18 of the shows. โUp & Awayโ has sold well over 50k albums to date (US) & over 70k worldwide.
After the immediate sales success of โUp & Away,โ Ink found himself in a bidding war with all the major labels. Ink decided to cap off his career defining 2012 with another Mixtape in November of 2012 titled โRocketshipshawtyโ which has done well over 600k downloads online, followed by 6 videos off the project. Starting off the New Year in 2012 Ink decided to sign a major label deal with RCA Records. On January 3rd, 2013 Ink announced his signing and launched his debut Major Label single โBad Assโ feat MMG heavyweights Wale & Meek Mill.
His Internet game is just as tight as his rap game. His website, www.kidinkmusic.com gets between 90,000 and 150,000 hits a month, his Facebook page has over a 500,000 Likes, his Twitter game is continually growing with 300k plus Followers, Instagram over 260k follows and via HotNewHipHop.com Kid Ink has a staggering 13 million + digital downloads.
Cali Dreamin'
Kid Ink Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna stay, stay, stay
California dreamin [3x]
I'm gonna stay, stay, stay
Since you might see bunch of beaches
bunch of pretty bitches
life dnt get it twisted
stay ridin with the bros
like a car full of siblings
kush runnin through my system straight frm..
California california
swear you ain't never gonna leave if you get a whif of dis
and my life is like a movie nigga you can get a clip
you ain't shotn better chip
dhat mean u shud prbly dip
any city I dnt trip out n..
California california
Bitch I'm good wheaeva I go
name any hood nigga bet I know
headed to da store for swishers sweet
n a tall can of ari zona
the sun hotter thn da sonar
where u frm betta own up..ugh
thrw it up..
California california
California dreamin [3x]
I'm gonna stay, stay, stay
California dreamin [3x]
I'm gonna stay, stay, stay
So.. dnt wake me up
frm my dream dnt wake me up
but I got a quarter pound mayb u can wake me up
all my bitches weigh a buck 25 buck 40
born bad lik da army strght frm..
California california
All da way turnt up
White tee pair of chucks
let me redesign been dhat way snce high skool
nigga n yo girl been on my dick snce high skool
I'm sorry if you move bck to..
california california
'cause I've been here
hollywood all the way to the vantage
Dhats whea nigga use to get my dro
Nigga I'm on sunset sellin out shows
If it aint table n a bottle I aint goin
so much smoke man a nigga can't breath
has sme fun baby girl dnt leave sty in..
california california
California dreamin [3x]
I'm gonna stay, stay, stay
California dreamin [3x]
I'm gonna stay, stay, stay
The song "Cali Dreamin'" by Kid Ink is an ode to California, its beaches, pretty women, and the laidback lifestyle the state represents. The singer of the song is expressing his love and admiration for California, even suggesting that he's never leaving. The chorus repeats that he is "California dreamin', and he's gonna stay."
The lyrics offer a glimpse into the singer's life, where he is riding around with friends and enjoying the state's cool culture. He talks about smoking kush and sipping on Arizona tea while owning up to where he's from. The song suggests that the singer has a chip on his shoulder and that people should know better than to mess with someone from California. He expresses his confidence in knowing different neighborhoods and his ability to adapt to other environments but ultimately decides there's nowhere he'd rather be but in California.
The song is a reflection of Kid Ink's love for his home state, and it shows how even outsiders can find this place to be their dream destination. The song's chorus, "California dreamin', I'm gonna stay, stay, stay" is a sentiment that many people can relate to and appreciate, whether they're from California or not.
Line by Line Meaning
California dreamin [3x]
The singer is thinking about California and his dream of staying there.
I'm gonna stay, stay, stay
The singer is determined to stay in California.
Since you might see bunch of beaches
The singer talks about the many beaches in California.
bunch of pretty bitches
He also mentions all the beautiful women in the state.
life dnt get it twisted
Things might not always be easy, but he still loves it there.
wrong turn could be missin
Making a mistake could cause him to miss out in California.
stay ridin with the bros
He loves being with his friends, feels like they're family.
like a car full of siblings
He and his friends are so close that they feel like siblings.
kush runnin through my system straight frm..
He's smoking weed and getting high, just like most people in California.
California california
Repetition of the state's name to show how much he loves it there.
swear you ain't never gonna leave if you get a whif of dis
He's convinced that anyone who tries the weed in California will never want to leave.
and my life is like a movie nigga you can get a clip
He feels like his life in California is like a movie, and others can get a taste of it.
you ain't shotn better chip
If you can't handle it, you should leave California.
dhat mean u shud prbly dip
This is a way of saying that you should probably leave.
any city I dnt trip out n..
He feels comfortable in any city in California.
Bitch I'm good wheaeva I go
He feels confident and good no matter where he goes in California.
name any hood nigga bet I know
He feels like he knows everyone in every neighborhood in California.
headed to da store for swishers sweet
He's going to the store for some cigars.
n a tall can of ari zona
He's also getting a can of AriZona iced tea.
the sun hotter thn da sonar
The sun is very hot and strong, as powerful as sonar.
where u frm betta own up..ugh
If you're not from California, you should own up to it.
thrw it up..
This is a way of showing love and respect for California.
So.. dnt wake me up
He doesn't want to wake up from his dream of being in California.
but I got a quarter pound mayb u can wake me up
He's jokingly saying that he has so much weed that it might wake him up.
all my bitches weigh a buck 25 buck 40
All of his women are beautiful and they weigh around 125 - 140 pounds.
born bad lik da army strght frm..
He's saying that he's always been a rebel and he was born that way in California.
All da way turnt up
He's hyped up and excited.
White tee pair of chucks
He's wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of Converse Chuck Taylors.
let me redesign been dhat way snce high skool
He's been living his life a certain way since high school.
nigga n yo girl been on my dick snce high skool
Both men and women have been attracted to him since high school.
I'm sorry if you move bck to..
He's not sorry if someone moves back to their original state.
california california
Repetition of the state's name to show how much he loves it there.
'cause I've been here
He's been living in California for a while and knows it well.
hollywood all the way to the vantage
He's traveled from Hollywood all the way to Vantage, a city in California.
Dhats whea nigga use to get my dro
He used to buy his weed in Vantage.
Nigga I'm on sunset sellin out shows
He's performing well and selling out shows on the famous Sunset Strip in California.
If it aint table n a bottle I aint goin
He only goes to clubs that provide table service with alcohol.
so much smoke man a nigga can't breath
There's so much weed smoke in the air that it's hard to breathe.
has sme fun baby girl dnt leave sty in..
He wants his girl to have fun and stay in California with him.
california california
Repetition of the state's name to show how much he loves it there.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian Collins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@trapcity
Still remember blasting this in my first car. Memories <3
@ilivisionx9731
โค๏ธ
@gugi5199
๐
@lowky4415
So True..... good vibez
@ronnysantana1613
And now you have more subscribers than the self Kid Ink ๐
@lilflip2354
Yooo big same! What a time.
@Timo-rf4bx
2018 and still listening to Kid Ink's golden era. go back to this style please.
@longlivela659
Timo 230912 Nh its like Chief Keef 2012/2013 Golden Era They never going back to this cuz they rich and shit..... idk why they change the style but it is wat it is
@goodgirl6168
I canโt find any of his old music I didnโt know about him til in my own lane album
@bachiak1
Skynet Cyborg Youngboy does