Romeo Must Die: The Album is the soundtrack to Andrzej Bartkowiak's 2000 action film Romeo Must Die, composed of hip hop and R&B music. It was released on March 14, 2000 through Blackground Records and Virgin Records in association with Warner Bros. Records (who helped co-finance the soundtrack). Recording sessions took place between May 1999 and January 2000.
Production was handled by several record producers, including Irv Gotti, Rapture Stewart, Ant Banks, Eric Seats, Mannie Fresh, J Dub, and Timbaland, who also served as executive producer along with Barry and Jomo Hankerson, and the film star Aaliyah.
It features contributions from Aaliyah, who appears on four songs, as well as B.G., Chanté Moore, Dave Hollister, Destiny's Child, Ginuwine, Joe, Lil' Mo, Mack 10, Stanley Clarke, The Comrads and more.
Three singles and music videos were released from the album: Aaliyah's number one pop hit "Try Again" (directed by Wayne Isham), Aaliyah and her co-star DMX duet "Come Back in One Piece" (directed by Little X), and Timbaland & Magoo's "We At It Again" (directed by Chris Robinson), which introduced Timbaland's younger brother, rapper Sebastian, to audiences. Q magazine included the soundtrack album in their list of the '5 Best Compilations of 2000'.
In August 2021, it was reported that Aaliyah's recorded work for Blackground (since rebranded as Blackground Records 2.0) would be re-released on physical, digital, and, for the first time ever, streaming services in a deal between the label and Empire Distribution. Romeo Must Die: The Album was re-released on September 3, 2021.
Commercial performance In the United States, the soundtrack debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart selling 203,000 in its first week. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on May 2, 2000 for selling a million copies. The album sold 1.3 million copies by the end of 2000. By 2001 the album sold 1.5 million copies domestically and over 2 million copies internationally.
In Canada, the soundtrack peaked at number 4 and was certified Platinum by Music Canada. The album reached number 6 in Germany and lasted at number 76 in the year-ending. In 2013, it also was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry.
Track listing
Notes Tracks 8, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18 did not appear in the film
Other songs These songs did appear in the film but were not released on the soundtrack: "First I'm Gonna Crawl" performed by DMX (appears on Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (soundtrack)) "You're Not From Brighton" performed by Fatboy Slim "I See You Baby (Full Frontal Mix)" performed by Groove Armada and Gramma Funk "Inside My Mind/Blue Skies" performed by Groove Armada "High Roller" and "Keep Hope Alive" performed by The Crystal Method "Going Home" performed by DJ Frane
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2000)PeakpositionCanadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)5Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)7European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)22US Billboard 200 3US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 1 Chart (2002) Peakposition
Year-end charts Chart (2000) PositionCanadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) 80 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 76 US Billboard 200 60 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 19 Chart (2001)PositionCanadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)178Canadian Rap Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)92
Decade-end charts + Decade-end chart performance for Romeo Must Die: The Album Chart (2000–2009) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)96
Certifications
Release history + Release history and formats for Romeo Must Die: The Album Region Date Edition(s) Format(s) Label(s) CanadaMarch 14, 2000 Standard CD VirginUnited StatesMarch 21, 2000JapanMay 10, 2000EMI Music Japan
See also List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2000
References
External links