Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Culture Lesson: Ghost-Riding the Whip

Ghostriding the Whip, by Jeffrey Rowland

Ghost-riding the Whip is when a probably young, certainly foolish, person puts his or her car in gear and exits the car to walk or dance beside it. Sometimes the person might "car surf" on the hood or trunk of the car.

Urban Dictionary's definition:
The act of putting ones ride in neutral, opening all doors, placing the volume dial on 10, and simply rollin. One can also take the process up a notch and actually exit his/her ride. Once outside of the ride, one can dance and flow to the beat.
Wikipedia provides a history of the act. I could summarize, but then I'd have to explain sydeshows and hyphy, and I just don't feel like it.
Ghost riding is an activity that has been practiced in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years during what are called sydeshows. The popularization of ghost riding the whip is a byproduct of the popularity of Bay Area music and hyphy culture in general. The term "ghost ride the whip" was given nationwide exposure in E-40's 2006 song "Tell Me When to Go".[2] Oakland rapper Mistah F.A.B.'s hit song "Ghost Ride It", further popularized the term due to the song's consistent playtime on radio and television stations throughout the United States. The song references actor Patrick Swayze, lead star in the 1990 film Ghost,[3] sparking internet references to ghost riding as "going (Patrick) Swayze". Finally, ghost riding is a minigame in the hip-hop-culture-centered video game Pimp My Ride.[4]
Yes, yes, I know, you think this is assinine and dangerous. You're correct! YouTube features plenty of videos of teens ghost-riding and injuring themselves, others, and damaging their car. (Kendra from The Girls Next Door and Kendra damaged the car she was driving when she did this several years ago.)

Here's an obligatory video example featuring two older people.




Additional Resources:
Ghost-riding, Wikipedia
Car surfing, Wikipedia
Ghost Ride the Whip, Urban Dictionary

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