Drive Slow

"Drive Slow"
Single by Kanye West featuring Paul Wall and GLC
from the album Late Registration and The Peoples Champ
B-side	"We Major"
Released	June 6, 2006
Format	12" single, CD single
Recorded	2004 at The Record Plant and Chalice Recording Studios in Hollywood, CA
Genre	Hip hop, jazz rap
Length	4:32
Label	Roc-A-Fella, Swisha House, Asylum Records, Atlantic
Writer(s)	Kanye West, Paul Slayton, Leonard Harris
Producer	Kanye West
Kanye West singles chronology
"Touch the Sky" (2006) "Drive Slow" (2006) "Extravaganza" (2006) Paul Wall singles chronology "Girl" (2006) "Drive Slow" (2006) "Break 'Em Off" (2007)

"Drive Slow" is a song by American rap artist Kanye West. It was released on June 6, 2006 as the fifth and final single of West's second studio album, Late Registration. The song contains a sample of Hank Crawford's "Wildflower" and features Paul Wall and GLC, with back-up vocals provided by singer Tony "Penafire" Williams.^[1] Though it received approval by music critics for is lyricism and intricate sound, the single did not chart due to lack of airplay.^[2]

Background

The song was originally to feature M.I.A. who opted out of the appearance due to a busy schedule.^[3] Like a majority of the sophomore effort, the single marks a significant evolution in West's production, as it demonstrated him substituting his then characteristic sped-up soul style in favor of a slowed-down, alto jazz-infused drum loop.

Wall later included "Drive Slow" as the eleventh track on his international debut album The Peoples Champ. A remix for the song was released onto mixtapes and featured an additional verse from T.I., who later released it on the limited edition bonus disc DVD of his album, King. The Game used a vocal sample from "Drive Slow" in his song "LAX Files" for his album LAX.

Music video

The music video for "Drive Slow" was directed by Hype Williams and filmed in both Reno, Nevada and Las Vegas, Nevada. The video uses the remix version of the song and thus features an appearance by T.I. alongside Paul Wall and GLC. Additionally, violin strings provided by Miri Ben-Ari were applied to the slightly altered song while certain notes were lengthened and made more frequent. In the video's closing moment, the song suddenly transforms into a chopped and screwed tempo. American singer Tony Williams is also credited on the music video.

Track listing

A-side

1. "Drive Slow" (Clean)
2. "Drive Slow" (Dirty)
3. "Drive Slow" (Instrumental)

B-side

1. "We Major" (Clean)
2. "We Major" (Dirty)
3. "We Major" (Instrumental)

Personnel

Information taken from Late Registration liner notes.^[1]

• Songwriters: Kanye West, Paul Slayton, and Leonard Harris
• Producer: Kanye West
• Mix engineer: Mike Dean
• Assistant engineers: Richard Reitz, Nate Connelly and Mike Mo
• Additional vocals: Tony "Penafire" Williams

References

1. ^ ^{a b} (2005) Album notes for Late Registration by Kanye West. Roc-A-Fella Records.
2. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2006-11-06). "Kanye West On Awards Show Bum-Rush: 'It Was Just Out Of Raw Emotion'". MTV (MTV Networks). http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1545052/20061106/west_kanye.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-06-15. 
3. ^ Kara, Nooreen (2005-06-24). "Kanye West Gives Media Early Peek At Late Registration In London". Baller Status. http://www.ballerstatus.com/article/news/2005/06/0757/. Retrieved 2008-05-16. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• Music video for "Drive Slow" on YouTube