"03 Bonnie & Clyde" is a song recorded by American rapper

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

featuring his then-girlfriend, now wife, American singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was released on October 10, 2002. It was composed by Jay-Z, Kanye West, Prince, Tupac Shakur, Darryl Harper, Ricky Rouse and Tyrone Wrice for Jay-Z's seventh

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse'' (2002). The song was released as the album's lead single on October 10, 2002. "03 Bonnie & Clyde" sampled its beat from American rapper Tupac Shakur's 1996 song "Me and My Girlfriend", paraphrasing its chorus, and was inspired by the

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...

''. The instrumentation is based on programmed

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

s, bass instruments, and a flamenco guitar. "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was generally received with favorable reviews by music critics, who complimented the combination of Jay-Z's and Beyoncé's musical styles, their collaboration and the song's production. The single reached number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Jay-Z's second top ten single and Beyoncé's first as a solo artist. It charted at number one in Switzerland, number two in the United Kingdom and peaked in the top twenty in other European territories. "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) and platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The accompanying music video was directed by Chris Robinson, and features Jay-Z and Beyoncé playing a modern-day version of the 1920s bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. It was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video at the

2003 MTV Video Music Awards The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony is best remembered for ...

. "03 Bonnie & Clyde" spawned a feud with American recording artist Toni Braxton, who had also sampled "Me and My Girlfriend" in her 2002 song "Me & My Boyfriend". She accused West and Jay-Z of stealing the idea of using the song as a sample, which was later denied by both of them. "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was performed by Jay-Z and Beyoncé on several television shows and was later included on the set list of their concert performances and tours, most notably on their co-headlining

On the Run On the Run may refer to: * "On the run", a phrase often used to describe a fugitive, a person fleeing custody Literature * ''On the Run'' (novel), by Nina Bawden * On the Run (novel series), by Gordon Korman * ''On the Run'', a novel in the S ...

and On the Run II tours.

Production and release

"03 Bonnie & Clyde" marked the first collaboration between rapper

and R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. While listening to Shakur's '' The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory'', producer Kanye West suggested that American rapper Tupac Shakur's song "Me and My Girlfriend" would make a good

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

to use on Jay-Z's duet with Knowles. West told

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

that Jay-Z had asked him on the telephone for a duet for him and Knowles: "We got this joint, it has to be the best beat you ever made." He continued:

So I went home and called my dog, E Base, who plays a lot of instruments up at Baseline tudiofor me and roducerJust Blaze. came through. I programmed the drums in 10 minutes, and then he played all the different parts. This version is all live bass, live guitars, ivechords on it. I brought it to Hov that night, he heard it, he thought of the video treatment before he thought of the rap. He just knew it was gonna be the one.

Tensions arose during the conception of "03 Bonnie & Clyde" over the sampling of "Me and My Girlfriend". Senior Vice President of A&R Tina Davis commented on the issue, "We only had one day to clear the upac Shakursample rom 'Me and my Girlfriend'that was used on "03 Bonnie and Clyde" last year with Jay-Z and Knowles eyoncé We were back and forth with Afeni Shakur all day until we got the clearance. And then it's a hit." "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was released on October 10, 2002, as the lead single from Jay-Z's album '' The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse''. Knowles later included the song as a bonus track on international editions of her 2003 debut solo album ''

Dangerously in Love ''Dangerously in Love'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released on June 20, 2003, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. During the recording of Destiny's Child's third studio album '' Survivor'' ( ...

''. In 2003, '' Now That's What I Call Music!'' included "03 Bonnie & Clyde" as the opening track of the 12th volume of the US release and the fifteenth track of the 54th volume of the UK release. The song's release was the first indication of Jay-Z's and Knowles' romantic status, spawning rumors about a burgeoning relationship. Their relationship was not made public until Jay-Z featured on Knowles' songs " Crazy In Love" (2003) and " Déjà Vu" (2006). The former's release also marked the debut of the solo career of Knowles, leaving

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

on hiatus.

