"Drive Slow" is a song by American rapper

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

. The song features guest appearances from fellow rappers

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, or the Ice Man, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse, and has released several albums under the label and ...

and GLC, and additional vocals by American recording artist Tony "Penafire" Williams. It was produced by West, who wrote the song alongside the featured artists. The song originally appeared on Kanye West's second studio album, ''

Late Registration ''Late Registration'' is the second studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions held a ...

'', and was later included on Paul Wall's debut studio album, '' The Peoples Champ'', as well. Drive Slow was released on a 12" vinyl on June 6, 2006 by

Roc-A-Fella Roc-A-Fella Records was an American record label and music management company founded in 1994 by record executives and entrepreneurs Jay-Z, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem Burke, Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Carter issued his debut album, ...

and

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

as the fifth and final single from the album. A

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

track, it contains elements of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. The song features a sample of

Hank Crawford Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. (December 21, 1934 – January 29, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist, pianist, arranger and songwriter whose genres ranged from R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, and soul jazz. Crawford was musical director for ...

's cover version of "

Wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, eve ...

". The lyrics of the song use

car culture Since the start of the twentieth century, the role of cars has become highly important, though controversial. They are used throughout the world and have become the most popular mode of transport in many of the more developed countries. In deve ...

for a metaphor discussing people's fast-paced lifestyles, and also give warnings of certain dangers. "Drive Slow" received universal acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

, frequently being praised for its lyrical content. Some highlighted Paul Wall's verse, while other critics complimented the production. Despite being acclaimed, the song did not receive significant

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

. It has been certified

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

in the United States 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). West performed the song for his debut

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

, '' Late Orchestration'' (2006). A remix of "Drive Slow" was recorded, which includes a feature from rapper

T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...

After receiving a call from West, he recorded his verse for the remix. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

premiered via

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, though was never released. In the video, Mali drives West around the neon lights of the

Fremont Street Experience The Fremont Street Experience (FSE) is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost five blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch", and portions of som ...

downtown Las Vegas Downtown Las Vegas (commonly abbreviated as DTLV) is the central business district and historic center of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the original townsite, and the Downtown gaming Las Vegas, Downtown Gaming Area was the primary gambl ...

. West, Paul Wall, GLC, and T.I. performed the remix at Power 106's Powerhouse 2006 event.

Background and recording

revealed that his verse on "Drive Slow" was originally the first verse the rapper wrote for his single " Sittin' Sidewayz" (2005). However, he thought the rhymes "didn't really go hand-in-hand with that beat" despite liking them, and decided to save the verse for a future collaboration with "someone big like

Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1979), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'". The followi ...

". After he had made grills for West and been in a

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

studio with him, Paul Wall ended up connecting with him for a collaboration. He admitted that the two of them collaborating on a song "was unbelievable" due to West's iconic status, recalling him and a friend being confronted by two detectives as he got off the plane at

Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its Greater Los Angeles, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester, Los Angeles, Westcheste ...

(LAX) to meet up with West. Paul Wall elaborated, explaining because of them not having "anything illegal" in their bags that they questioned if the detectives were "for real" and said he expected "to get ''

Punk'd ''Punk'd'' is an American hidden camera–practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003. It was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, with Kutcher serving as producer and host. It bears a resemblance to both ...

''". Later, the driver of his car to the studio was pulled over by a police officer for skipping a red light while Paul Wall was in the back seat and he confessed to thinking, "They didn't get me in the airport because how I handled them, but now they playing. They really punking me." Paul Wall revealed that he persuaded the officer to let him leave by saying he was late for a studio session with West and the officer eventually let him go to the studio while telling him, "This has nothing to do with you." After the collaboration had been recorded, Paul Wall recalled that he did not believe it was included on ''Late Registration'' until

DJ Drama Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gai ...

contacted him. In June 2005, it was reported that British rapper M.I.A. had been previously slated to appear on the album before its final track listing revealed her not featured. West announced that she declined the opportunity to collaborate with him, due to her being "really busy;" M.I.A.'s schedule included her releasing multiple projects and promoting her single " Galang" (2003). He had requested her to feature on "Drive Slow", though Paul Wall filled in for her appearance. Alongside him, the song features GLC and contains additional vocals from Tony "Penafire" Williams. West solely handled the production of the song and co-wrote it with Paul Wall and GLC. Explaining the song during a listening session for the album in June 2005, West said: "This is one of my favourite tracks; that's my ' Big Pimpin''." With its light

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

, the song significantly marked West giving a "cautionary rap" to those who came from his area.

Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Drive Slow" is a

track, with

syrup In cooking, syrup (less commonly sirup; from ; , beverage, wine and ) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a Solution (chemistry), solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but ...

influences. The track includes elements of

, which was described as being mashed with "narcotic

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

" by ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

''. The song contains a looped sample of the

alto sax The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E, smaller th ...

from a

recording of a cover version of "

" by the Canadian band Skylark. The track features a light beat groove. Paul Wall contributes one verse, with him rapping 16 lines. For the last 30 seconds of "Drive Slow", the track is chopped and screwed; the speed slows down to 16 revolutions per minute (RPM). In the lyrics,

is used to create a metaphor about living a fast lifestyle. The lyrics also provide warnings of the dangers brought on by fame, wealth, and luxury. West starts the song by recalling versions of childhood stories, which include him raving about an American car driver named Mali, as he reminiscences on being young, broke and ambitious, before the featured artists start rapping. In a performance that was called "hypnotic" by ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer (from Latin ''mixus, the PPP of miscere eng. to Mix)'' or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary ...

'', Paul Wall expresses his love for candy paint and vintage rims. Certain lyrics of the song give an endorsement to kerb crawling.

Release and reception

On August 30, 2005, "Drive Slow" was released as the sixth track on West's second studio album ''Late Registration''. Prior to release, the song had been played during a listening session for the album at

Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhat ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on August 5, 2005. The song was later included as the eleventh track on Paul Wall's second studio album ''The Peoples Champ'', released on September 13, 2005. On June 6, 2006, a 12" vinyl was released for the song in the United States, through

and

. "Drive Slow" was the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to the vinyl, while fellow album track "We Major" was the A-side. The song had a lack of

, which West himself admitted. On September 1, 2021, "Drive Slow" was awarded a

gold certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

(RIAA) for amassing 500,000 certified units in the US. "Drive Slow" was met with universal acclaim from

, who generally praised the lyrical content. Writing for ''Blender'', Jonah Weiner lauded the song as the album's "most dynamic paradox", calling it a "salute to car culture" while praising Paul Wall's verse and West's production. Sean Fennessey of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' labeled the song "woozy" and complimented the verse from Paul Wall, highlighting his lyricism. ''

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...

'' reviewer Matty G named the song one of the highlights of ''Late Registration'', admitting that it gives some people "what will probably be their first taste of screw music" while hailing Paul Wall's feature for blending with the beat. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' critic David Browne opined that the song "starts with West spinning childhood stories", before "guest rappers overtake him". Comparing "Drive Slow" to fellow album track "Crack Music", ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''s

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis (born 13 September 1971) is an English journalist. He is the head Rock music, rock and pop music critic for ''The Guardian'', and a regular contributor for ''GQ''. In addition to his music journalism for the paper, he has written ...

said the lyrics "initially offer a cheerful endorsement of kerb crawling" before the song is chopped and screwed. Petridis admitted that the technique being used "entirely changes the song's mood" and concluded by saying the song suggests West "effortlessly outstripping his peers" with "more ideas, better lyrics, bigger hooks, greater depth". In ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'',

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The College Dropout ''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. In the years leading up to its release, West had received praise for his p ...

'' (2004) by reflecting on when he was "young, broke and ambitious". Some reviewers directed praise specifically towards the production.

Nathan Rabin Nathan Rabin () is an American film and music critic. Rabin was the first head writer for ''The A.V. Club'', a position he held until he left the ''Onion'' organization in 2013.

from ''The A.V. Club'' commented that the song contains "strange yet hypnotic mashing of jazzy film-noir atmospherics and screwed-up narcotic funk", which he stated "amply" rewards repeated listens. In a review of ''Late Registration'' for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

cited the song as being among the "secret brilliance" and called it a "star-as-shorty reminiscence" that "winds down into a dire fog". Eric Henderson of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' analyzed that the song's speed is cranked down "in a furtive nod to the 'chopped and screwed' craze", which de-emphasizes "the sound's druggy haze" while "seemingly aiming for a thoughtful brood". He continued, describing the chopping and screwing as a transgression that "explains why most of the pop-cultural cognoscenti are feeling the itch to rewire est'sjaw". ''Prefix Mag'' writer Matthew Gastieir commended the song's production, noting it for being "where Kanye's already syrupy laid-back jazz meets Screw". For ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'',

Josh Tyrangiel Josh Tyrangiel is an American journalist. He was previously the deputy managing editor of ''TIME'' magazine and an editor at ''Bloomberg Businessweek''.Stephanie Clifford (November 17, 2009"Josh Tyrangiel Named Editor of BusinessWeek"/ref> In Ju ...

selected the song as one of the album's best tracks.

