Bad Boys II (soundtrack)

Bad Boys II: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Michael Bay's 2003 action-comedy film Bad Boys II. It was 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 first 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 second single, "Shake Ya Tailfeather", by Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and it won Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards.

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".

Critical reception
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Rob Theakston of 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".

Credits
Information taken from AllMusic:


 * Producers: Sean Combs, Jayson "Koko" Bridges, Cool & Dre, DJ Whoo Kid, Tony Dofat, Just Blaze, Lenny Kravitz, Ryan Leslie, M.O.P., The Natural a.k.a. D-Nat, Nelly, The Neptunes, Red Spyda, Younglord, Joe Hooker
 * Executive producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Sean Combs, Kathy Nelson
 * Engineers: Wayne Allison, Robert "Big Brizz" Bane, Andrew Coleman, Stephen Dent, Emery Dobyns, Tony Dofat, Shon Don, Jason "Jay E" Epperson, Chip Karpells, Gimel Keaton, Tony Maserati, Lynn Montrose, Red Spyda, Rocklogic, Sha Money XL, Frank Socorro, Carlisle Young
 * Assistant engineers: Alexis Seton
 * Assistants: Lynn Montrose, Alexis Seton
 * Mixing: Diddy, Ken Duro Ifill, Gimel Keaton, Rich Keller, Paul Logus, Mike Patterson, Rob Paustian, Red Spyda
 * Mastering: Chris Athens
 * A&R: Conrad Diamanche, Damon Eden, Henry Joseph Pierre, Slam
 * Programming: Tony Dofat, Mario Winans, Bill Danze (drums and keyboard),
 * Creative director: Christopher Stern
 * Bass: Eddie Monteiya
 * Guitar: David Cabrera
 * Vocals: Henry Joseph Pierre (vocal producer), LaToiya Williams, Pharrell Williams
 * Music supervisor: Bob Badami, Kathy Nelson
 * Soundtrack supervisor: Francesca Spero
 * Production coordination: Gwendolyn Niles