Lil' Romeo is the self-titled debut studio album by American rapper, Lil' Romeo. It was released July 3, 2001, on No Limit Records, Soulja Music and Priority Records. The album has features production by Master P, Carlos Stephens and Sean "Barney" Thomas; the album also has guest appearances by Freequan, Silkk the Shocker, Lil' Zane, Allusion, Little D, 6 Piece and Afficial.

Lil' Romeo
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 3, 2001
Recorded2000–2001
Genre
Length59:23
Label
Producer
Lil' Romeo chronology
Lil' Romeo
(2001)
Game Time
(2002)
Singles from Lil' Romeo
  1. "My Baby"
    Released: April 13, 2001
  2. "That's Cool (remix)"
    Released: November 4, 2001
  3. "The Girlies"
    Released: February 20, 2002

The album garnered mixed reviews from music critics. It spawned the singles "My Baby" and "The Girlies". The album debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold the next year.

Reception

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Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Robert Christgau  [2]
HipHopDX     [3]
Rolling Stone     [4]

Lil' Romeo received a mixed reception from music critics. AllMusic editor Jason Birchmeier praised the album for its "great pop-rap productions" and credited Master P for providing hooks that grabbed your attention.[1] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention, indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy."[5] He highlighted "My Baby" and "Where They At" as "gangsta pop at its funniest, sickest, and safest."[2] Kathryn McGuire of Rolling Stone commented on how the album was like a creation that Master P made in between his various business projects.[4] An editor from HipHopDX criticized the album for its repetitive material in the songs and Romeo's flow for being "lackluster and underdeveloped."[3]

Commercial performance

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The album peaked at number 6 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 200,000 copies in its first week[6] and spawned the hit single "My Baby", which reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs music charts. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 copies in the United States of America on July 5, 2001.[7]

Track listing

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Lil' Romeo track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"Lil' RomeoMyke Diesel0:38
2."Little Star" (featuring Allusion)Lil' RomeoMyke Diesel4:00
3."My Baby"3:41
4."The Girlies"
Sean Barney Thomas3:15
5."That's Kool" (remix featuring Silkk the Shocker & Lil' D)
Myke Diesel3:57
6."Somebody's in Love" (featuring Freequan)Lil' RomeoMyke Diesel3:11
7."Make You Dance" (featuring Lil' Zane and Afficial)Myke Diesel3:55
8."My First" (remix featuring 6 Piece)
  • Anthony President
  • Branz Dimilo
4:04
9."I Want to Be Like You"
  • Lil' Romeo
  • Master P
Myke Diesel3:09
10."Little Souljas Need Love Too"
  • Myke Diesel
  • Master P
3:14
11."Your ABC's"
  • Master P
  • Lil' Romeo
  • Myke Diesel
  • Carlos Stephens
2:36
12."When I Get Grown"Sean Barney Thomas3:10
13."Remember"Lil' RomeoMyke Diesel3:16
14."Where They At" (featuring Master P and Little D)
  • Master P
  • Lil' Romeo
Myke Diesel3:19
15."Game" (featuring Afficial)
  • Lil' Romeo
  • Afficial
Carlos Stephens3:30
16."Don't Want To"Lil' RomeoMyke Diesel3:31
17."What" (featuring Slay Sean and Master P)
Myke Diesel3:30
18."Take My Pain Away"Carlos Stephens3:29

Sample credits

Personnel

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Adapted from the Lil' Romeo liner notes.[9]

  • Colin Jahn – art direction
  • Giulio Costanzo – additional graphic design
  • Tim Alexander and Leslie Henderson – photography
  • Bernie Grundmanmastering
  • Howard DeLoach – project coordinator
  • Music Resources – sample clearance

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. "Lil' Romeo - Lil' Romeo". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "CG: Lil' Romeo". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  3. ^ a b DX Staff (July 18, 2001). "Lil' Romeo - Lil' Romeo". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  4. ^ a b McGuire, Kathryn (August 16, 2001). "Romeo: Lil' Romeo". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  6. ^ Martens, Todd (July 12, 2001). "D12 Leapfrogs Keys, Returns To No.1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  7. ^ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  8. ^ "Lil' Romeo's My Baby sample of The Jackson 5's I Want You Back". WhoSampled. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Lil' Romeo (booklet). Lil' Romeo. Priority. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. July 18, 2001. Archived from the original on July 23, 2001. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "Lil' Romeo Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  12. ^ "Lil' Romeo Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  13. ^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam!. January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  14. ^ "Top 100 rap albums of 2001 in Canada". Jam!. January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  15. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  16. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  17. ^ "American album certifications – Lil' Romeo – Lil' Romeo". Recording Industry Association of America.