This Is How We Do It

"This Is How We Do It" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Montell Jordan. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on February 6, 1995, as the lead single from his debut studio album of the same name (1995). The single was Def Jam's first R&B release, and is Jordan's signature song.
The song is a tribute to South Central Los Angeles party culture in the hip hop soul style popular at the time. It features Jordan singing over an enhanced Teddy Riley drumbeat sample of Slick Rick's "Children's Story" which in turn has an added interpolation of the bass of Bob James' "Nautilus". "This Is How We Do It" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on April 15, 1995, rising from number six the previous week and displacing Madonna's "Take a Bow" from the top spot. It remained at number one for seven consecutive weeks. It was also number one for seven weeks on the R&B singles chart. The single sold one million copies domestically and received platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The accompanying music video for "This Is How We Do It" was directed by Hype Williams.
The song earned Jordan a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards. The same year, the song was named Best R&B 12-inch at the International Dance Music Awards in Miami.
Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel found that the track "combines enough elements to make for an unavoidable crossover hit, as Jordan's lilting voice meshes with "phat" beats, an incessant title refrain and a sample of rapper Slick Rick's 'Children's Story'." Connie Johnson from Los Angeles Times felt the American R&B crooner and songwriter "has a youthful bravado", describing the song as "hard-slammin'". Simon Price from Melody Maker viewed it as "Bobby Brown grooves with Snoop Dogg rhymes". Another Melody Maker editor, David Stubbs, noted its "auto-pilot, fast-buck, anthemic swingbeat with the usual ring-a-ring-a-roses singalong chant and laboured partytime chorus." Dele Fadele from NME praised it as "anthemic, defiant, and catchy".
Ralph Tee from Music Week's RM Dance Update wrote, "This record is typical of everything that urban contemporary soul is about with its chugging swing/funk rhythms and intense Aaron Hall-style vocal and it's been flying out on import lately. Its main appeal is the infectious multi-vocal chorus, blasting out the song's title to ram home its anthemic qualities." He remarked that "there's masses of dancefloor appeal". Another RM editor, James Hamilton, described it as a "soulfully whined, chanted and rapped rolling jackswing joller" in his weekly Dance column. Mark Frith from Smash Hits gave 'This Is How We Do It' four out of five, adding, "He is Montell Jordan, and he's a very clever bloke, who's made a record that combines the best of gangsta rap with a fantastic classic soul voice." He concluded that "this is a very likely cross-over hit here [in the UK] too."
The music video for the song was directed by American music video and film director Hype Williams. The video opens at a house party with people mingling. Jordan sings and dances at the party, with back dancers on a sound stage, and later sitting in a booth with a woman. It was nominated for two awards at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, in the categories for Best Dance Video and Best R&B Video. Remastered in HD, the video has generated more than 194 million views on YouTube as of February 2025.
British music newspaper NME ranked "This Is How We Do It" number 12 in their list of the Top 20 of 1995 in December 1995. In 1996, the song earned Jordan a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards. The same year, the song was named Best R&B 12-inch at the International Dance Music Awards in Miami. German magazine Spex included "This Is How We Do It" in their "The Best Singles of the Century" list in 1999.
In 2002, British girl group Mis-Teeq released their version as a double A-side with "Roll On". It peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart, faring four places higher than the original there. The recording by Jordan was featured in the 2002 film Ali G Indahouse alongside the Rishi Rich mix of Mis-Teeq's version. The Rishi Rich remix of "This Is How We Do It" is included on the film's soundtrack. "This Is How We Do It" is included on the special edition of the album Lickin' on Both Sides.
Dutch DJ Joe Stone released a remixed version of the song in 2015 with Jordan credited as the featured artist.