"Ridin'" is a song by American rapper

Chamillionaire Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire (), is an American rapper. He was the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click from 2001 until the group split in 2005. He began his ...

featuring fellow American rapper

Krayzie Bone Anthony Henderson (born June 17, 1973), better known as Krayzie Bone, is an American rapper, singer, producer, and entrepreneur. He is a member of the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Personal life Henderson comes from a fourth generation fami ...

of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, released on February 27, 2006, as the second single from his debut studio album '' The Sound of Revenge'' (2005). Produced by

hip hop producer Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and " ...

Play-N-Skillz, the song's lyrics discuss

racial profiling Racial profiling or ethnic profiling is the act of suspecting, targeting or discriminating against a person on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or nationality, rather than on individual suspicion or available evidence. Racial profiling involv ...

and

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to ...

, in addition to the stereotyping of African-Americans driving a vehicle with

drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...

and other

contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") refers to any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It is used for goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes o ...

on the inside.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

shows cops abusing their powers, though Chamillionaire does admit to various crimes of this being promoted, including DWI and

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

. He juxtaposes police actions with

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

scenes to show how the police allegedly treat suspects. The music video, filmed in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, features appearances from Tom Lister Jr., Wish Bone,

Layzie Bone Steven Howse (born September 23, 1974), known professionally as Layzie Bone, is a rapper known primarily for being a member of the group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. He has also gone by the names L-Burna and The #1 Assassin. He is the younger brother ...

, Play-N-Skillz,

Chingo Bling Pedro Herrera III (born August 23, 1979 in Houston, Texas), better known by his stage name Chingo Bling, is an American rapper, producer, and comedian of Mexican descent. Early life and education Chingo attended Peddie School, a private college ...

, OG Ron C,

Big Tuck Cedric Lee Juan Tuck, known mostly by his stage name Big Tuck, is an American rapper from Dallas, Texas He is a member of the Dallas rap group Dirty South Rydaz. Biography Tuck was born on March 29, 1979. He grew up in the Queen City neighborho ...

, and Chamillionaire's younger brother Rasaq.

Reception

The song topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the U.S. for two weeks and peaked at number two in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, behind

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

when it was released. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, "Ridin'" won

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group was awarded between 1991 and 2011, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance. The award was discontin ...

and received a nomination for

Best Rap Song The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several ...

. It was awarded the last Best Rap Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2006. The song ranked number three on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' 100 Best Songs of 2006 and number 6 on BET's Top 100 Music Videos Of 2006. It was the best-selling ringtone in 2006, with 3.2 million sales, certified by the RIAA as the first multi-platinum Mastertone artist in history.

Chart performance

"Ridin'" debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 88 the week of February 25, 2006. Eight weeks later, it moved eight spots from number 12 to number 4 the week of April 29, 2006 and stayed there for two weeks. It peaked at number one and stayed there for two weeks. This gave both artists their first Hot 100 number-one hit in their career. It stayed on the chart for thirty-one weeks. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 3, then moved to number 2 the next week where it peaked at and stayed for seven consecutive weeks.

Track listing

UK 12-inch # "Ridin'" (album version) # "Ridin'" (UK remix) (featuring Sway) # "Ridin'" (instrumental)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video 2005 songs 2006 singles Chamillionaire songs Krayzie Bone songs Songs written by Chamillionaire Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Internet memes Songs written by Krayzie Bone Song recordings produced by Play-N-Skillz Universal Records singles Songs about prison Songs about police brutality Songs against racism and xenophobia