Live performances and appearances in media

On September 29, 2005, West delivered a performance of the song at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

in London for his debut

'' Late Orchestration'' (2006). While showcasing artists signed to his

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

GOOD Music GOOD Music (often stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American independent record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label entered an exclusive long-term worldwide music distribution, distributi ...

, West performed the song with GLC for

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

(SXSW) at the Levi's/ Fader Fort on March 21, 2009. Early copies of ''The Peoples Champ'' were distributed with a bonus disc, which included an extended version of "Drive Slow". In 2008, American record producer

J. R. Rotem Jonathan Reuven Rotem (born July 23, 1975) is a South African-born American record producer, songwriter and music publisher. Biography Early life Rotem was born in July 23, 1975 in Johannesburg, South Africa to Jewish Israeli people, Israe ...

used a vocal sample of the song to produce rapper The Game's track "LAX Files" from his third studio album '' LAX''.

Remix

The remix of "Drive Slow" features a guest appearance by rapper

Discussing the collaboration, West called T.I. "the hottest rapper out". The rapper recounted receiving a call from West and being asked to get on the song with a verse, while he admitted it felt strange that "the song was already five, six minutes long". T.I. said he questioned West about what he should do, who reassured him that he only needed to contribute a verse; the rapper then recorded his verse. Despite being one that loves the remix, T.I. recalled not having heard it played in full often, further stating: "I've never heard anywhere — any club, any radio station — the whole thing played from start to finish and I'm the last the verse aughs" He went on to compare the remix to fellow rapper

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. He met Kanye West as a teenager, and signed with his record label GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2007. He gained popul ...

's " Control" (2013) that features

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

and Jay Electronica, explaining that nobody has "heard Jay Electronica's verse yet" on the over 7–minutes long track. In the lyrics, T.I. raps reflectively. An accompanying

, directed by West collaborator

Hype Williams Harold "Hype" Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video and film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adelphi Univ ...

, premiered on

; however, the video did not have an official release. Paul Wall said of his collaboration with Williams that it is "a highlight of any artis 'scareer". T.I. imposed the question to him of, "What are you going to do with this mini movie? This is a short film." It was filmed in

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

and at the

, in Nevada. The music video features cameos from Paul Wall and T.I. The video shows cars in the neon lights of Las Vegas throughout. Mali drives West around, after she was tricked into doing so by him and Williams. At two minutes and four seconds in, the Reno Arch is shown. To further promote the remix, West, Paul Wall, GLC, and T.I. performed it live at Power 106's summer fest Powerhouse 2006. For the performance, T.I. arrived in a style reminiscent of the backpacker era of the early 1990s, wearing Ralph Lauren clothing and a leather backpack.

Track listing

US 12" vinyl ;A-side #"We Major" (Clean) #"We Major" (Dirty) #"We Major" (Instrumental) ;B-side #"Drive Slow" (Clean) #"Drive Slow" (Dirty) #"Drive Slow" (Instrumental)

Credits and personnel

Information taken from ''Late Registration'' liner notes. Recording * Recorded at

The Record Plant The Record Plant was a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and last operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it produced highly influential albums, including the New York ...

(Hollywood, CA) and Chalice Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA) * Mixed at Chalice Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA) Personnel *

songwriter, producer * Paul Slayton songwriter * Leonard Harris songwriter * Anthony Kilhoffer recorder * Richard Reitz recorder, assistant engineer * Andrew Dawson recorder * Mike Dean mix engineer * Nate Connelly assistant engineer * Mike Mo assistant engineer * Tony "Penafire" Williams additional vocals

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

"Drive Slow" Lyrics
at

(archived from 2009) {{authority control 2005 songs 2006 singles Kanye West songs Music videos directed by Hype Williams Paul Wall songs Roc-A-Fella Records singles Song recordings produced by Kanye West Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Paul Wall