R.O.O.T.S. (short forRoute of Overcoming the Struggle) is the second studio album by American rapperFlo Rida. It was released on March 24, 2009, byPoe Boy Entertainment andAtlantic Records.[2]
In an interview withBillboard 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."[3] Flo Rida has also stated that the album cover was done this way because he admittedly has an 'addiction to beingshirtless' and he wanted to show his body, and show his addiction to the world.
"Right Round" was released as the album'slead single, and became Flo Rida's second number-one hit. Released on January 25, 2009, the song debuted at number 58 on the USBillboard Hot 100 on February 18, 2009. The song sold a record breaking 636,000 digital copies in its first week,[4] breaking his own record that he had set with his hit single "Low".[5][6] Though uncredited the song with singerKesha as a guest vocalist. The song jumped to number 1 on theBillboard Hot 100, andBillboard 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 United States. It ended up staying at number 1 for six consecutive weeks.
"Shone" was released digitally as the album's second single on February 24, 2009, and it has peaked at number 57 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[7]
"Sugar" was released as the album's third single on March 17, 2009. It debuted on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart at number 25, making it Flo Rida's highest debut to date, and peaked at number 5 in the United States, also it has peaked at number 18 in the United Kingdom. The song features R&B singerWynter Gordon as a guest vocalist.[8]
"Jump" is the album's fourth single and was released on July 27, 2009 in the United Kingdom, and July 28, 2009 worldwide.[9] The song features Canadian singerNelly Furtado as a guest vocal. As of August 13, 2009 it has peaked at number 54 in the United States, number 27 in Canada, number 21 in the United Kingdom and number 18 in Australia.
"Be on You" was released as the album's fifth single on October 6, 2009. The song features American singerNe-Yo as a guest vocalist. When the album was released the single debuted at number 90 in the United States. The song has received airplay since the album's release, and has since peaked at number 19 in the United States, and number 51 in the United Kingdom.
"Available" featuring fellow singerAkon, was released as the album's sixth single in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2009.[10]
Initial critical response toR.O.O.T.S. was generally positive. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a score of 62, indicating generally favorable reviews.[19] The album was nominated for best rap album at the 52nd Grammy Awards, but lost toRelapse byEminem.
In the United States,R.O.O.T.S. debuted at number 8 on theBillboard 200, selling 55,000 copies in its first week.[20] In August 2009, the album has sold 223,000 copies in the United States. Closing out the same year, the album sold 300,000 copies becoming the eighth best-selling rap album of 2009.[21]
^Wood, Mikael (April 11, 2009)."R.O.O.T.S."Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived fromthe original on May 10, 2009. RetrievedDecember 24, 2009.
