Cradle 2 the Grave (soundtrack)

Cradle 2 the Grave
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedFebruary 18, 2003
Recorded2002
Studio
Various
Genre
Label
Producer
Singles from Cradle 2 the Grave
  1. "X Gon' Give It to Ya"
    Released: December 10, 2002

Cradle 2 the Grave is the soundtrack to Andrzej Bartkowiak's 2003 action film Cradle 2 the Grave. It was released on February 18, 2003 through Bloodline Records and Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Quad Recording Studios, at Teamwork Music Studios, at Chung King Studios, at Right Track Recording, at Sony Music Studios, at Sound On Sound, at The Hit Factory, at Soul Clap Studios, and at Gold Mine Studios in New York, at the Room Lab in Hackensack, at the Studio in Philadelphia, at Soundcastle in California, at Enterprise Studios in Burbank, at Larrabee West in West Hollywood, and at Battery Studios in Chicago.

Production was handled by several record producers, including Shatek King, DJ Envy, Dame Grease, Elite, Eminem, Mannie Fresh, Tony Pizarro and Sha Money XL. It features contributions from film star DMX, alongside Birdman, C-N-N, Drag-On, Fat Joe, Foxy Brown, G-Unit, Joe Budden, M.O.P., Obie Trice and the Clipse among others.

The soundtrack was very successful, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard 200, number 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 1 on the Top Soundtracks, also the soundtrack included DMX's single, "X Gon' Give It to Ya". The soundtrack was also certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on May 19, 2003, with over 500,000 copies sold.[1]

The song "Go to Sleep" has been used as the entrance song to UFC fighters Sam Stout and Dan Cramer.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
RapReviews7/10[3]

AllMusic writer John Bush found the opening track up there with the rest of DMX's work but said it "doesn't sound too special". He added that he was surprised by the contributions from Foxy Brown and Drag-On, saying that "My Life (Cradle 2 the Grave)" had Brown being "curiously reflective (and more than just a bit poignant)" and the samples of The Temptations and Marvin Gaye used on "Fireman" make it "sound[s] completely original".[2] Steve Juon of RapReviews said, "Taken as a whole Cradle 2 the Grave is about par for most compilations, soundtrack or otherwise, released in the last twelve months. With a few nice surprises [...] this soundtrack is slightly better than most. It's not an overwhelming success, but it's good enough to ensure that DMX fans won't be calling for his head if the movie tanks".[3]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."X Gon' Give It to Ya" (DMX)
Shatek King3:39
2."Go to Sleep" (Eminem with DMX and Obie Trice)
Eminem4:42
3."What's It All for?" (Bazaar Royale)
Shatek King3:50
4."Follow Me Gangster" (G-Unit)
3:31
5."Stompdashitoutu" (Capone-N-Noreaga featuring M.O.P.)
3:03
6."Do Sumptin" (Comp)
  • J. McElveen
  • J. Carter
  • L. Austin
  • Jay Funk
  • Leroy Austin (co.)
4:08
7."My Life (Cradle 2 the Grave)" (Foxy Brown featuring Althea)
  • Antwan "Amadeus" Thompson
  • Gavin Marchand
4:15
8."Fireman" (Drag-On)
Elite2:56
9."Drop Drop" (Joe Budden)
Joseph "White Boy" Kuleszynski4:17
10."I'm Serious" (Clipse)
Paperchase Inc.4:12
11."Right/Wrong" (DMX)
3:46
12."It's Gon' Be What It's Gon' Be" (Jinx & Loose)
Konkrete Kaos3:01
13."Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (Big Stan)
Dame Grease4:13
14."Won't Be Coming Back" (Birdman)
Mannie Fresh4:10
15."C2G" (Fat Joe featuring Young N Restless)
Shatek King4:13
16."Focus" (Kashmir)
  • E. Lomax
  • J. Russ
Mac G3:56
17."Slangin' Dem Thangs" (Profit)
Kato4:40
18."Off the Hook" (Jinx da Juvy)
  • D. Carr
  • M. Leather
  • S. Campbell
The Arkitects4:09
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
19."Getting Down" (DMX, Big Stan, Kashmir and Bazaar Royale)
2:56

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[13] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[1] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Cradle 2 the Grave". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Bush, John. "Cradle 2 the Grave - Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Juon, Steve 'Flash' (February 18, 2003). "Various Artists :: Cradle 2 the Grave Soundtrack". RapReviews. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "Top 100 Albums: March 6, 2003". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  5. ^ "Lescharts.com – Soundtrack – Cradle 2 The Grave". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack – Cradle 2 The Grave" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  7. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack – Cradle 2 The Grave". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  8. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  9. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  10. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Soundtrack Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  11. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  12. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  13. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Various Artists – Cradle 2 the Grave". Music Canada. Retrieved December 11, 2022.