"'03 Bonnie & Clyde" is a song recorded by American rapper Jay-Z, released on October 10, 2002, as the lead single from his seventh studio album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002).

Composed by Jay-Z, Kanye West, Darryl Harper, Ricky Rouse and Tyrone Wrice, and featuring Jay-Z's then-girlfriend, now wife, American singer Beyoncé Knowles, "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" sampled its beat from Tupac Shakur's 1996 song "Me and My Girlfriend" (released under Shakur's pseudonym Makaveli), paraphrasing its chorus, as well as Prince's 1987 song "If I Was Your Girlfriend".

[4] West told MTV News that Jay-Z had asked him on the telephone for a duet for him and Knowles: "We got this joint, it has to be the best beat you ever made.

"[4] He continued: So I went home and called my dog, E Base, who plays a lot of instruments up at Baseline [studio] for me and [producer] Just Blaze.

[5] Senior Vice President of A&R Tina Davis commented on the issue, "We only had one day to clear the [Tupac Shakur] sample [from 'Me and my Girlfriend'] that was used on "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" last year with Jay-Z and Knowles [Beyoncé].

[6] Knowles later included the song as a bonus track on international editions of her 2003 debut solo album Dangerously in Love.

[6] The song was inspired by the 1967 American crime film Bonnie and Clyde[9] as Jay-Z and Knowles proclaim themselves as the current version of the criminal duo.

[10] Ethan Brown of New York magazine noted that its patina of flamenco guitar was reminiscent of that in Jay-Z's 2001 collaboration with R. Kelly on "Fiesta.

[12] On the first verse, Jay-Z references the relationship between Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, and the American television comedy-drama series Sex and the City: "I'm mashin' the gas, she's grabbin' the wheel, it's trippy / How hard she rides wit' me, the new Bobby and Whitney / Only time we don't speak is during 'Sex and the City' / She gets Carrie fever, but soon as the show's over / She's right back to being my soldier / 'Cause mami's a rider and I'm a roller / Put us together, how they gon' stop both of us?

/ Whatever she lacks I'm right over her shoulder (Woo) / When I'm off track, mami is keeping me focused / So let's lock this down like it's supposed to be / The new '03 Bonnie and Clyde, Hov' and B, holla".

Chris Ryan of Spin magazine described "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" as a highlight on The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse, stating that it consists of "a house party in a crib as big as the Georgia Dome.

"[13] John Bush from AllMusic included the song as a highlight on the album,[14] further describing it as "a slick R&B crossover with Beyoncé Knowles".

[12] Awarding the song a rating of eight out of ten possible points, Dele Fadele of NME complimented it as "a cool duet" between Jay-Z and Knowles.

[11] Erik Parker, music editor of Vibe magazine, was divided on the song's sample, writing that it was "tasteless but well-executed", and complimented West's production as "impeccable".

[18] Margena A. Christian of Jet magazine praised Jay-Z's and Knowles' collaboration, favoring the former's "dropping lyrics" and the latter's "cooing silky vocals".

Elijah Watson and Erika Ramirez of Billboard magazine noted that the song proved the couple was "unstoppable from jump".

[28] At the time, it became his highest-charting single in Britain since "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" achieved the same feat in November 1998.

[28] "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipment of 70,000 copies.

Chris Robinson directed the song's accompanying music video, which was filmed in Mexico during October 2002[36] and premiered on MTV on November 8, 2002.

June Ambrose was hired as the personal stylist,[36] and Johnathon Schaech and Lance Reddick appear in the video as police officers[36] tailing Jay-Z and Knowles, who play a modern-day version of the 1930s bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker.

[37] The choreography used in the clip suggests a relationship beyond screen, as Jay-Z wraps his arm around Knowles while singing his part of the chorus.

[38] The music video begins as police officers, played by Schaech and Reddick, discuss how to catch the criminal duo.

As the song begins, Jay-Z is seen driving a gunmetal grey Aston Martin Vanquish while Knowles sits in the passenger seat.

As the duo count money in the bedroom, the police discover their hiding place and go upstairs only to find that the two have fled the scene in their car.

After Knowles performs her verse in an empty pool, the police form a blockade on the highway in an attempt to catch her and Jay-Z, only to be stumped again as two gas station attendant decoys are found driving the car.

In a call to a New York radio station, hosted by Wendy Williams, Braxton stated that "Jay-Z and Beyoncé are messing with my money.

[43][44] In 2009, Beyoncé performed an abbreviated version of "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" during her I Am... Yours revue, held at the Encore Las Vegas Theatre in July and August.

[51] "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" was part of the set list of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's co-headlining On the Run Tour (2014) where the shows were opened with the performance of the song.