Composition

"03 Bonnie & Clyde" features

s and live instrumentation such as bass instruments and guitar chords. It also consists of a beat sampled from "Me and My Girlfriend". The song was inspired by the 1967 American

'' as Jay-Z and Beyoncé proclaim themselves as the current version of the criminal duo. Ethan Brown of ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'' magazine noted that its patina of flamenco guitar was reminiscent of that in Jay-Z's 2001 collaboration with

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

on "

Fiesta ''Fiesta'' (Spanish for "religious feast", "festival", or "party") may refer to: Events *Fiesta San Antonio, a 10-day event held every April in San Antonio, Texas *St. Peter's Fiesta, a five-day festival in Gloucester, Massachusetts *Fiestas d ...

." Beyoncé mimics the hook of "Me and My Girlfriend" on the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

as she sings, "Down to ride to the very end, me and my boyfriend". Some lyrics sung by Beyoncé were sampled from " If I Was Your Girlfriend" by American recording artist Prince. On the second

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

, Jay-Z references the relationship between Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, and the American television

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

series '' Sex and the City'' as he raps: "She riiides wit' me / The new Bobby and Whitney / Only time we don't speak is during 'Sex and the City' / Put us together, how they gon' stop both of us? / When I'm off track, Mommy is keeping me focused". The verse then continues: "Let's lock this down like it's supposed to be/ The new '03 Bonnie and Clyde, Hov and B".

Critical reception

"03 Bonnie & Clyde" was received favorably by critics, who commended the use of different samples, and commented on the relationship between Jay-Z and Beyoncé. Chris Ryan of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine described "03 Bonnie & Clyde" as a highlight on ''The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse'', stating that it consists of "a house party in a crib as big as the Georgia Dome." John Bush from AllMusic included the song as a highlight on the album, further describing it as "a slick R&B crossover with Beyoncé Knowles". Marc L. Hill of PopMatters viewed it as the "obligatory radio song" of the album. Awarding the song a rating of eight out of ten possible points,

Dele Fadele Ayodele Fadele (8 August 1962 – March 2018) was an English musician and music journalist who was active from the mid-1980s. He wrote for the '' NME'' in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was one of the first music critics to introduce then em ...

of '' NME'' complimented it as "a cool duet" between Jay-Z and Beyoncé. John Robinson of the same publication wrote that as the couple describe their life, it's not all "Lexus and sipping Cris". He added, "A similarly relaxed production makes for a behind-the-diamante-net-curtains classic". Ethan Brown of ''

'' magazine named "03 Bonnie & Clyde" as a follow-up to the previous "Bonnie & Clyde Part II" by Jay-Z featuring rapper Foxy Brown. Erik Parker, music editor of '' Vibe'' magazine, was divided on the song's sample, writing that it was "tasteless but well-executed", and complimented West's production as "impeccable". Margena A. Christian of ''

Jet Jet, Jets, or The Jet(s) may refer to: Aerospace * Jet aircraft, an aircraft propelled by jet engines ** Jet airliner ** Jet engine ** Jet fuel * Jet Airways, an Indian airline * Wind Jet (ICAO: JET), an Italian airline * Journey to Enceladus a ...

'' magazine praised Jay-Z's and Beyoncé's collaboration, favoring the former's "dropping lyrics" and the latter's "cooing silky vocals". Chuck Taylor of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine wrote that though it was unclear at the time whether the couple were together or not, but they created good music together. Taylor praised the song's ability to showcase what each artist does best: Jay-Z "spitting" verses of praise, and Beyoncé's sweets coos and hooks. Taylor noted that the sampled

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

"added spice to the track, setting it up for future success". In a more negative review, Nathan Rabin of '' The A.V. Club'' described the song as "terrible" and different from the other songs on ''The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse''. ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'' credited "03 Bonnie & Clyde" for giving Beyoncé a "little street-credit". The staff members of ''Vibe'' magazine placed the song at number two on a list of the best ''Bonnie and Clyde'' inspired songs. On a list of the 10 Best Jay-Z Songs, Dean Silfenv of

AOL AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo (2017� ...

placed "03 Bonnie & Clyde" at number six. Popjustice listed "03 Bonnie & Clyde" at number 66 on its list of the best singles of 2003. It was nominated for the Best Collaboration at the 2003 BET Awards, but lost to

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

's song " Beautiful". In a 2013 list of Jay-Z's 20 Biggest ''Billboard'' Hits, "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was ranked at number 6. Elijah Watson and Erika Ramirez of ''Billboard'' magazine noted that the song proved the couple was "unstoppable from jump".

