"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 hi ...

featuring fellow American rapper Krayzie Bone 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 "s ...

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 Stereotypes of African Americans are misleading beliefs about the culture of people of African descent who reside in the United States, largely connected to the racism and discrimination which African Americans are subjected to. These beliefs ...

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 inhalat ...

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 devi ...

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

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

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

, 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, OG Ron C, Big Tuck, 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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, 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 The 49th Annual Grammy Awards was a ceremony honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2005 and ending September 30, 2006 in the United States. The awards were handed out on Sunday, February 11, 2007 at the Staples Ce ...

, "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 discontinu ...

and received a nomination for Best Rap Song. It was awarded the last

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 ...

at the

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...

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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' 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