It charted at number two in the United Kingdom and peaked in the top twenty in other European territories. The single reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Jay-Z's second top ten single and Beyoncé's first as a solo artist.
''03 Bonnie & Clyde' was generally received with favorable reviews by music critics, who complimented the combination of Jay-Z's and Beyoncé's musical styles, their collaboration and the song's production. The instrumentation is based on programmed drums, bass instruments, and a flamenco guitar. A R&B song, ''03 Bonnie & Clyde' sampled its beat from American rapper Tupac Shakur's 1996 song 'Me and My Girlfriend', paraphrasing its chorus, and was inspired by the crime film Bonnie and Clyde. The song was released as the album's lead single on October 10, 2002. It was composed by Shawn Carter, Kanye West, Prince Nelson, Tupac Shakur, Darryl Harper, Ricky Rouse and Tyrone Wrice for Jay-Z's seventh studio album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002). ' '03 Bonnie & Clyde' is a song recorded by American rapper Jay-Z featuring his then-girlfriend, American singer Beyoncé Knowles.