When WAR’s “Low Rider” rolled out of Southern California in 1975, it wasn’t just another funk single—it was a movement in motion. The song’s opening cowbell hit and hypnotic bassline became the unofficial heartbeat of West Coast street culture, a soundtrack for lowriders cruising the boulevard. Half a century later, “Low Rider” remains one of the most instantly recognizable songs in American music—sampled, reinterpreted, and reimagined across genres, languages, and generations.
What made “Low Rider” immortal wasn’t just its groove—it was its cultural fluency. WAR embodied the Southern California experience: Latino, Black, and white musicians blending funk, soul, rock, and Latin rhythms into something that belonged to everyone and no one all at once. It was a sound of unity in a divided America, proof that rhythm could dissolve borders faster than politics could build them.
Today, the song lives everywhere: in films like Up in Smoke to commercials, in backyard barbecues. It’s as much a part of California’s cultural DNA as surfboards and palm trees. “Low Rider” didn’t just define WAR—it defined a lifestyle, a geography, a shared groove that still unites communities from East L.A. to Long Beach. Fifty years on, it’s not nostalgia—it’s heritage.
Few songs have transcended genre as easily as WAR’s “Low Rider.” Over the past five decades, rock bands from punk to metal have reimagined it—each finding something new hidden in its deceptively simple groove. Here are a few of the notable rock acts that have taken WAR’s “Low Rider” for a spin throughout the songs 50-year history.
1. Korn – “Lowrider” (1999)
Leave it to Korn to twist “Low Rider” into something monstrous. Their version leans into the low-end menace, turning WAR’s funk groove into a sludgy, down-tuned dirge. Guitarist Brian “Head” Welch takes over lead vocal duties from Jonathan Davis and perfectly compliments the band’s trademark seven-string guitars and some sick sounding bagpipes. It’s part homage, part hijacking, and entirely Korn.
2. Fantomas – “Low Rider” (2002)
Of all the reinventions, none were stranger—or more thrilling—than Mike Patton’s avant-metal collective Fantômas. Performing “Low Rider” in their live shows around 2001–2002, most famously at the May 1st, 2002 show at The Forum in London, the band warped the tune into something between performance art and chaos theory. Patton’s elastic vocals mimicked car horns and engine revs, while Dave Lombardo’s drumming turned the beat inside out. It was “Low Rider” for a parallel universe—equal parts homage and deconstruction, proving that WAR’s groove could survive even the most experimental dismantling.
3. Exodus – “Lowrider” (1989)
Thrash metal titans Exodus flipped “Low Rider” into a headbanger’s playground. Their take keeps the iconic whistle but replaces the funk with full-throttle guitar assault. It’s chaotic, tongue-in-cheek, and a testament to how indestructible the original riff is—you can coat it in distortion and double kicks, and it still grooves.
4. Beastie Boys – “Slow Ride” (1986)
While not a note-for-note cover, the Beastie Boys paid early tribute to WAR’s funk classic by sampling “Low Rider” on “Slow Ride,” from their debut album ‘Licensed to Ill’. True to form, they didn’t just copy it—they reimagined it. The track flips WAR’s smooth swagger into a chaotic, beer-soaked hip-hop romp, replacing brass and bongos with 808s and bratty Brooklyn attitude. “Slow Ride” marked one of the earliest moments where rock, rap, and funk collided head-on, showing that WAR’s DNA ran just as deep in New York’s boroughs as it did in East L.A.’s streets.
5. The Offspring – “Original Prankster” (2000)
Rather than a straight-up cover, The Offspring paid tribute to WAR’s “Low Rider” by sampling the iconic cowbell for their hit single “Original Prankster” off Conspiracy of One (2000). Blending rock energy with hip-hop swagger, the track features a guest appearance by Redman. The cowbell is instantly recognizable and drives the groove in Offspring’s “Original Prankster” to give it that familiar feel to listeners, while offering a funky juxtaposition to Dexter Holland’s vocal delivery. The result is a hybrid anthem that captures the spirit of “Low Rider” through a new millennium lens—half punk rebellion, half West Coast funk revival. It’s a perfect example of how WAR’s DNA still pulses through Southern California’s musical bloodstream, even in the skate-punk era.
From East L.A. to Bakersfield to Berlin, “Low Rider” endures because it never tries too hard. It’s cool without effort, funky without flash, and built on a rhythm so perfect it survives translation into any genre. Half a century later, WAR’s masterpiece still rides low—and carries the culture with it.
WAR will join forces with Tower of Power, Poncho Sanchez and special guest host DJ Muggs on December 20, 2025 at YouTube Theater, Inglewood, CA for a one-night only show that celebrates California’s legendary musical history. Tickets are on sale now via ticketmaster.com.