Ryder

For the mission, see Ryder (mission)

Lance "Ryder" Wilson was a long-time member of the Grove Street Families gang in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He is accused of always being the troublemaker; along with CJ, and is also said to go on rampages, attempting the impossible, and is always under the influence of some kind of drug, presumably cannabis blunts dipped in PCP or "water" as Ryder calls it. During most missions, he's seen holding a rolled up marijuana blunt. He is also the chatterbox of the group (which is probably the affect the drug he's on has on him), and likes to comment on people's driving. CJ revealed on one mission that he was kicked out of high school because he beat up his teacher for wearing Ballas colors. Ryder claims that it was because he was too intelligent for school.

Later in the game it turns out he has been bribed by Frank Tenpenny to join the Loco Syndicate and thus drops the "homies for life" and becomes an enemy of the Grove Street Families. He persuades Carl Johnson to steal weapons from a retired army colonel, steal ammunition from a freighter train, and raid a national guard compund obstensibly so that GSF could make a comeback in Los Santos. If the player fails to rob the colonel without making noise and the Colonel awakes, Ryder will abandon CJ to the colonel's wrath, and he says himself that he thought CJ would certainly die in the armory. Carl finally kills him in a boat chase (or with a precise shot from the pier).

Voice
Ryder was voiced by MC Eiht. "Hood Took Me Under", a song produced by Compton's Most Wanted, including member MC Eiht, is featured on Radio Los Santos and San Andreas's game soundtrack.

Mission appearances

 * GTA San Andreas
 * The Introduction
 * Big Smoke
 * Ryder (Boss)
 * Cleaning the Hood
 * Drive-Thru
 * Nines and AKs
 * Drive-By
 * Home Invasion (Boss)
 * Catalyst (Boss)
 * Robbing Uncle Sam (Boss)
 * House Party
 * Reuniting the Families
 * The Green Sabre (Betrayal)
 * Photo Opportunity
 * Pier 69 (Killed)

Trivia

 * Despite how well and/or carefully the player makes Carl drive in the game, Ryder will always ridicule him about it.
 * "Ryder" is the only mission in which Ryder is seen without his trademark cap. He also never removes his sunglasses.
 * During the mission Home Invasion, while driving home, CJ says to Ryder, "One day, you'll seriously wished that you hadn't have pissed me off.", which could be a potential reference to the mission Pier 69, wherein CJ would kill him.
 * He still wears green after openly betraying the Grove Street Families. This is because he has only one coded outfit, his Grove Street outfit.
 * Ryder bears a striking resemblance to the late rapper Eazy-E, wearing a black baseball cap and sporting a Jheri Curls hair style, while constantly seen with a pair of blacked out sunglasses worn on occasions by Eazy-E. He also has a habit of calling CJ a "buster."
 * Ryder owns a Picador with a license plate which reads SHERM, referring to his addiction to sherm, a cigarette that has been immersed in Phencyclidine.
 * Ryder's favourite Radio station is Radio Los Santos.
 * Ryder in the beta used to have a Brown Sadler
 * If you use a glitch to see through Ryder's glasses, you can observe that Ryder keeps his eyes closed.
 * On a wall of his house, there is a poster featuring the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City cover.

Lance Wilson Ryder