R.O.O.T.S.

R.O.O.T.S. (which stands for Route Of Overcoming The Struggle) is the second studio album by American rapper, Flo Rida. The album was released on March 31, 2009.^[1]

Background

In an interview with Billboard Magazine, Flo Rida stated the inspiration for the album comes from his success and knowing that it wasn’t an overnight thing. "It also takes inspiration to turn an album, so I had to really get everything together."^[2] Flo Rida has also stated that the album cover was done this way because he admittedly has an 'addiction to being shirtless' and he wanted to show his body, and show his addiction to the world.

Singles

• "Right Round" was released as the album's lead single, and became Flo Rida's second number-one hit. Released on January 25, 2009, the song debuted at number fifty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 18, 2009. The song sold a record breaking 636,000 digital copies in its first week,^[3] breaking his own record that he had set with his hit single "Low".^[4][5] Though uncredited, the song features singer Kesha. The song jumped to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and Billboard Pop 100. In its second week, the song sold another 460,000 downloads, the third highest one-week record, topping the one million mark in paid downloads in just two weeks, and becoming the fastest million-selling download ever in the US. It ended up staying at number one for six consecutive weeks.

• "Shone" was scheduled to be the album's second official single, but was eventually released as a promotional single on February 24, 2009, and peaked at number fifty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100.^[6]

• "Sugar" is the album's second single. It was released as a single on March 17, 2009. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number twenty-five, making it Flo Rida's highest debut to date, and peaked at number five in the US, and number eighteen in the UK. The song features R&B singer Wynter Gordon.^[7]

• "Jump" is the third official single and was released on July 27, 2009 in the UK, and July 28, 2009 worldwide.^[8] The song features Canadian singer Nelly Furtado. As of August 13, 2009 it has peaked at number fifty-four in the US, number twenty-seven in Canada, number twenty-one in the UK, and number eighteen in Australia.

• "Be on You" has been confirmed as the album's fourth official single for a release on October 6, 2009. The song features American singer Ne-Yo. When the album was released the single debuted at number ninety in the US. The song has received airplay since the albums release, and has since peaked at number nineteen in the US, and number fifty-one in the UK.

• "Available" was going to be released on iTunes but was cancelled. It charted at number 120 in Ireland. The song features Akon. A music video was also shot in mid-2009.^[9]

Reception

Initial critical response to R.O.O.T.S. was generally positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a score of 62, indicating generally favorable reviews.^[16] The album was nominated for best rap album at the 52nd Grammy Awards, but lost to Relapse by Eminem.

Sales

R.O.O.T.S. debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 55,000 copies in its first week.^[17] As of August, 2009, the album has sold 223,000 copies in the United States, and 536,000 worldwide. By the end of 2009, the album sold 247,000 copies becoming the eighth best selling rap album of 2009.^[18]

Track listing

Charts

Chart Procession and Succession

References

• Flo Rida interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' April 2009