"Let Me Ride" | ||||
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Single by Dr. Dre | ||||
from the album The Chronic | ||||
Released | September 13, 1993 | |||
Recorded | 1992 | |||
Studio | Death Row (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:21 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Dr. Dre | |||
Dr. Dre singles chronology | ||||
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Snoop Doggy Dogg singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Let Me Ride" on YouTube |
"Let Me Ride" is a song by American rapper and producer Dr. Dre,released in September 1993 by Death Row,Interscope and Priority as the third and final single from his debut studio album, The Chronic (1992). It experienced moderate success on the charts,until it became a massive hit when Dre won Best Rap Solo Performance for at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards. [2] The song features singers Ruben and Jewell,as well as uncredited vocals by fellow rapper Snoop Dogg,who wrote the song. [3]
Dr. Dre's lyrics were written by RBX,originally intended for a different track. [4] 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 song "Mothership Connection (Star Child)",which itself quotes the Negro spiritual "Swing Down Sweet Chariot". "Let Me Ride" also samples James Brown's "Funky Drummer" and Bill Withers's 1973 single "Kissing My Love".
The accompanying music video for "Let Me Ride" was shot on location at Slauson Avenue in Los Angeles and was directed by Dr. Dre. It is the second lowrider cult video of Dre's cinematographic "walk of life" that was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video 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. [5]
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 (Dre's stepbrother) makes a cameo appearance,along with rappers The D.O.C. and The Lady of Rage,Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight,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. [6]
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 remix and the instrumental was used for the Up In Smoke Tour in 2000. Dr. Dre also produced the beat for the remix.
Nate Dogg refers to "Let Me Ride" in Warren G'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,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!'"
Chart (1993) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Hot 100 [7] | 34 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [8] | 3 |
US Hot Rap Songs ( Billboard ) [9] | 3 |
US Rhythmic ( Billboard ) [10] | 1 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [11] | 31 |
Year | Awards Ceremony | Award | Results |
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1994 | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Soloist [2] | Won |
The Chronic is the debut studio album by American record producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15,1992,by his record label Death Row Records along with Interscope Records and distributed by Priority Records. The recording sessions took place at Death Row Studios in Los Angeles and at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.
Doggystyle is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on November 23,1993,by Death Row and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop Doggy Dogg's appearances on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic (1992),to which Snoop contributed significantly. The West Coast style in hip-hop that he developed from Dre's first album continued on Doggystyle. Critics have praised Snoop Dogg for the lyrical "realism" that he delivers on the album and for his distinctive vocal flow.
Eric Dwayne Collins better known by his stage name RBX,is an American rapper from Long Beach,California.
Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip hop duo composed of West Coast rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were among the first acts to sign to Death Row Records in 1992.
Murder Was the Case is a 1994 short film and soundtrack album starring and performed by Snoop Doggy Dogg. The 18 minute film was directed by Dr. Dre and Fab Five Freddy and chronicles the fictional death of Snoop Dogg and his resurrection after making a deal with the Devil. The film's title comes from Snoop's song of the same name from his debut album,Doggystyle,which had been released a year earlier.
"Gin and Juice" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on January 18,1994,as the second single from his debut album,Doggystyle (1993). The song was produced by Dr. Dre and contains an interpolation from Slave's "Watching You" in its chorus and a sample from "I Get Lifted" by George McCrae. Tony Green created its bassline;additional vocalists on the song include Dat Nigga Daz,Jewell,Heney Loc,and Sean "Barney" Thomas. "Gin and Juice" peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It earned a gold certification from the RIAA and sold 700,000 copies.
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre,featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg,on Dre's debut solo album,The Chronic (1992). As the album's first single it reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 20,1993,behind "Informer" by Snow,outperforming The Chronic's other singles,"Fuck wit Dre Day ",which peaked at number 8,and "Let Me Ride",which peaked at number 34. The single also reached number 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles &Tracks chart,and was a number 31 hit in the UK. Its music video was directed by Dr. Dre himself.
"Deep Cover",also known as "187",is the debut solo single by American rapper Dr. Dre and his first track released after the breakup of N.W.A. The track was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Deep Cover for Dick Griffey's Solar Records and distributed by Sony Epic. The song features fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg in his first appearance on a record release. The master recording rights are owned today by Dick Griffey's family company Solar Legacy Entertainment Ltd.
"Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')",or censored as a single titled "Dre Day",is a song by American rapper and record producer Dr. Dre featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and uncredited vocals from Jewell released in May 1993 as the second single from Dre's debut solo album,The Chronic (1992). "Dre Day" was a diss track targeting mainly Dre's former groupmate Eazy-E,who led their onetime rap group N.W.A and who,along with N.W.A's manager Jerry Heller,owned N.W.A's record label,Ruthless Records. In "Dre Day" and in its music video,which accuse Eazy of cheating N.W.A's artists,Dre and Snoop degrade and menace him. Also included are disses retorting earlier disses on songs by Miami rapper Luke Campbell,by New York rapper Tim Dog,and by onetime N.W.A. member Ice Cube,although Dre,while still an N.W.A member,had helped diss Cube first. After "Dre Day," a number of further diss records were exchanged.
