Meaning of “Ambitionz Az a Ridah” by 2Pac
The term “ridah” is one of those colloquialisms that everyone knows what it means, especially the likes of those who are familiar with 1990s’ African-American slang. But at the same time, it doesn’t particularly have a meaning per se.
Or let’s say that, generally put, a “ridah” is someone who is fully down for a particular cause, one which may involve putting his life on the line or some other type of notable risk. In other words, what a person may be ‘riding’ for is respective.
But given that it is a street term often associated with taking a life-threatening risk, being a “ridah” usually entails an act related to gangsterism. For instance, if someone intends to perform a drive-by shooting, they may say that they’re going to ‘ride’ on their opps. Or perhaps you’ll come across a term like ‘ride or die’, alluding to either being fully committed to a (dangerous) cause or not pursuing it at all.
So as far as Tupac’s usage of the term “ridah” in the chorus, it points to the idea of being a gangsta who “you don’t wanna f*ck with”. As put forth, he’s so much of “a straight ridah” that even the police want him dead. And so it was, more or less, in Pac’s life at the time, as this song was written for instance just mere hours after he had gotten out of jail on a hefty bail of $1.4 million.
“I won’t deny it, I’m a straight ridah
You don’t wanna f–k with me (My ambitions as a ridah)
Got the police bustin’ at me
But they can’t do nothin’ to a G
(I won’t deny it, I’m a straight ridah)”
So what we’re dealing with here is gangsta rap coming from one of the most credible sources in that regard that the industry had ever witnessed. And what the lyrics encapsulate is what being a ridah means to Shakur personally.
For example, as noted as the beginning of the first verse, even though the vocalist is “a rap star”, he has been ‘scarred’ by time on the “battlefield”.
Or put otherwise, he was “born rough and rugged” and raised “to be a soldier”, in the street sense of the word. And his “ambitions as a ridah” is to be successful despite coming from such a challenging background, or perhaps we can say, all lyrics considered, while concurrently conforming to what he’s learned on the streets.
To Tupac, living that life entails the likes of banging horny b*-ches when the opportunity presents itself. But as firmly noted, the pursuit of wealth is prioritized over romantic interests. As sorta implied in the first verse, this disposition was influenced by the fact that Shakur’s aforenoted incarceration was caused by what he perceived as a female (and others) stabbing in the back.
But that said, being a ridah also entails admirable attributes such as bravery, focus and hard work ethic on the part of the practitioner.
Verse 2
Meanwhile, the beginning of the second verse – and pretty much the rest of the song henceforth – is more in tune with one of the definitions of a ridah as noted above, as someone who commits drive-by shootings and understands that in doing so, he may not make it back alive.
Along those lines, Pac even goes on to present a brief narrative where he’s shot up – seemingly in the process of shooting at his enemies first – and witnesses his own death. And whereas he didn’t technically lose his life in a shootout, those particular words do read slightly prophetic in that he did ultimately, not too long thereafter, die by the gun.
The rapper then goes on to close out the passage by highlighting his lack of willingness to go back to jail. What Pac appears to be getting at in that regard isn’t that he’s afraid of prison life but rather refuses to be locked up over some bullsh*t, ‘like they did his ni-ga Tyson’, who likewise did time over some questionable allegations made by a woman.
So to reiterate, it’s as if law enforcement is also counted as Tupac’s enemies, i.e. being out to get him whatever way possible.
Verse 3
But the third verse does commence with Pac noting that one of his goals is to “evade the cops”, so it isn’t like he’s actually looking to get into (another) direct confrontation with the police. Instead he’s more squarely focused on his street enemies, like the dudes who apparently tried to murder him in 1994.
Remember that Tupac was nearly assassinated just a few months prior to his aforementioned incarceration. And by the time this track was dropped, he had already developed a sound idea of who was behind the shootings.
So that is also one of his goals as a ridah, to get vengeance against all of the people he feels did him gravely wrong, including it would seem those he believed were involved with getting him locked up. That said, Pac also uses the opportunity to point to his lyrical superiority here and there, presumably because many of said enemies in his eyes were also musicians.
In Conclusion
So for the most part, it does seem that the rapper is depicting himself “as a ridah” within the context of such an individual being someone who, most simply put, sets out to murder his enemies.
Or put otherwise Tupac was a true thug, one whom even the cops were compelled to have on their radar. And as depicted, it wasn’t such that since he became an A list rapper, those street tendencies that he had developed throughout the years magically disappeared.
To the contrary, it’s as if then, during the last couple of years of his life, Shakur had more notable enemies than ever. That would be one of the reasons why to this day there isn’t a consensus on who killed him. And indeed even earlier on that fateful night when he mortally wounded, Pac was engaging in wild, thuggish behavior indicative of his commitment to ‘ride’ whenever he felt the situation called for it.
Release Date of “Ambitionz Az a Ridah”
“Ambitionz Az a Ridah” was released on February 13 of 1996, as the opening track on 2Pac’s 4th studio album, “All Eyez on Me.” The song was released through the following record labels:
- Death Row Records
- Interscope Records
“All Eyez on Me” consists of four singles, namely:
- “California Love”
- “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted”
- “How Do U Want It”
- “I Ain’t Mad at Cha”
Credits for “Ambitionz Az a Ridah”
“Ambitionz Az a Ridah” was penned by 2Pac himself, with collaborative input from Daz Dillinger. However, it was Dillinger who took on the task of producing the track.