Chart performance

"03 Bonnie & Clyde" reached the top ten on music charts in six European countries. It peaked at number six on the Norway Singles Chart and on the Danish Singles Chart, number eight on the Italian Singles Chart, and topped the Swiss Singles Charts. In Canada, the song peaked at number four and became Jay-Z's highest charting single until it was surpassed by his 2009 Alicia Keys-assisted song " Empire State of Mind", which peaked at number three. In the United Kingdom, "03 Bonnie & Clyde" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. At the time, it became his highest charting single in Britain since " Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" achieved the same feat in November 1998. It peaked at number four on the New Zealand Singles Chart, becoming his highest charting single in that territory. The song also became Jay-Z's highest charting single in Australia, where it peaked at number two. "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipment of 70,000 copies. "03 Bonnie & Clyde" broke into the top five of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number four; it became the highest-charting single that references the famous bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde. The record was previously held by Georgie Fame's 1967 single " The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde." Following the performance of "03 Bonnie & Clyde" on '' Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') on November 2, 2002, its radio audience increased by 12%, allowing the song to advance into the top ten of the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, at number seven. This gave Jay-Z his 12th top 10 single, tying him with rapper P. Diddy, who had the same number of top 10 singles on that chart. "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was his first top 10 since his 2001 single " Girls, Girls, Girls". It was certified gold by the

(RIAA), denoting sales of 500,000 copies.The song sold over 1 million copies in US.

Music video

Chris Robinson directed the song's accompanying music video and filmed in Mexico, during October 2002. June Ambrose was hired as the personal stylist, and Johnathon Schaech and Lance Reddick appear in the video as the police officers on their tail. Jay-Z and Beyoncé play a modern-day version of the 1930s bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. The video is loosely based on the American 1993 romance crime film '' True Romance'', which stars Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette as two lovers on the run from cocaine dealers. The choreography used in the clip suggests a relationship beyond screen, as Jay-Z wraps his arm around Beyoncé while singing his part of the chorus. The video also marked a departure for the "clean-cut Beyoncé" and created a symbiotic relationship between her and Jay-Z, allowing them to exchange audiences. The video was premiered on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

on November 8, 2002. The music video begins as police officers and Reddick discuss the criminal duo and ways to catch them. As the song begins, Jay-Z is seen driving a gunmetal grey Aston Martin Vanquish while Beyoncé sits in the passenger seat. As they drive through the sepia sands of Mexico, clips of the police from the beginning of the video are cut into the scene. As Jay-Z and Beyoncé pull over to a hotel, they cover the car to avoid notice from the police. As Beyoncé and Jay-Z count money in the bedroom, the police discover their hiding place and go upstairs only to find that the two have fled the scene in their car. Scenes of Beyoncé and Jay-Z at a Mexican bar are inter-cut with scenes of an intimate time in a phone-booth; behind the phone booth, spray-painted onto a wall is a tribute to Tupac Shakur. The duo again elude the police who are following one step behind. After Beyoncé performs her verse in an empty pool, the police form a blockade on the highway in an attempt to catch her and Jay-Z, only to be stumped again as two gas station attendant decoys are found driving the car. The video ends as Beyoncé and Jay-Z light a

bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Etymology The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...

on the beach and drive away in a different car. Corey Moss of MTV News noted that the end of the video does not reveal how the "real" Bonnie and Clyde met their end. The story continues in the 2004 video for Jay-Z's song " 99 Problems". The music video for "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video at the

. In the official top 20 countdown of Jay-Z music videos, MTV UK listed the clip at number 10.

Controversy

On October 8, 2002, Toni Braxton and her team released a statement claiming that Jay-Z's song "03 Bonnie & Clyde" had stolen Braxton's idea to sample the 1996 Tupac Shakur song "Me and My Girlfriend". Braxton sampled Shakur's song on the track "Me & My Boyfriend", included on Braxton's album, '' More Than a Woman'' (2002). In a call to a New York radio station, hosted by Wendy Williams, Braxton stated that "Jay-Z and Beyoncé are messing with my money. They're trying to steal my mojo". Braxton said her song was recorded over the summer of 2002, and alleged that Jay-Z only decided to do "03 Bonnie & Clyde" after she played her version of the song for Def Jam Recordings. Kanye West responded to Braxton's claim in an interview for MTV News, "I had no idea about Toni Braxton's ong She can't act like ain't nobody ever heard 'Me and My Girlfriend' before. People hear the song all the time. I can nderstand her complaintif it asan original song." West defended the song's sample, stating that the idea came to him after listening to a friend's Makaveli album one night. Roc-A-Fella Records' Co-CEO

