Released January 30, 2001 Recorded 2000 | Format CD single Label Universal | |
Length 4:51 (album version)
4:13 (radio edit) Writer(s) Nelly
El DeBarge
William DeBarge
Jason "Jay E" Epperson
Steven Bojovich
City Spud
Joe Islardo | ||
"Ride wit Me" is a song by American rapper Nelly. It was released in April 2001, as the third single from his debut studio album Country Grammar (2000). The song features City Spud.
Contents
"Ride wit Me" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the United States, "Ride wit Me" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The radio version of the song was featured on the 2001 compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 7.
Background
"Ride wit Me" features a sound similar to "Get Down on It" by Kool and the Gang; indeed, it is in the same key (E minor) and uses almost identical chord progressions in the refrain alone. The song samples lines from the song "I Like It" by DeBarge, specifically those which read: "I like the way you brush your hair, and I like those stylish clothes you wear".
The official remix was also produced by Jason "Jay E" Epperson and then placed in Nelly's remix album, Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention. It also features City Spud's verse from the original and John Mayer on the guitar. It samples Mayer's single, "No Such Thing".
Chart performance
In the United States, "Ride wit Me" became Nelly's highest charting single at the time, peaking on #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In the United Kingdom, "Ride wit Me" debuted and peaked on #3 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Nelly's highest charting song in Britain at the time.
Music video
The music video won Best Rap Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2001. Due to the jail sentence he was then serving, City Spud did not appear in the video. The video also received a nomination for Viewer's Choice. A Philadelphia 76ers version of the song was released during the 2001 NBA Finals. The video is mainly based on the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit, although references to the 1980s TV show The Dukes of Hazzard and the film Cool Hand Luke are also present in the video.
Track listing
US promo
UK vinyl, 12"
UK vinyl, 12", promo
Europe single
In popular culture
It was featured in the parody film Scary Movie 2 during the credits, and was subsequently featured very briefly in the films Soul Plane, Are We There Yet? and Bride and Prejudice.
It was also featured in Scrubs (episode "My Fruit Cups"), Friends ("The One with Chandler's Dad"), King of the Hill ("Kidney Boy and Hamster Girl: A Love Story"), and The Cleveland Show ("Cleveland's Angels"). In a scene from the Glee episode "Throwdown", New Directions can be seen having a jam session, and they sing the first chorus and first verse of this song.
Accompanying the jam are Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) on drums, and Noah "Puck" Puckerman (Mark Salling) on guitar. The version seen on Glee was not recorded in the studio like most of the songs featured on Glee, but was sung during filming by the actors. A new version has been used in a Honey Nut Cheerios commercial sung as "Must Be the Honey", which features Nelly talking to its mascot, Buzz.
Nelly joined Florida Georgia Line to perform "Ride wit Me" and "Cruise" at the 2013 American Music Awards.
It was also featured in Ted 2, where Ted changed its lyrics. It is also mentioned in the novel Twelve by Nick McDonell.