When William was sixteen years old, he started rapping in late 1991 under the name "Will-1X" after being discovered by Compton rapper and former N.W.A. leader Eazy-E and signed a deal to Eazy's Ruthless Records. will.i.am's first rap song was "Merry Muthafuckin' Xmas" from Eazy-E's 1992 EP 5150: Home 4 tha Sick. Shortly after Eazy-E's death in 1995, Will left Ruthless to start a group that would later be called the Black Eyed Peas with fellow rappers Taboo and apl.de.ap.
After the addition of singer-songwriter Fergie, the group shot into mainstream pop consciousness with a set of hit singles in the mid-00s, popularity that continues to this day. The Black Eyed Peas' producer is Sergio Mendes, an internationally successful Brazilian musician and jazz aficionado. In September 2007, will.i.am took a major step into a solo career identity by joining with his record label, Universal Music Group (UMG), on a pilot scheme to reward certain file-sharing with cash incentives, including will.i.am tracks from his then upcoming release Songs About Girls.
In total, he has released four solo albums: Lost Change (2001), Must B 21 (2003), Songs About Girls (2007), and #willpower (2013). Although often facing mixed critical reviews, he's experienced significant commercial success, including a set of popular singles. His solo performances, featuring collaborations with a wide group of artists including Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Phife Dawg, Snoop Dogg, and Nicole Scherzinger, are perhaps best summed up in the international top 20 mega-hit "Scream & Shout".
Will.i.am was also recently cast as John Wraith in the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a prequel to the X-Men movie series. And if one enjoyed Madagascar 2's chunky hippo, Moto Moto, then one should know that the deep voice belonged will.i.am., who came in after he was ''pimped'' out to the directors by his friend and sometimes collaborator Justin Timberlake.
Before joining the Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.am attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. In 2001, he began designing his own signature clothing line, i.am, which made its official debut in 2005 at the Magic apparel trade show in Las Vegas. In 2007, Will.i.am teamed up with Blue Holdings to design a premium denim collection, i.am Antik, that had its debut on the Project Show in Las Vegas. He has also designed clothing for the Black Eyed Peas.
In January 2008, will.i.am helped write a song, "Yes We Can", in support of the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign of Barack Obama, which in turn became a music video directed by Jesse Dylan. The lyrics of the song are composed almost entirely of excerpts from Obama's speech on January 8, 2008, following the New Hampshire presidential primary election. The video features appearances from numerous celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, Tatyana Ali, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriguez, Kelly Hu, Hill Harper, Amber Valletta, Eric Balfour, Aisha Tyler, Nicole Scherzinger, Nick Cannon, Bryan Greenberg, Common and first appeared on the website for Dipdive, and within a week of its appearance racked up three million views, and over four million views on Youtube.
On February 29, 2008, a second video titled "We Are The Ones" was released on Dipdive and YouTube. It included cameo appearances from Jessica Alba, Ryan Phillippe, Kerry Washington, John Leguizamo, Regina King, Tyrese Gibson, Eric Mabius, Tichina Arnold, Adrienne Palicki, comedian George Lopez, and singers Macy Gray, Zoe Kravitz and Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo. The video features everyone chanting "O-BA-MA" as a portrayal as their hopes and wishes for Obama and his presidential campaign.
In 2013, will.i.am released his album "#thatpower".
Ride Ride
will.i.am Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey... hey... hey... hey...
