Songfacts®:

• The first single to be released from Nelly's seventh studio album, M.O., was his first entry on Billboard's Nielsen BDS-based Pop Songs since "Just A Dream" two-and-a-half years previously. However some questioned the song's Pop direction, especially its similarity to Flo Rida's "Whistle." (Both tracks feature production from DJ Frank E). When host Misty J raised the matter during an interview with Nelly on radio station Power 107.5 in Columbus, Ohio, the St. Louis rapper/singer fired back citing the variety of his discography, which ranges from hardcore rap to radio-friendly pop tunes: "Does 'Ride with Me' sound like 'E.I.?,'" he said. "Does 'E.I.' sound like 'Country Grammar?' Does 'Country Grammar' sound like 'Hot In Herre?' Does 'Hot in Here' sound like Dilemma?' Does 'Dilemma' sound like 'Over and Over?'"
• According to Pop program director Rich Davis, PD of KDWB Minneapolis, the song represents more of an evolution than a revolution in Nelly's artistry. The track is "definitely more of a pop song than a rap song, with a great groove and a great hook," he told Billboard magazine. "I think even early on, Nelly did a good job of straddling the line between pop and rap. I'm sure artists can tell by their bank accounts which hits are the most mass-appeal. Nelly, with all his years in the biz, has certainly figured that out."
• Nelly is a big Prince fan, and he told AMP Radio's Seena that this song was inspired by one of the Minneapolis icon's own car-themed tunes. "It's one of those things that I feel like is our version of 'Little Red Corvette,'" he said. "The way that song made you feel is kind of like what that is right here."
• Asked by Digital Spy how the song came about, Nelly replied: "It's one of those situations where the producers had this idea for me and they played it for me and I kinda liked it. So we got it in there and mixed it with something we thought would be dope."