"Let Me Ride" is a song by rapper and producer Dr. Dre, released in 1993 as the third single from his debut studio album, ''

The Chronic ''The Chronic'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place in ...

''. It experienced moderate success on the charts, until it became a massive hit when Dre won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for

Best Rap Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2011, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously, a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance. In 2003, this award was split into separate a ...

for the song during the Grammy Awards of 1994. The chorus is sung by Ruben and Jewell, and Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg) raps the line "Rollin' in my 6-4" and appears in some background vocals. Dr. Dre's lyrics were written by RBX, originally intended for a different track. Dr. Dre, RBX and Snoop Dogg share songwriting credits for the song. "Let Me Ride"'s chorus involves both a sample and an interpolation of the chorus of the 1976

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

song " Mothership Connection (Star Child)", which itself quotes the

Negro spiritual Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the ex ...

" Swing Down Sweet Chariot". "Let Me Ride" also samples James Brown's "

Funky Drummer "Funky Drummer" is a single released by James Brown in 1970. Its drum break, improvised by Clyde Stubblefield, is one of the most frequently sampled music recordings. Recording and composition "Funky Drummer" was recorded on November 20, 196 ...

" and

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including " Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), " Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (197 ...

's 1973 single "Kissing My Love". Hip Hop Dx placed the song on their list of 13 Great Hip Hop Songs For The Summer.

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 device ...

was shot on location at Slauson Avenue in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and was directed by Dr. Dre. It is the second

lowrider A lowrider or low rider is a customized car with a lowered body. These customized vehicles are generally individually painted with intricate, colorful designs, rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires. Lowrider rims are generally smalle ...

cult video of Dre's cinematographer "walk of life" that was nominated for a

MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video was first given out in 1989, and it was one of the four original genre categories added at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. This award was last given out in 2006, as MTV did not bring it back in 2008 like ...

in the same year. The video begins with Dre, in his home watching the $20 Sack Pyramid (a track skit from the album shown as a game show in the video), taking a phone call and being invited to a Parliament concert. He then heads out in his lowrider and the song begins. Many helicopter-view camshots of the super-highways of Compton follow, some cuts of Snoop, a car-jacking scene, and various footage of Dre picking up girls, all of which leads to a street party outside the concert venue. Ice Cube makes a cameo appearance, walking out from a women's bathroom saying "Damn right, it was a good day", referring to his 1992 solo single, and also officially squashing the beef between Dre and Ice Cube which had existed since Ice Cube left N.W.A. It has been proposed that Danny Partridge may have cameos in the video, though the rumors were never confirmed. The final shots of the video feature footage from Parliament-Funkadelic's 1976 earth tour, including the Starchild flying on wires with the bop gun, the band singing "Mothership Connection", which "Let Me Ride" samples, and concludes with George Clinton departing into the Mothership with a plume of smoke, upon which Dre's face is superimposed. Rapper

Warren G Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and ...

(Dre's step-brother) makes a cameo appearance, along with rappers

The D.O.C. Tracy Lynn Curry (born June 10, 1968), better known as The D.O.C., is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. In addition to a solo career, he was a member of the Southern hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew and later collaborated with ga ...

and

The Lady of Rage Robin Yvette Allen (born February 6,1966), known professionally as the Lady of Rage, is an American rapper, singer and actress best known for her collaborations with several other Death Row Records artists, including Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg on th ...

Producer Bonita "Bo" Money, and actress Jada Pinkett-Smith. The video features a Chevy 1964 Impala, which would be used in many other Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg videos.

Remixes

An official remix of the song features full verses from Snoop Dogg and Daz, and an appearance by George Clinton. It was recorded simultaneously with the original version and was released on the 12-inch vinyl when the solo version was chosen to be a part of the album. The full version of the remix is 11 minutes long and features a guitar solo by Johnny "Guitar" Watson. The beat was later remade as a

G-Funk G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the late 1980s. The genre is heavily influenced by 1970s psychedelic funk (P-funk) sound of artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic. Charac ...

remix and the instrumental was used for the Up In Smoke Tour in 2000. Dr. Dre also produced the beat for the remix.

References in popular culture

Nate Dogg refers to "Let Me Ride" in

's 1994 song " Regulate", in which he sings, "She said 'my car's broke down and you seem real nice, would ya let me ride?'" Rapper

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

, in his 2001 hit " Can't Deny It", had the lyric "''bitches be yellin "let me ride", like I'm Snoop, and Dr. Dre.''" Rapper The Game similarly refers to "Let Me Ride" in his 2005 song " Put You on the Game", where he claims to be in a car with Dre in the back and "bitches screaming, 'Let me ride!'"

Track listing

* CD single # "Let Me Ride" (Radio Mix) - 4:22 # "Let Me Ride" (Extended Club Mix) - 11:01 # "One Eight Seven" - 4:18 * 12" vinyl # "Let Me Ride" (Extended Club Mix) - 11:01 # "Let Me Ride" (Radio Mix) - 4:22 # "One Eight Seven" - 4:18 * US 12" vinyl # "Let Me Ride" (Extended Club Mix) - 11:01 # "Let Me Ride" (Radio Mix) - 4:22 # "Let Me Ride" (LP Version) - 4:47 * Cassette single # "Let Me Ride" (Radio Mix) - 4:22 # "Let Me Ride" (Extended Club Mix) - 11:01

Charts

Awards and nominations

External links

* http://www.discogs.com/Dr-Dre-Let-Me-Ride/release/955595

References

{{authority control 1992 songs 1994 singles Dr. Dre songs Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance Song recordings produced by Dr. Dre Songs written by Dr. Dre Songs written by Snoop Dogg Death Row Records singles Interscope Records singles