Damon Dash Damon Anthony Dash (born May 3, 1971) is an American entrepreneur and record executive. Dash is best known as co-founder of Roc-A-Fella along with Jay-Z and Kareem Burke. Early life Born in New York City, Dash swept the floors of a local barbe ...

responded to Braxton's claims: Speaking for MTV News, Jay-Z responded to Braxton's claims: "I wouldn't want to take it from her. I don't even think like that. My first thought would be, 'Maybe I could call her up, maybe I could get on that record.' The most obvious xplanationis it's neither one of our records. It's not like you made an original idea. She's not in hip-hop, but it happens in hip-hop often. We go to sample the same thing and my record came out first. I'm sorry. What can I do?" He went on saying that if he had known they were both planning to sample the same Tupac song, he would have arranged a duet with her.

Live performances

On November 2, 2002, Jay-Z and Beyoncé performed the song together at ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Later, on November 21, 2002, they appeared on MTV's '' TRL'' for Spankin' New Music Week where they also performed the song. In 2009, Beyoncé performed an abbreviated version of "03 Bonnie & Clyde" during her I Am... Yours revue, held at the Encore Las Vegas Theatre in July and August. The song was later included on the 2009

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas'' which was chronicling the revue. In August 2011, Beyoncé performed "03 Bonnie & Clyde" again during her revue 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé and included the song on the DVD '' Live at Roseland: Elements of 4'' released in November 2011. During the concerts, Beyoncé announced the song by saying, "It's 2002... I started to feel a little lonely till one day...". "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was included on Jay-Z's live album ''Live in Brooklyn'' released on October 11, 2012, after he performed the song during eight shows in Brooklyn. In 2013, Jay-Z included the song on the set list of his Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour. "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was part of the set list of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's co-headlining On the Run Tour (2014) where the shows were opened with the performance of the song. A black-and-white video was shown on the screen accompanied by sirens as the duo appeared onstage surrounded by smoke. They started performing the song with Beyoncé wearing a see-through fishnet mask and Jay-Z wearing black sunglasses, a star-speckled shirt, black jacket and gold chains. The song was in line with the show's overall criminalistic theme. d /54

Formats and track listings

*Digital EP # "03 Bonnie & Clyde" (Radio Edit, '' Hey Arnold!: The Movie'' Version) – 3:27 # "03 Bonnie & Clyde" (Explicit) – 3:26 # "U Don't Know" (Remix) (Jay-Z &

M.O.P. M.O.P. (short for Mash Out Posse) is an American hip hop duo composed of East Coast rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame. The song " Ante Up", was released on their ''Warriorz'' album in 2000. The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premi ...

) – 4:28 *CD single # "03 Bonnie & Clyde" (Radio Edit) – 3:28 # "U Don't Know" (Remix) – 4:27 # "03 Bonnie & Clyde" (Instrumental) – 3:27

Credits and personnel

Adapted from '' The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse's'' liner notes. *E-Base – bass, guitar, instrumentation, Keyboards *Shawn Carter – vocals (rap), composer *Jason Goldstein – mixing *D. Harper – composer *Gimel "Young Guru" Katon – engineer, mixing *Beyoncé Knowles – vocals *

Prince Nelson Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958April 21, 2016), more commonly known mononymously as Prince, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. The recipient of numerous awards and nominations, he is widely regarded as one ...

– additional writing from sample *R. Rouse – composer *Tupac Shakur – additional writing from sample *Kanye West – composer, producer *Shane "Bermy" Woodley – engineer *Tyrone Wrice – composer

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:03 Bonnie and Clyde 2002 singles Beyoncé songs Songs about Bonnie and Clyde Jay-Z songs Kanye West songs Music videos directed by Chris Robinson (director) Number-one singles in Switzerland Roc-A-Fella Records singles Song recordings produced by Kanye West Songs written by Jay-Z Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Prince (musician)