Bad Boys II (soundtrack)

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Bad Boys II is the soundtrack to the 2003 action-comedy film Bad Boys II, released on July 15, 2003 through Bad Boy Records and Universal Records. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 324,000 units in the first week, becoming one of few soundtracks to reach the position. On August 21, 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America certified the album platinum with over one million units shipped.

The second single, Jay-Z's "La-La-La", is the sequel of "Excuse Me Miss" from his album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse. The third single, "Shake Ya Tailfeather", by Nelly, P. Diddy, and Murphy Lee, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and it won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 46th Grammy Awards.

Video Bad Boys II (soundtrack)

Background

The soundtrack became the first album to be released under the Bad Boy Records and Universal Records partnership. As the album's executive producer, P. Diddy stated:

The 'Bad Boys II' [soundtrack] means a lot to us 'cause it's the second era of Bad Boy... When I heard they were doing Bad Boys II,' I had to pick up the phone and call Will Smith and [the movie's producer] Jerry Bruckheimer. I was like, 'I'm about to launch my label and I've never done a soundtrack. I think this would be the perfect thing.'

P. Diddy shared his views on the album, saying "it's not just one of those soundtracks where it's just a compilation record and it's not cohesive... These are all new songs. I've done a lot of work [and] I've produced almost everybody that's on the soundtrack, or I've paired on a record with them before. I'm in constant contact with them. I think that everyone respected the fact that I wanted to do something that was special".

Maps Bad Boys II (soundtrack)

Reception

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Allmusic noted that it is rare for a hip hop movie soundtrack to "be explosive and feel as if it's a solid cohesive album, rather than a showcase for various artists to use throwaway tracks". Rolling Stone concurred, saying "this is how to do a hip-hop soundtrack". Blender magazine observed that the record is "riddled with stars", "packed with production pyrotechnics", and called the album "pure Hollywood".