I Care 4 U

I Care 4 U
Compilation album by Aaliyah
Released	December 10, 2002
Recorded	September 1993–March 9, 2001
Genre	R&B,[1] dance-pop[2]
Length	59:20
Label	Blackground, Universal
Producer	Johnta Austin, Bryan Michael Cox, R. Kelly, Static Major, Rapture, E. Seats, Timbaland
Aaliyah chronology
Aaliyah (2001) I Care 4 U (2002) Ultimate Aaliyah (2005)
Singles from I Care 4 U
"Miss You" Released: November 16, 2002 "I Care 4 U" Released: April 8, 2003 (radio) "Don't Know What to Tell Ya" Released: May 20, 2003 "Come Over" Released: May 27, 2003
Alternative cover
International edition

I Care 4 U is a posthumous compilation album by American R&B recording artist Aaliyah. It was released on December 10, 2002, by Blackground Records and Universal Music. Following the release of Aaliyah's self-titled third studio album, she was involved in a plane crash while shooting the music video for the song "Rock the Boat" in the Bahamas. Aaliyah died in the plane crash on a return flight to the United States on August 25, 2001. Blackground Records and Universal Music decided to release a posthumous album that included both album cuts and previously unreleased tracks and demos, recorded between 1993 and 2001. The album also included her hit singles, and a number of shelved tracks were included on the album.

Upon on release I Care 4 U was met with mixed reviews from music critics, whom praised Aaliyah's talent and vocals, other critics were less enthusiastic who described the album as being inconsistent. Commercially the album was a success debuting at number three on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart selling 290,669 copies, and was later certified platinum for sales of one million. The album also charted with in the top of UK, France, Germany and Switzerland. The compilation spawned four singles —Miss You, I Care 4 U, Don't Know What to Tell Ya and Come Over —and has sold 6 million copies worldwide.

Background

After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her part in Queen of the Damned.^[3] She released her third and final album, Aaliyah, in July 2001 which was met with highly positive reviews from critics.^[4] The album became a commercial success debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and sold 187,000 copies,.^[5] and became her highest sales week of her career.^[6] Aaliyah spent 68 weeks on the Billboard 200 and, by December 2009, had sold 2.6 million copies.^[7] On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in a plane crash in The Bahamas after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat".^[8][9] The pilot, Luis Morales III, was unlicensed at the time of the accident and had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system.^[10] Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court.^[11]

Recording

The album features both album cuts and previously unreleased tracks and demos, recorded between 1993 and 2001. "Miss You" was written by R&B singer Ginuwine, Johnta Austin and Teddy Bishop, while produced by the latter,^[12] and was originally crafted for Ginuwine's second studio album 100% Ginuwine (1999). It was fall of 1999, and while Aaliyah was recording tracks for self-titled third album (2001) in the Manhattan Center Studios, she requested Austin and Bishop to play her a couple of tracks they had produced with other artists, including "I Miss You" for which Ginuwine had already lent his vocals.^[13] Bishop later commented, "She was like, 'I want to cut this record' [...] She got on the phone, called him and said 'Hey I know you cut this record already, but I would love to cut it'."^[13] Ginuwine, who was a part writer on the song, allowed her to cut her own version of it and the same night, Aaliyah re-recorded the whole track.^[13] Though she reportedly wanted to put the song out herself, Blackground Records, her label, felt the song was no "smash record" and thus, the song was left unused until her death in August 2001.^[13]

"I Care 4 U" was written by singer-songwriter Missy Elliott and Timbaland, who also produced the song, and recorded at Magic Mix Studios and Music Grinder Studios in Los Angeles.^[14] Aaliyah originally recorded the song for her 1996 album One in a Million, but it was completed after the album had finished post-production, and she chose to scrap it for her next album.^[15] The song is a soft romantic R&B ballad whose female narrator,^[16] according to Aaliyah, says "don't cry, I'll wipe your tears. I love you, just give me the chance to show you."^[15]

Commercial performance

I Care 4 U was an international commercial success, entering charts at the number one in Japan and Finland; at the top five on the United States, Argentina, Europe, UK, France, Germany and Switzerland; and, at the top ten in Brazil, Canada, New Zealand and Poland.^{[17][18][19][20][21][22]} I Care 4 U sold over 6 million copies worldwide.^[21]

The album entered the U.S. Billboard 200 at #3 and at #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 290,669 copies in the first week. In its second week, the album fell to #6 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and to #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 280,000 copies. In its third week the album fell to number #10 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and rose to the #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 176,000 copies. In its fourth week, the album rose to #9 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and continued at the same position, selling 138,000 copies (and 884,669 copies in the first month). It topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for seven weeks.^{[18][19][23][24][25][26]}

I Care 4 U was certified Platinum in the United States and sold over 1.7 million copies in the country.^[20][21][27]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[28]
Robert Christgau	A−[29]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[30]
The Guardian	[31]
Rolling Stone	[32]
Slant Magazine	[33]
Uncut	[34]
Vibe	4/5[2]

In a positive review for Entertainment Weekly, music critic Craig Seymour wrote that I Care 4 U showcases Aaliyah's "interpretive talent" and ability to inspire her songwriters.^[30] AllMusic's John Bush said the hit singles it compiles remind listeners of her vocal talent and the six previously unreleased songs "provide an intriguing look at where Aaliyah may have taken her career had she lived".^[28] Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic in his consumer guide for The Village Voice and called I Care 4 U an incomplete compilation whose inconsistent mix of career highlights is rectified by the quality of the new tracks, particularly "Erica Kane":

In a more critical review, Slant Magazine's Sal Cinqeumani was not impressed by the new songs on what he said is "neither a posthumous album of all-new material nor a proper greatest hits package", but "a half-assed attempt at satiating the Aaliyah fan's need for both".^[33] Rolling Stone magazine's Arion Berger also felt the album's second half of newer songs is somewhat inferior to Timbaland's impressive productions on the first half.^[32]

Track listing

Personnel

• Executive producers – Jazze Pha, Timbaland, Kevin Hicks, Senator Jimmy D, Budda, Eric Seats, Rapture, R. Kelly, Ted Bishop
• Engineers – Peter Mokran, Senator Jimmy D, Acar S. Key
• Mixing – Peter Mokran, Timbaland, Mr. Lee, R. Kelly, Jimmy Douglass, Acar S. Key
• Photography – Albert Watson, David LaChapelle, Jonathan Mannion

Charts

Certifications

See also

• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2002

References