Hey you, yeah you with the tight blue jeans
Little shorty 'bout five foot three
...with the long-ass weave, girl please
Allow me, to come thru and introduce myself
Let me tell you how the Legend was built
I look nice, and I sing real swell, damn well
[will.i.am - imitating some girl name Charise]
Nigga please, better learn how to speak to me
Need to say my name properly
That's Charice spelled with a C, now leave
Cause I don't, got time for a nigga that's broke
Still rockin that Shalin coat
Wearin fashion that's three years old, oh no
[John Legend]
Slow down, you're dealin with a big dog now
Lemme tell you how a playa get down
If you want to talk about my style, say wow
That's right, that truck over there is mine
And baby girl if you act real nice
Later on we can take it for a ride, in my ride
[Chorus]
Ride ride ride ride, ride
Ride ride ride ride, ride
Ride ride ride ride, ride
Let's riiiiiiide
[charice.i.am]
Say word, later on I don't know if you heard
It's jumpin off at 1st & 3rd
Come early cause the line's absurd, yeah word
[John Legend]
Okay, hit me up later on today
Leave a message on my two-way
I'ma go get a barbershop fade, a tight fade
[charice.i.am]
Well let's meet, at the deli on 23rd Street
9:30 to get a bite to eat
Save room for a special treat, it's real sweet
[John Legend]
Nah mean, now we's about to get obscene
Lemme tell you somethin about them jeans
I peel 'em off like a tangerine, strip clean
[charice.i.am]
Is that a fact? You talkin like a real live mack
With the old school Cadillac
With three chicks and a mink in the back, I like that
[John Legend]
Well, alright, now you talkin that language I like
I got a feelin that it's on tonight
Buck wild 'til the broad daylight, that's right
[Chorus]
[Outro: will.i.am]
La la, la-la-la-la-la
La la, la-la-la-la-la
La la, la-la-la-la-la
La la, la-la-la-la-la
La la, la la la-la-la-la
La la, la-la-la-la-la
La la, la-la-la-la-la
La la, la-la-la-la-la
La la, la la la-la-la-la, la la
The lyrics to will.i.am's song "Ride Ride" feature a conversation between John Legend and "Charise," with will.i.am providing Charise's response. The song begins with Legend trying to introduce himself to Charise and give her a compliment about her appearance, but Charise quickly shuts him down, demanding that he learns how to say her name properly and insulting his fashion sense. Legend responds by asserting his wealth and offering to take Charise for a ride in his car. Charise then mentions a location where they can meet, and the two continue to flirt with each other, with Legend boasting about his ability to strip off clothing and Charise seeming to be impressed.
Overall, the song plays with themes of power dynamics and negotiations in romantic relationships, with both Legend and Charise trying to assert their place and status in the exchange. While Charise initially seems to have the upper hand by rejecting Legend's advances, by the end of the song they seem to have achieved a certain level of mutual respect and attraction. The song also features a catchy chorus that encourages listeners to "ride," which could be interpreted as both a reference to driving in a car and as a metaphor for enjoying life and living in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey... hey... hey... hey...
Introducing the beginning of the song.
Hey you, yeah you with the tight blue jeans
Speaking to someone wearing tight blue jeans.
Little shorty 'bout five foot three
Describing the height of the person wearing the tight blue jeans.
...with the long-ass weave, girl please
Describing the hair of the person wearing the tight blue jeans.
Allow me, to come thru and introduce myself
Introducing himself to the person with the tight blue jeans.
Let me tell you how the Legend was built
Referring to himself as 'the Legend' and suggesting he will tell the person his story.
I look nice, and I sing real swell, damn well
Describing his appearance and vocal skills.
Nigga please, better learn how to speak to me
Imitating a girl named Charice and advising someone to speak to her properly.
Need to say my name properly
Stressing the importance of proper pronunciation of her name.
That's Charice spelled with a C, now leave
Correcting the way her name is spelled and dismissing someone from the conversation.
Cause I don't, got time for a nigga that's broke
Stating that she doesn't have time for someone who is financially unstable.
Still rockin that Shalin coat
Disapproving of someone wearing an outdated coat.
Wearin fashion that's three years old, oh no
Disapproving again of someone wearing outdated clothes.
Slow down, you're dealin with a big dog now
Warning someone that they are dealing with someone of a higher class or status.
Lemme tell you how a playa get down
Referring to himself as a player and suggesting that he will explain how he operates.
If you want to talk about my style, say wow
Suggesting that his style is impressive and should elicit a positive reaction.
That's right, that truck over there is mine
Boasting about owning a truck.
And baby girl if you act real nice
Suggesting that if someone is kind to him, he will return the favor.
Later on we can take it for a ride, in my ride
Suggesting that he and someone else can go for a ride in his truck.
Ride ride ride ride, ride
Chanting and encouraging people to ride with him.
Say word, later on I don't know if you heard
Imitating Charice again and asking someone if they heard about something happening later on.
It's jumpin off at 1st & 3rd
Describing where something is happening later on.
