It was written by Makeba Riddick, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, with production helmed by Stargate.

Critical reception of the song was generally positive, as the majority of reviewers praised its relaxing and carefree qualities.

"We Ride" peaked inside the top forty on multiple charts, including Australia, the Flanders and Wallonia regions of Belgium and the United Kingdom.

[1] Rihanna explained the reasoning behind "We Ride" being chosen as the third single from the album in an interview with Corey Moss of MTV.

[4][5] In Australia, the song was released as an extended play (EP) on October 30, 2006, which featured remixes of "We Ride" and the previous single from the album, "Unfaithful".

[8][9][10] According to the digital sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, "We Ride" is written in the key of E♭ major and is set in common time with a moderate dance groove with 80 beats per minute (BPM).

[11] The song includes piano keys and guitar strings as part of its instrumental composition, and were provided by Stargate.

[11][12] Jazzily Bass of Contactmusic.com commented that "We Ride" incorporates a "teen music sound" into its composition, which features a melodic tap to keep the listener engaged.

[15] However, Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine was critical of "We Ride", writing that although the song is a "hip hop-influenced club banger", it appeared to be too mature for the singer and her "minor vocal talents".

[28] In an interview with Corey Moss of MTV, Rihanna explained the concept behind the inspiration for the video, saying, "We just wanted to reconnect with my peers, let them know I'm still a teen, I still have friends – but to make something provocative.

[30] The video begins with Rihanna walking towards a white Jeep Wrangler, but stops due to her mobile phone ringing.

During the second verse, Rihanna is shown lying down on the beach and playing in the water, as well as dancing with a male dancer against a white backdrop, this time wearing a lace dress.

During the bridge, as Rihanna sings about the difficulties of getting over a failed relationship, scenes of Rihanna partying and talking to her ex-boyfriend on her phone are depicted, which results in her agreeing to meet him as she sings "Just blame yourself 'cause you blew it/I won't forget how you do it, my sweet baby/This is where the game ends now/But somehow wanna believe you and me/We can figure it out", as she decides that their relationship is worth salvaging.

During the final chorus, the singer is shown intimately dancing and partying with her boyfriend, whilst other scenes from the video are intercut.

The video ends with a close-up shot of Rihanna against a white backdrop; when the song's audio finishes, the singer turns her head to the side and looks into the distance, as the camera pans away.