FINALLY! Amerie’s ‘Because I Love It’ Album is Available for Streaming in the U.S. Over 18 Years After Release

It almost took two decades for American Amerie fans to get their hands on a digital version of her critically acclaimed third studio album ‘Because I Love It,’ but the 2007-released effort finally has a home on major streamers like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, TIDAL, and more.

As music lovers prepare for the R&B diva’s long-awaited fifth studio album due later this year, they were given a pleasant surprise when ‘Because’ became available for streaming Stateside this week.

Long considered a sabotaged effort at the time of its release (given the momentum of its ‘1 Thing‘-housing predecessor ‘Touch‘), the 2007 album – home to singles ‘Take Control,’ ‘Gotta Work,’ and ‘That’s What U R’ – failed to chart in the United States because it was only available in Europe and Japan at the time of its unveiling.

By the time the physical LP hit American shelves in Fall 2008, momentum had severely died – sending the doomed project into obscurity.

Amerie discusses about the way that Columbia Records sabotaged the “Because I Love It” release in America in a latest interview with the Quest Love Supreme Podcast. pic.twitter.com/oegxgPH01p

— ☾ᥴᵂ☽ (@CombatWychi) November 16, 2024

As recently as late 2024 (as seen above), Amerie addressed the label fallout around the ‘Because’ drop.

“That’s when I was really thinking of leaving the label because it’s like when I wanted one single [over others], it was so hard to move and to do anything,” she shared before relaying why she disagreed with the strategy of a staggered global release.

Nearly 20 years later, justice for the ill-fated yet critically acclaimed effort comes in the form of its availability on streaming platforms.

Check it out on Spotify and Apple Music below.