Come early cause the line's absurd, yeah word
Encouraging someone to arrive early due to a long line.
Okay, hit me up later on today
Suggesting that someone contact him later on in the day.
Leave a message on my two-way
Requesting someone to leave a message on his messaging device.
I'ma go get a barbershop fade, a tight fade
Suggesting that he will go to the barber to get a fresh haircut.
Well let's meet, at the deli on 23rd Street
Suggesting a place to meet up with someone later on.
9:30 to get a bite to eat
Suggesting a time to meet up for a meal.
Save room for a special treat, it's real sweet
Wording used to encourage someone to save room for dessert.
Nah mean, now we's about to get obscene
Saying 'you know what I mean' and suggesting that something may become vulgar in their interaction.
Lemme tell you somethin about them jeans
Suggesting that he has something to say about the tight blue jeans.
I peel 'em off like a tangerine, strip clean
Suggesting that he can remove the tight blue jeans easily and quickly.
Is that a fact? You talkin like a real live mack
Suggesting that he is impressing Charice with his style and conversation.
With the old school Cadillac
Describing the type of car he drives.
With three chicks and a mink in the back, I like that
Boasting about having three girls and a fancy fur coat in the back of his car.
Well, alright, now you talkin that language I like
Reinforcing that Charice's response is positive and that he likes it.
I got a feelin that it's on tonight
Suggesting that something may happen between him and Charice later on.
Buck wild 'til the broad daylight, that's right
Suggesting that they will be active and adventurous until early morning.
La la, la-la-la-la-la
The end of the song.
Contributed by Elliot B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cv6442
@@michaeltoth7526one feels like a brutal physical beat down, and the other is completely destroys my psyche and causes me to cringe so deeply into myself. By the end of that song I feel like the thumbnail of the dude with the longest nails on Earth. Dirty, twisted, and coiled.
THE leaves me on the concrete with unseeing eyes and blood coming out of my ears.
One is just more physically in your face while the other is more molten and seeps in your pores.
I feel like I can laugh at how bad this song is anyways.
Let me put it this way... I showed my sister this song to show her one of the worst songs I ever heard in my life, but didn't show her Drake Bell's bc I didn't even want that sht in my algorithm or subject her to THAT type of physical discomfort. 😅😅 it's not a funny kind of discomfort. It's the "my neck hairs are standing up" kind of discomfort. So much less funny, and therefore has zero value.
And that's how I realized for sure... that Drake Bell's cover is actually the worst. 😂
@ZoharBenJoel
Will:
Pardon me, mam ima go - done, (how?) smart I am. I’m complicated, heard I am, (boss: not buying it) I end the beginning my and start it again.
Boss: Ok start again I command you total idiot.
Pardon me mam, ima go dumb, small I am, I’m complicated, hard I am, I end the beginning and start it again.
Boss:
Will: What? It was your decision.
@user-cz8vt1vj4s
The commitment to making every second of this song so excruciatingly terrible is what makes this as a whole a masterpiece
@evajaneryan3746
Yeah, is for me one of these "So bad is good" songs lmao
Is absolutely horrendous in every possible way, not even Mick Jagger part was good, but holy crap is hilarious af🤣
@crieverytim
Yes, this is godawful
@ruanpablo2002
@@evajaneryan3746pra mim a única parte que salvou a música foi a parte do Mick Jagger ,mas não justifica escutar a música inteira pra ouvir só a parte dele
@82youtubeshared
Loooool😔😂
@Maxarcc
When that Mick Jagger part came flopping in, the song ascended from a stinker to an absolute masterpiece of a stinker.
@alextorres7655
It's crazy how the coolest and most prestigious artist on this track is the one that made it suck more than anyone else.
@evajaneryan3746
@@alextorres7655 you are talking about Mick Jagger, isn't it?
@WastelandPimp
@@evajaneryan3746 of course lol Mick's "verse" was ass compared to Will and J. They went 10x as HARD compared to Mick.
@ffjreviews9029
“This best is a sh*t, faeces”
“I go hard, statues”
“I don’t think I’m ever gonna rest in peaces”
“Ima go dumb, smart.i.am”
“Hard like morning wood in the morning”
What a lyrical genius