Feb 6, 1997396 words · 2 min
"Gridlock'd" Soundtrack Knocks No Doubt from No. 1
In February 1997, the “Gridlock'd” soundtrack knocked No Doubt's “Tragic Kingdom” off the throne after eight weeks. But things got tight at the top.
Original: “Tupac’s ‘Gridlock’d’ Tops No Doubt” · MTV News · no byline · February 6, 1997
For eight weeks, No Doubt had led the Billboard album charts with Tragic Kingdom. In early February 1997, MTV News reported the end of that streak. Taking over the throne was the soundtrack to Gridlock’d—the film starring Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth, which had arrived in theaters just days earlier.
A Duet as the Main Draw
According to the Reuters news agency, which MTV cited, the soundtrack sold more than 150,000 copies in its first week. Regarded as the main draw was Wanted Dead or Alive, a duet between Tupac and Snoop Doggy Dogg. The album was released by Death Row Records, a label MTV described in its report as “beleaguered.”
One No. 3 Too Many
The main news holds true. Billboard confirms: Tragic Kingdom spent eight weeks at No. 1 through the February 8, 1997 issue. In the February 15 issue, Gridlock’d debuted at the top, just as it did on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The sales figure of a good 150,000 also fits this picture.
MTV made an error only in its final paragraph, because two albums cannot hold No. 3 at the same time. The network had reported that No Doubt had fallen to No. 3-and the soundtrack to Madonna’s Evita as well. In reality, Tragic Kingdom merely slipped to No. 2, with Evita following at No. 3.
A Brief Victory for a Beleaguered Label
The margin was narrow and quickly reversed. Already the following week, No Doubt was once again at the top, and Gridlock’d fell to No. 2. It remained a single week at No. 1.
MTV did not choose the word “beleaguered” without reason. Following Tupac’s death in September 1996, Death Row came under heavy pressure. Label head Suge Knight was in prison during those months, Afeni Shakur stated publicly that her son had left behind virtually no assets, and in April 1997 she sued the label. That a Death Row album reached No. 1 in that very situation shows how strongly Tupac’s name still carried the catalog. Today, Billboard records a Gold certification from the RIAA for the soundtrack.
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