Chamillionaire, The ‘Ridin’ Music Video, and His Chevy Impala SS Nine Years Later
Rapper Chamiilionaire sitting inside his customized Chevy Impala SS.
It has been nine years since rapper Chamillionaire landed at the top-spot of the Billboard Hot 100 List with his 2006 hit song “Ridin”.
That song had everything a great record needs: A catchy chorus, hot beat, nice flow, and of course – a topic that many people can relate to. With the tension and controversy in the United States surrounding the deaths of unarmed African-American males at the hands of police officers, the time seemed right to look back at the message behind this classic music video, as well as the beautiful cars featured throughout the visual.
The song breaks down Chamillionaire’s thoughts on topics like racial profiling, police brutality, and the stereotyping of African Americans as being law-breakers or dangerous. In the video, the police pull over the rapper in his customized Chevy Impala SS with very nice rims. He slides his seat belt on before the cops get to his window, then the video cuts to a scene of what the Houston rapper feels the cops would do if he were Caucasian, which is let him go with a warning.
The custom license plate said it all.
In the song he rhymes, “So they get behind me trying to check my tags, look at my rearview and they’re smiling / Thinking they’ll catch me in the wrong – well keep trying, cause they denying it’s racial profiling”
Later in the video, police approach the rapper and his associates in a building packed with luxury rides only to find Chamillionaire has all of his paperwork in order and wasn’t committing any crime, causing the police to walk away frustrated.
Chamillionaire just wanted to let people know that if a young African American man is wearing gaudy jewelry and baggy jeans, or if he’s driving a flashy car, that doesn’t mean he is out to cause trouble.
Urban Dictionary defines “Ridin’ Dirty – as driving in an automobile with at least a felony charge worth of illegal drugs and/or unregistered firearms with you.”
We didn’t see any of that nonsense in this video, just a customized Impala SS with a body kit, some great rims, and a good message – very cool.
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.