What We Do (song)

"What We Do" is a song by American rapper Freeway. It was released on September 3, 2002, as the lead single from his debut studio album Philadelphia Freeway (2003). The song features American rappers Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel. It was produced by Just Blaze and contains a sample of "I Just Can't See Myself Without You" by Creative Source.

"What We Do"
Single by Freeway featuring Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel
from the album Philadelphia Freeway
Released	September 3, 2002
Recorded	Winter 2002
Studio	Baseline Studios
Genre	East Coast hip hop chipmunk soul
Length	3:49
Label	Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Songwriter(s)	Leslie Pridgen Shawn Carter Dwight Grant Justin Smith Skip Scarborough
Producer(s)	Just Blaze
Freeway singles chronology
"Roc the Mic" (2002) "What We Do" (2002) "Alright" (2003)
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Guess Who's Back" (2002) "What We Do" (2002) "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" (2002)
Beanie Sigel singles chronology
"Guess Who's Back" (2002) "What We Do" (2002) "Gotta Have It" (2004)
Music video
"What We Do" on YouTube

Background

In the song, the rappers rap about committing acts that they know are illegal but still doing them in order to survive.^[1] In an interview, Freeway stated the song is "talkin' about all the things that we do in the streets is wrong but, of course, there are reasons why we're doing the wrong things that we do".^[2]

According to Just Blaze, "What We Do" was one of the first songs recorded for the album. Freeway originally planned for the track to be a solo and for Jay-Z to only have an ad-lib on it. Jay came to check on Freeway in the beginning of the album and on the end of the album. He made two visits to the studio. The first time he came to hear the album, Freeway played him "What We Do", and Jay said, "I gotta jump on it." After he did, Beanie Sigel recorded a verse for the song as well.^[3]

Music video

The music video was filmed in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and directed by Nzingha Stewart. It is based on the television series The Wire and features cameos from Michael K. Williams, Hassan Johnson, Andre Royo, and J.D. Williams,^[4] as well as appearances from Damon Dash, Memphis Bleek, Cousin Ervan (Cousin E), Peedi Crakk, Young Gunz,^[1] and Beanie Sigel's mother.^[4]

Charts

Chart (2002–2003)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[5]	97
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[6]	47

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[7]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	November 11, 2002 (2002-11-11)	Rhythmic contemporary · urban contemporary radio	Def Jam	[8]