These days, it’s hard to come by a rapper whose rhyming ability speaks for itself.
For Miami MC C-Ride, there are no gimmicks or sideshow props in his lyrical hustle; his style, much like his name, stands out on its own. “This old school pimp I grew up with said I always made him want to jump in the car [when I rhymed] ‘cause I ride on the beat,” C-Ride explains, of his moniker. “The difference with me is that you can press play when you listen to a lot of rappers, but you’ll get a different bounce with me.” Growing up in the infamous Carol City neighborhood of Miami, C-Ride (born Christian Coates) came up like many teens raised in a broken home—he never knew which step would lead him in the right direction. With absentee parents, the Southern rapper relied on the support of his grandparents. But holding the reigns on a precocious, yet troublesome 17-year-old was a job in itself, and C-Ride found himself leaving the state of Florida in 2001, to live a life less drama-free in the ATL with his older brother. Leaving his humble beginnings in Carol City was not just an answer to living a more honest life, it was an answer to C-Ride’s artistic ambitions. After having graduated high school at the tender age of 16 and no sights set on college, rapping became his study. Once in Atlanta, C-Ride put his story telling to the test alongside a friend’s rap group, weaving his rhymes in and out the group’s tracks. But once again, trouble landed right at Ride’s doorstep. “I had to leave everything that I had in Atlanta,” he states. “I had nothing when I came back [to Miami] but a CD that I had made in Atlanta with like six songs on it. So, I came back to Miami with that and nothing else.” C-Ride’s return to his hometown became a blessing in disguise in 2004. The rapper completed the CD he brought back with him and began a street movement with Wide Open—his first mixtape. After pressing up 1,000 copies, he began selling, and giving, his debut mix to anyone who would give his lyrics a listen. From flea markets to clubs, there was no stopping C-Ride’s hustle. “I always got good feedback, never negative,” says the MC. “So that made me want to pass [my mixtapes] out to anybody, I didn’t care if you were a DJ or a schoolteacher or a farmer. It didn’t matter. You needed to have my CD.” His grind was duly noted which earned the rapper a phone call from production duo Cool & Dre. The team had been looking for him for three months before a friend finally put them in touch. Ride’s standout material and unique flow caught Cool & Dre’s ears, as well as interest to sign the unsigned hype, but the duo needed to see what the rapper had to offer on the outside first. “In Miami, people have 8,000 gold teeth and a head full of dreads for no reason. Dre’s words were if I didn’t look like a monster, then he knew it was a done deal.” And so began the life and times of C-Ride under Cool & Dre’s tutelage. Once the trio became acquainted, the three began looking for the “big dream,” as C-Ride calls it. Turning down deals from powerhouses like Sony and Universal proved to be beneficial for the Miami resident. While awaiting the “big dream,” Ride went into business for himself, as a CEO. Following the mixtape blueprint of friend and resident Miami DJ Ideal, the rapper created Stash House Music Group and released his sophomore mixtape hosted by DJ Ideal, Get Right Or Get Left, through his company’s funding. With orders still pending--7,000 sold to date—and the tape’s single “P-P-Pushin’” having made its way to the Save The Last Dance 2 Soundtrack, the businessman’s hustle is far from being stopped. Now at 23, C-Ride has achieved the “big dream” in more ways than one. Polo Grounds Music signed up the rapper when Ideal’s manager and label executive, Big Teach, couldn’t stop talking about the artist. PMG label head Bryan Leach took notice of C-Ride’s movement and immediately added him to the roster in Spring 2007. His label debut, The A-Rab Store, is underway as well as his first single, the Cool & Dre produced banger "Dat what it is" feat. multi-platinum artist The Game. With executive production credits also going to Cool & Dre, the album is set to be an encompassing listen. “Down here in Miami, whatever you need is in the Arab store-a toothbrush, cereal, a tire. My album is just that. If you need it now, whatever you need, whatever you want, whenever you need it, it’s gonna be right there.”