Chapter II (Ashanti album)

Chapter II
Studio album by Ashanti
Released	July 1, 2003 (United States)
Recorded	2002–2003
Studio	Crackhouse Studios (New York City) SoundCastle Studios (Los Angeles)
Genre	R&B pop hip hop soul hip hop
Length	65:16
Label	Murder Inc. Island Def Jam
Producer	Ashanti Douglas (exec.) Irv Gotti (exec.) Chink Santana
Ashanti chronology
7 Series Sampler (2003) Chapter II (2003) Ashanti's Christmas (2003)
Singles from Chapter II
"Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)" Released: May 13, 2003 "Rain on Me" Released: August 9, 2003 "Breakup 2 Makeup" Released: January 16, 2004

Chapter II is the second studio album by American R&B singer Ashanti, released by Murder Inc. and Island Def Jam on July 1, 2003 in the United States. The album involves production by Irv Gotti and Chink Santana and features a guest appearance by Ja Rule. Chapter II spawned three singles including the Billboard Hot 100 number two song "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)", the R&B-ballad "Rain on Me" and the Irv Gotti-produced "Breakup 2 Makeup (Remix)".

The album debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in July 2003 with first-week sales of 326,000 units. The album was certified Platinum on August 14, 2003. It earned Ashanti three Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Song.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(51/100)[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Blender	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[4]
Mojo	[5]
PopMatters	[1][6]
Q	[1]
Rolling Stone	[7]
Slant Magazine	[8]
The Village Voice	C[9]

Chapter II received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 51, based on 11 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Commercial performance

Chapter II debuted at number one, replacing Beyoncé's "Dangerously in Love" on the US Billboard 200 albums chart in July 2003 and Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart at number one with first-week sales of 326,000 units sold, the album became Ashanti's second chart-topper.^[10] The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA on August 14, 2003 and remained on Billboard 200 album for 30 consecutive weeks. Chapter II has sold 1.5 million copies in the United States alone, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album was the 54th best-selling album of 2003. As of 2007, the album has sold 3 million copies globally.^[11]

Singles

• The first single from the album "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)" peaked at number two on Billboard Hot 100 and number four on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single became a commercial success stateside and Ashanti's third top ten hit (solo). It was a moderate success internationally, it reached the top five in Canada and Japan, the top ten in United Kingdom, top twenty in Australia, and the top forty in Ireland, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
• The second single "Rain on Me", peaked at number seven on Billboard Hot 100 and number two on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single became Ashanti's fourth top ten hit (solo) and another success stateside. It was a moderate success internationally, reaching the twenty in United Kingdom and the top forty in Canada.

Track listing

Samples

• "Rain on Me" contains a sample of "Look Of Love" by Isaac Hayes.
• "Then Ya Gone" contains a sample of "Ain't I Been Good to You" by The Isley Brothers.
• "Then Ya Gone" also contains a sample of "One Day" by UGK.
• "Feel So Good" contains a sample of "Playing Your Game, Baby" by Barry White.
• "The Story of 2" contains a sample of "Dream Maker" by Rick James.
• "Sweet Baby" contains a sample of "I'm Glad You're Mine" by Al Green.
• "U Say I Say" contains a sample of "Never Enough" by Groove Theory.
• "I Found Lovin'" is a cover of "I Found Lovin" by Fatback Band.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Credits

References

External links

• Chapter II at Metacritic