We Run This

"We Run This’"
Single by Missy Elliott
from the album The Cookbook, Respect M.E. and Stick It OST
ReleasedMarch 20, 2006 (2006-03-20)
Length3:25
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Rhemario "Rio Beats" Webber
Missy Elliott singles chronology
"Teary Eyed"
(2005) 		"We Run This’"
(2006) 		"Touch It (Remix)"
(2006)
Music video
"We Run This" on YouTube

"We Run This" is a song by American recording artist Missy Elliott. It was written by Rhemario "Rio Beats" Webber and Elliott for her sixth studio album, The Cookbook (2005), while production was handled by the former. An uptempo throwback song that is built upon a marching-band solo,[1] "We Run This" samples animated percussions from American hip hop group The Sugarhill Gang's version of The Shadows' 1960 song "Apache."[1] Due to the sample, Jerry Lordan is also credited as a songwriter.

The song was released as both the third single from The Cookbook in the United States and the lead single from Elliott's first compilation album Respect M.E. (2006). While it failed to reprise the sucess of lead single "Lose Control" (2005), it reached the top 30 in Australia and Ireland and peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Issued to favorable reviews, "We Run This" earned a Best Rap Solo Performance nomination at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, while it music video, directed by Dave Meyers, won in the Best Visual Effects category at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.

Background

[edit]

"We Run This" was written by Elliott along with its producer Rhemario "Rio Beats" Webber.[2] The song samples elements from the 1981 song "Apache" by The Sugarhill Gang, itself being a cover version of The Shadows' 1960 original.[2]

Critical reception

[edit]

"We Run This" earned generally positive reviews from music critics and was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.[3] Brian Sims from HipHopDX fiund that "Missy rocks the party on "We Run This," a fun throwback party track featuring the classic party beat to "Jam On It."[4] IGN editor Spence D. noted that Elliott "bounces back on "We Run This." However, with the almost comedic intro [...] the old school "Apache" beat is a nice throwback touch and Missy rocks it brilliantly, proving that she's not just a brilliant mimic, but a powerful queen of the throw down in her own right."[5]

AllMusic's John Bush wrote that "resurrects the "Apache" break and a classic Sugarhill Gang track for one of the best club tunes of the year."[6] In her review of parent album The Cookbook, Linda McGee, writing for RTÉ.ie, felt that the song "was another of the especially catchy tracks on his album, with Missy's raps complimented to perfection by some slick musical arrangement."[7] Killy Empire from The Guardian found that the song served as a compensation for "the loss of Timbaland" on The Cookbook, stating: "Rhemario Webber's "We Run This" rains soul, orchestras and "Apache" samples on top of an undaunted Missy."[8]

Commercial performance

[edit]

"We Run This" was released as the third and final single from Elliott's sixth studio album The Cookbook (2005) as well as the lead single from her Respect M.E. (2006). It also served as the theme song for the American teen comedy-drama film Stick It (2006).[9] In the United States, the song peaked at number 48 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[10] Elsewhere, it was released to bigger commercial success than Elliott's previous single "Teary Eyed" (2005), reaching the top 30 in both Australia and Ireland.[11][12]

Music video

[edit]

With an edited version of "We Run This" being used as the theme song for the film Stick It (2006) and Elliott co-scoring the Disney/Touchstone Pictures production, the music video for "We Run This" features clips from the film.[9] The visuals were shot with longtime collaborator Dave Meyers on January 3–4, 2006 in Los Angeles, California and features Ellitt dressed in a gold-lamé bandleader costume, geting animated as a stick figure, and rapping in a patois.[13] Stick It actor Jeff Bridges and Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes make cameo appearances in the video.[9] Elliott also does some gymnastics in "We Run This" which caused her to tear her Achilles' tendon while shooting her scenes.[13] "We Run This" incorporates a mini-video for another track from The Cookbook, "Bad Man," which was tacked to the beginning of the video.[9] The video won Louis Mackall and Tonia Wallander the MTV Video Music Award for Best Visual Effects at the 2006 ceremony.[14]

Track listings

[edit]

Personnel

[edit]

Credits lifted from the liner notes of The Cookbook.[2]

  • Missy Elliott – vocalist, writer
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing engineer
  • Jerry Lordan – writer (sample)
  • Rhemario "Rio Beats" Webber – producer, writer

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for "We Run This"
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 23
Australian Urban (ARIA)[19] 7
Germany (GfK)[20] 73
Ireland (IRMA)[12] 30
Scotland (OCC)[21] 40
UK Singles (OCC)[22] 38
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[23] 7
US Billboard Hot 100[10] 48

Release history

[edit]
"We Run This" released history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States March 20, 2006
[24]
United Kingdom August 21, 2006 CD [25]
Australia August 28, 2006 [26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Watson, Margeaux (July 4, 2005). "The Cookbook". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c The Cookbook (booklet). Missy Elliott. The Goldmind Inc., Atlantic Records. 2005.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ "FOX Facts: Complete List of Grammy Award Nominations". Associated Press. December 7, 2006. Retrieved July 5, 2025 – via foxnews.com.
  4. ^ Sims, Brian (June 29, 2005). "Missy Elliott – The Cookbook". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  5. ^ D., Spence (July 19, 2005). "Missy Elliott – The Cookbook". IGN. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  6. ^ Bush, John. "The Cookbook – Missy Elliott". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  7. ^ McGee, Linda (August 19, 2005). "Missy Elliott – The Cookbook". IGN. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  8. ^ Empire, Kitty (July 2, 2005). "Missy's Recipe For Success". The Guardian. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d Mitchell, Gail (January 27, 2006). "Elliott 'Sticks' To Soundtrack Work". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Missy Elliott Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Missy Elliott – We Run This". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  12. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Missy Elliott". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Carley, Brennan (June 30, 2014). "Where Has Missy Elliott Been in the 9 Years Since Her Last Album Release?". Vulture. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  14. ^ "2006 Video Music Awards (Archive)". MTV.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  15. ^ We Run This (Explicit): Missy Elliott: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads
  16. ^ We Run This (Stick It Edit): Missy Elliott: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads
  17. ^ HMV.com: singles: We Run This (2006)
  18. ^ HMV.com: singles: We Run This (2006)
  19. ^ "Issue 874" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  20. ^ "Missy Elliott – We Run This" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  22. ^ "Missy Elliott: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  23. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  24. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1649. March 17, 2006. p. 19.
  25. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. August 19, 2006. p. 23.
  26. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 28th August 2006" (PDF). ARIA. August 28, 2006. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
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