The song was released as the album's lead single during the first quarter of 2002. While "What About Us?" managed to enter the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on, it reached the top ten in Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 2003, "What About Us?" was awarded a BMI Urban Award, while Steve "Silk" Hurley's remix version of the song received a nomination for the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical.