'' Because of You '' is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Ne-Yo . It was released by Compound Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings on April 25 , 2007 in the United States . Ne-Yo reteamed with many previous collaborators to work on the follow-up to his debut album '' In My Own Words '' ( 2006 ) , involving Ron " Neff-U " Feemster , StarGate , and Shea Taylor , as well as new and upcoming musicians such as The Heavyweights , Eric Hudson , Timothy Bloom , Knobody , and Syience . Next to them , '' Because of You '' features guest vocal contributions from rapper Jay-Z on " Crazy " and fellow R&B singer Jennifer Hudson on " Leaving Tonight " . '' Because of You '' debuted at number one on the US '' Billboard '' 200 and Top R&B / Hip-Hop Albums charts , selling over 250,000 copies in its first week , and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) . It also reached the top ten in Canada and the United Kingdom but was commercially less successful than '' In My Own Words '' elsewhere . Released to generally positive reviews from most music critics , who complimented the album for the advancement over its predecessor , it won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2008
50th Annual Grammy Awards
50th Annual Grammy Awards
Because of You (Ne-Yo album)