Chamillionaire's Says "Ridin'" Wasn't Supposed To Be A Single: 'They Wanted Me To Spend $250K On A Timbaland Beat and I Wouldn't Do It'

Chamillionaireā€™s ā€œRidinā€ was never supposed to be a hit, yet alone a single!

The Texas native revealed the alarming fact about his iconic 2005 single after completely remixing the track alongside fellow emcee Krayzie Bone for a new CarMax ad.

ā€œHonestly, I never tried to make a hit,ā€ said Chamillionaire during an interview with HipHopDX. ā€œI always was a person who just tried to make something that I thought would resonate with people. And you got to think about this concept. Everybody, it doesnā€™t matter whether youā€™re committing a crime or not, when you see police, you feel like you shiver up and put your seatbelt on.ā€

Inspiration for "Ridin'"

Although the 42-year-old entertainer turned businessman wasnā€™t aiming for a smash hit, ā€œRidinā€ was more than well-received by the culture, ultimately earning Chamillionaire a multi-platinum track. Itā€™s been 22 years since the song dropped and heā€™s picking up right where he left off by having fun with his flow.

ā€œYou make sure that youā€™re not breaking any rule, and there was never a theme song for that. I used to feel that feeling all the time, coming from where I come from, because when youā€™re young and coming up in the urban area, sometimes youā€™re going to have interactions with police,ā€ Chamillionaire added, further explaining the inspiration for the track, according to HipHopDX.

Talent Always Wins In The End

While the music meant a lot to Chamillionaire due to the sheer fact that he was able to recruit one of his favorite emcees, Krayzie Bone, to lay down a verse on the track, the label did not want to put the money behind it to push the song as a single.

ā€œMy first single cost me like $150,000 for the beat, and they wanted me to go spend $250,000 on a Timbaland beat, and I wouldnā€™t do it,ā€ he recalled during an interview with the outlet. ā€œThen they were forced to have to put out the song that I wanted, which was Ridinā€™. That didnā€™t cost that much to make. And then it just went to the world. I remember being in Jamaica and all the kids, they were screaming the song. It was just everywhere I was going because everybody had that relationship with police, and I was just like, ā€˜OK, we got something here.ā€™ā€

Check out the rebirth of the track in the new CarMax ad below.