Romeo Must Die (soundtrack)

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 28, 2000 through Blackground Records and Virgin Records in association with Warner Bros. Records (who helped co-financed the soundtrack). Recording sessions took time between May 1999 and January 2000.

Romeo Must Die: The Album
Soundtrack album by various artists
Released	March 28, 2000
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	1:14:25
Label	Blackground Virgin Warner Bros.
Producer	Aaliyah (exec.) Barry Hankerson (exec.) Jomo Hankerson (exec.) Timbaland (also exec.) Ant Banks B-12 D-Moet Donnie Scantz Eric Seats Irv Gotti J Dub Joe Joshua Thompson Kevin Hicks Lil' Rob Mannie Fresh Playa Rapture Stewart Stanley Clarke
Singles from Romeo Must Die
"Try Again" Released: February 22, 2000 "Come Back in One Piece" Released: June 6, 2000 "We at It Again" Released: June 20, 2000

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	A–[2]
Mixmag	[3]
Q	[4]
RapReviews	3/10[5]
Soundtrack.Net	2/5[6]
The Village Voice	A–[7]

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 fours songs, as well as B.G., Chanté Moore, Dave Hollister, Destiny's Child, Ginuwine, Joe, Lil' Mo, Mack 10, Playa, 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'.[8][9]

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.[10] 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[11] and 1,5 million copies as of 2001.[12]

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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Try Again" (performed by Aaliyah)	Stephen Garrett Timothy Mosley	Timbaland	4:45
2.	"Come Back in One Piece" (performed by Aaliyah and DMX)	Garrett Earl Simmons Irving Lorenzo Robert Mays Bernard Worrell George Clinton William Collins	Irv Gotti Lil' Rob	4:19
3.	"Rose in a Concrete World (J Dub Remix)" (performed by Joe)	Joseph Thomas Joshua Paul Thompson	Joe Joshua Thompson	4:50
4.	"Rollin' Raw" (performed by B.G.)	Christopher Dorsey Byron Thomas	Mannie Fresh	4:00
5.	"We at It Again" (performed by Timbaland & Magoo)	T. Mosley Melvin Barcliff Garrett Garland Mosley	Timbaland	4:45
6.	"Are You Feelin' Me?" (performed by Aaliyah)	Melissa Elliott T. Mosley	Timbaland	3:11
7.	"Perfect Man" (performed by Destiny's Child)	Beyoncé Knowles Eric Seats Rapture Stewart	Eric Seats Rapture Stewart	3:47
8.	"Simply Irresistible" (performed by Ginuwine)	Garrett T. Mosley Brian Kidd	Timbaland Brian Kidd (co.)	4:01
9.	"It Really Don't Matter" (performed by Confidential)	Edward Ruiz Franchesco Ferraro Juan Enrique Figueroa Louis M. Vizzo Robert Scalere Jr. Jeffery Walker	J Dub	4:08
10.	"Thugz" (performed by Mack 10 and Tha Comrads)	Dedrick D'Mon Rolison Kelly Garmon Terrell Anderson Anthony Banks	Ant Banks	4:13
11.	"I Don't Wanna" (performed by Aaliyah)	Johntá Austin Phalon Alexander Donnie Scantz Kevin Hicks	Donnie Scantz Kevin Hicks	4:16
12.	"Somebody's Gonna Die Tonight" (performed by Dave Bing and Lil' Mo)	Dave Bing Cynthia Loving Lorenzo Mays	Irv Gotti Lil' Rob	4:36
13.	"Woozy" (performed by Playa)	Garrett Benjamin Bush Jawaan Peacock Matthew Brown	Playa B-12	4:10
14.	"Pump the Brakes" (performed by Dave Hollister)	Bush Seats Stewart	Eric Seats Rapture Stewart	4:27
15.	"This Is a Test" (performed by Chanté Moore)	Chanté Moore Seats Stewart Garrett	Eric Seats Rapture Stewart	3:20
16.	"Revival" (performed by Non-A-Miss)	K. Dang M. Calaguas Walker	J Dub	4:57
17.	"Come On" (performed by Sonja Blade)	Sonja Holder Anthony Moody	D-Moet	3:50
18.	"Swung On" (performed by Stanley Clarke and Politix)	Stanley Clarke Myron McKinley	Stanley Clarke	3:16
Total length:				1:14:25

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
  • "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) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 15 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] 18 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 15 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16] 14 Canadian Albums (RPM)[17] 4 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 59 French Albums (SNEP)[19] 60 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 6 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21] 17 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 18 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[23] 14 US Billboard 200[24] 3 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[25] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2000) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] 76

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[27]	Platinum	100,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28]	Silver	60,000^^
United States (RIAA)[29]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2000

References

1. Mathis, Derrick. "Romeo Must Die - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
2. Seymour, Craig (March 27, 2000). "Romeo Must Die Soundtrack". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
3. "Review: Romeo Must Die". Mixmag. London: 177. October 2000. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2012.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
4. "Review: Romeo Must Die". Q. London: 119. November 2000. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2012.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
5. Juon, Steve 'Flash' (April 19, 2000). "Various Artists :: Romeo Must Die Soundtrack – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
6. Sheby, Matthew (December 2, 2004). "Romeo Must Die Soundtrack (2000)". Soundtrack.Net. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
7. Christgau, Robert (May 30, 2000). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via www.robertchristgau.com.
8. "5 Best Compilations of 2000". Q. London: 95. January 2001. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2012.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
9. "Rocklist.net...Q End Of Year Lists". www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
10. Mancini, Robert (April 5, 2000). "MTV.com - News - 'NSYNC On Top Again As Aaliyah, Drag-On Hit Chart". MTV. Archived from the original on June 5, 2002. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
11. Christman, Ed (February 10, 2001). "Best Selling Records of 2000". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
12. Hall, Rashaun (July 21, 2001). "Blackground Readying Aaliyah's Return". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
13. "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
14. "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
15. "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
16. "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
17. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". RPM. 70 (23). Library and Archives Canada. April 10, 2000. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
19. "Lescharts.com – Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
20. "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
21. "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
22. "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
23. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
24. "Billboard 200 Chart: Week of April 15, 2000". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
25. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart: Week of April 15, 2000". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
26. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
27. "Canadian album certifications – Various Artists – Romeo Must Die - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Music Canada.
28. "British album certifications – Original Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die - The Album". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Romeo Must Die - The Album in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
29. "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Romeo Must Die". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 29, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 

External links

• Various – Romeo Must Die at Discogs (list of releases)