Songoftheday 2/23/24 - Can you roll with me? All over me can you take control of me?

 

 

"Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)" - Ashanti

from the album Chapter II (2003)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 18

 

Today's song comes from R&B singer Ashanti, whose self-titled debut album was massive, selling millions and spinning off three pop crossover hits with "Baby", "Happy", and "Foolish", with the latter spending ten weeks at #1 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100. She also appeared on top ten hits from producer Irv Gotti ("Down 4 U") and rapper Ja Rule ("Mesmerize"). Gotti (aka Irving Lorenzo would go on and co-write and co-produce Ashanti's lead single from her sophomore effort Chapter II along with Andre "Chink Santana" Parker. "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)" has the singer cooing come-ons to her prospective partner, asking if they're up to the task. With a passing reference to fidelity it's more about the carnal pleasures but lightly enough to get on pop radio without spoiling the groove. The production is at least a fresh take not relying on samples, but the lyrics are more about the chorus with little meat in the verses. Anyway, it was a welcome return, and Ashanti found herself back in the top ten again. The music video has the singer cavorting with elephants and a handsome lover on the beach...

"Rock Wit U" became Ashanti's seventh trip into the top ten on Billboard's Hot 100 in August of 2003, while climbing to #4 on their R&B Singles chart. On the radio, the song peaked at #5 on the Mainstream Top-40 chart, #4 on the Mainstream R&B airplay list, #27 on the older-skewing Adult R&B station panel, #2 on the dance/R&B-oriented Rhythmic format, and #12 on the new Dance Airplay chart. Dance remixes of the track helped it rise to #6 on Billboard's Dance Club Play chart. Internationally, the single reached the top ten in Canada (#4 Sales), Croatia (#5), and the United Kingdom (#7), and made the top-40 in Australia (#19), Ireland (#21), New Zealand (#24), the Netherlands (#28), and Switzerland (#33). The Chapter II album, released in July of that year, spent two weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 sales tally as well as on the R&B Albums list, going on to sell over a million copies. At the Grammy Awards in 2004, "Rock Wit U" was nominated for Best R&B Song, losing to Beyonce and Jay-Z's collab "Crazy In Love". Beyonce also took home the Best Contemporary R&B Albums trophy which Ashanti won the previous year and was nominated again for Chapter II. 

Both Ashanti and the album will return to the series.

(6/10)

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Here's one of the remixes from Jay Hannan that helped to place the song in the top ten on Billboard's Dance Club Play Chart...

 

 Next up Ashanti performing live on the BET Network in 2003 to promote the single...

and lastly, live a year later, where she incorporates a piece of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You"...

Tomorrow I'll have my top tunes from this previous week, then Monday Song of the Day will be back with another R&B songstress that's outta here.