Ridin' (ASAP Rocky song)

"Ridin'" is a song by American rapper ASAP Rocky with vocals by American singer Lana Del Rey.[1] The song was originally recorded in 2012 for its producers The Kickdrums' mixtape, Follow the Leaders, though it was not featured in the final track listing.[2]

"Ridin'"
Song by ASAP Rocky featuring Lana Del Rey
ReleasedJune 27, 2012 (leak)
FormatUnreleased
Recorded2012
GenreLounge pop, hip hop
Length3:27
LabelNone
Songwriter(s)
  • Lana Del Rey
  • ASAP Rocky
  • The Kickdrums
Producer(s)The Kickdrums

The song was evidently leaked in 2012 ahead of its release. It samples the instrumental from the song "And I Panicked" by The Dramatics.

Background

Originally titled "My Bitch", the song was leaked on June 27, 2012.[3] The track was written by Rocky and Del Rey while it was produced by The Kickdrums. Both Rocky and The Kickdrums had planned to feature it on their separate releases, but neither had ended up using it on their records. Supposedly, the producers were hours away from releasing their mixtape, Follow the Leaders, online for free with "Ridin'" featured on it when Rocky's team stepped in and had the song removed from the tracklist.[4][5]

Promotion

All musicians involved with the song had promoted it in various interviews, with Rocky and The Kickdrums releasing a "behind the scenes" in-studio video documenting the making of the song. The video premiered through Vulture.[6] Alongside that, Rocky promoted the song with MTV and said they had changed the title from "My Bitch" to "Ridin'" for better radio play, implying his intentions for it to serve as a single.

Leak

After the song was leaked, Rocky expressed frustration with the producers, who he accused of leaking the track. He took to Twitter to denounce his involvement with the song, saying he had freestyle to get a feel for the song and that his lyrics were not on par with what he would officially release. The production duo insisted they had not leaked it, stating their shared shock at the track being leaked.[7]

Aftermath
"I fell in love with her voice the first time I heard it. I probably heard it in July, August for the first time, I think it was 'Blue Jeans.' And from then on, I'm like... I love her!... when she said I was her favorite rapper, I was like, 'Oh fuck no, man. I gotta work with her! My dream girl acknowledges me!'"

ASAP Rocky on Del Rey, Billboard May 2012 interview

On the topic of the leak, The Kickdrums told Complex "Well, we had like a general consensus to go ahead and leak it. I don’t think even the people involved had any idea it would have such a large impact in such a short amount of time. But A$AP really wanted to use it for his album and as much as we love the song and are super excited to put it out and are disappointed that it’s not out, we’ve got to respect that. If he wants to put it on the album, that’s that."[8]

In a later interview with Billboard in May 2020, Rocky expressed his desire to release the song still but said he may not feature it on his debut album, Long. Live. ASAP (2013), as the public is too familiar with the song.[9]

Since the song leaked, it has received popularity online. One unofficial upload on SoundCloud has received 20 million plays.[10]

The pair have since released several songs together ("Summer Bummer" and "Groupie Love") while Rocky starred alongside Del Rey in her music video for "National Anthem" (2012).[11]

References
  1. Gonzales, Erica (10 July 2017). "Lana Del Rey Has Two New Songs with A$AP Rocky". Harper's BAZAAR. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  2. Reed, Ryan; Reed, Ryan (12 July 2017). "Lana Del Rey Unveils 'Lust for Life' Details, New Songs With A$AP Rocky". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  3. "ASAP Rocky X Lana Del Ray 'Ridin'". Acclaim Magazine. 30 June 2012. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  4. Cheesman, Danielle (10 July 2017). "A look back at Lana Del Rey and A$AP Rocky's collaborations". REVOLT. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  5. "Preview: The KickDrums ft. Lana Del Rey & Asap Rocky – Ridin". 2 April 2012. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  6. "The KickDrums feat Lana Del Rey & Asap Rocky (In Studio Preview)". YouTube. 2 April 2012. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  7. Kickdrums, The (28 June 2012). "We didn't leak that "Ridin'" track. I was as surprised to see it on the web as everyone else". Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  8. "A$AP Rocky Denounces "Ridin'" Collaboration With Lana Del Rey". Complex. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  9. "A$AP Rocky Calls Lana Del Rey 'My Dream Girl,' Talks Debut Album". Billboard. 9 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  10. "ASAP Rocky Ft. Lana Del Rey - Ridin'". Archived from the original on 4 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020 – via soundcloud.com.
  11. Staff, MTV News. "ASAP Rocky Starring As JFK In Lana Del Rey's 'National Anthem' Video". MTV News. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.