Ashanti - Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
What this video is
Released May 19, 2003 on Murder Inc./Def Jam Records as the lead single from Ashanti's second studio album Chapter II, 'Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)' arrived at the apex of Ashanti's commercial dominance and the Murder Inc. label's cultural peak. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted internationally (No. 7 UK, No. 4 Canada). Chapter II debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with over 326,000…
Why it matters
A defining artifact of early-2000s Hip-Hop Soul and commercial R&B, the video crystallizes the Murder Inc. aesthetic: warm, cinematic, romance-forward storytelling anchored by a female lead's glamour and agency. Paul Hunter's direction integrates performance and narrative in a mode that influenced…
The director
Emmy-nominated American filmmaker and co-founder of PRETTYBIRD production company. Graduated from Cal State Northridge with a degree in Radio, TV & Film. Entered music video directing in 1995; directed over 100 videos. The Washington Post (2004) named him…
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