Cradle 2 the Grave (soundtrack)

Cradle 2 the Grave is the official soundtrack to the 2003 film of the same name starring DMX and Jet Li. It was released on February 18, 2003 through Bloodline Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album featured production from some of hip hop's top producers including, Tony Pizarro, DMX, Dame Grease, Eminem, Mannie Fresh, Sha Money XL and DJ Envy. The soundtrack was very successful, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard 200, number 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 1 on the Top Soundtracks, also the soundtrack included DMX's single, "X Gon' Give It to Ya". "Go To Sleep" has been used as the entrance song to UFC fighters Sam Stout and Dan Cramer. The soundtrack was also certified gold by the RIAA on May 19, 2003, with over 500,000 copies sold.[1]

Critical reception
AllMusic writer John Bush found the opening track up there with the rest of DMX's work but said it "doesn't sound too special." He added that he was surprised by the contributions from Foxy Brown and Drag-On, saying that "My Life (Cradle 2 the Grave)" had Brown being "curiously reflective (and more than just a bit poignant)" and the samples of The Temptations and Marvin Gaye used on "Fireman" make it "sound[s] completely original."[2] Steve Juon of RapReviews said, "Taken as a whole Cradle 2 the Grave is about par for most compilations, soundtrack or otherwise, released in the last twelve months. With a few nice surprises [...] this soundtrack is slightly better than most. It's not an overwhelming success, but it's good enough to ensure that DMX fans won't be calling for his head if the movie tanks."[3]