"2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his fourth studio album,All Eyez on Me (1996). The song features fellow West Coast rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and was produced by Dat Nigga Daz. The song was released as a promotional single for the album on May 7,1996 and later as the B-side to the album's second major and third overall single,How Do U Want It. The song peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. The song contains interpolations of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five's song "The Message" and "Radio Activity Rap " by MC Frosty and Lovin' C.
"Still D.R.E." is a song by American rapper-producer Dr. Dre,featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 2,1999,as the lead single from Dre's multi-platinum second studio album,2001 (1999). The single debuted and peaked at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999 before re-entering and peaking at number 23 in 2022. It was more successful in the United Kingdom,where it reached number 6. The song has been performed live numerous times by both Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Notable performances include the 2000 Up in Smoke Tour and as the final song in the Super Bowl LVI halftime show on February 13,2022,alongside fellow American rappers Eminem,Mary J. Blige,Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent,with Anderson .Paak on drums.
"Check Yo Self" is the third and final single from American rapper Ice Cube's third solo album,The Predator (1992). It was released on July 13,1993 by Lench Mob Records and Priority Records,and features New York City rappers Das EFX. It topped both the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap charts while also reaching number 20 on the Hot 100 chart. The song retains two main versions,the original and a remix which utilizes the same beat as Grandmaster Flash's "The Message",titled "Check Yo Self ". The original mix includes a sample from the intro of the Beastie Boys' track "The New Style",which uses the phrase "check it" throughout the chorus.
"The Next Episode" is a single by American rapper-producer Dr. Dre,released in 2000 as the third single from his second studio album,2001 (1999). The track features Snoop Dogg,Kurupt,and Nate Dogg,but only Snoop Dogg is credited. It is a sequel to Dre and Snoop's famous single "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" from the former's debut album,The Chronic.
"Let's Ride" is a song performed by rapper The Game for his second album,Doctor's Advocate (2006). The song,written by The Game and Scott Storch,was released as the album's second single on September 25,2006. The Game mentioned on radio station KDAY in Los Angeles,California that the track was recorded in Miami,Florida,but had the feel of a West Coast Dr. Dre record. The song peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Let's Ride" heavily references the 1993 single "Let Me Ride" by rapper Dr. Dre.
"That's That" is the second single by Snoop Dogg from the album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. The song was the first single taken from the album in the UK;however the single only achieved notable success in the U.S.,where it reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song samples the melody played in the 1988 film Coming to America during the bathroom scene in which Eddie Murphy gets washed by female servants.
"My 64" is the second single from Mike Jones' extended play The American Dream. It features rappers Bun B and Snoop Dogg. It samples "Boyz-n-the-Hood" by Eazy-E. The radio version doesn't feature Snoop's outro and the last chorus that follows thus the airplay single is 3:55 long.
The Up in Smoke Tour was a West Coast hip hop tour in 2000 which was headlined by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg,also featuring artists and disc jockeys Ice Cube,Eminem,Proof,Nate Dogg,Kurupt,D12,MC Ren,Westside Connection,Chilldrin of da Ghetto,Mel-Man,Tha Eastsidaz,Doggy's Angels,Devin The Dude,Warren G,Crucial Conflict,TQ,Truth Hurts,Xzibit,The D.O.C.,Hittman,DJ Crazy Toones,Six-Two,Ms. Toi,&DJ Jam.
The following list is a discography of production by American rapper and hip hop producer Dr. Dre. It includes a list of singles produced,co-produced and remixed by year,artist,album and title.
"I Wanna Rock" is the third official single from American rapper,Snoop Dogg's tenth studio album,Malice n Wonderland. It was released digitally on iTunes on November 17,2009,after the second single "That's Tha Homie". The song was produced by Scoop DeVille and mixed by Dr. Dre,and Snoop Dogg released it on a mixtape titled "I Wanna Rock" on November 23. The song was confirmed by BBC Radio 1 to be released in the UK on March 15,2010 but is now listed as "Coming Soon".
"Kush" is a single by American rapper Dr. Dre,featuring vocals by Snoop Dogg and Akon. It was released via digital download on November 18,2010. The song was produced by DJ Khalil and mixed by Dr. Dre,with additional keys by Daniel "Danny Keyz" Tannenbaum. The song has additional vocals by Sly "Pyper" Jordan,Kobe Honeycutt and Blackthoven.