Ooohhh, It’s the L-I-Y-A-H!
Aaliyah, one of the world’s greatest R&B artists of all time. With only 3 albums and 2 movies underneath her belt, 15 years after her tragic death, she is still loved and appreciated and not just for her music but for her beauty, class, talent and mostly her positive and beautiful spirit that caught everyone’s attention. She was only 22 years old, that’s my age. I never heard anybody say anything negative about her as far as the industry goes and I never read about anybody saying anything negative about her either. She was well respected and loved by everyone, especially her musical peers both Timbaland and Missy Elliott. I grew up on Aaliyah. I have all 3 of her albums including a CD maxi single of her debut single “Back & Forth” and I have “Romeo Must Die” on DVD. Her debut album “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number” produced and arranged by R. Kelly, was a dope R&B album with a touch of both new jack swing beats and hip hop glossed over by her smooth and calming vocals and R. Kelly’s ad-libs and an unknown young rapper named Tia who appears on tracks like “Throw Your Hands Up” and my top favorite cut on the album “I’m So Into You.” Aaliyah’s sophomore album in 1996, “One In a Million” is what made baby girl official. Both her look and sound changed. She came out in 1994 with baggy clothes and a hood kinda attitude with a scarf on her head and a groove which she claimed was a “jazz personality, G mentality”, and she pulled it off great. “Back & Forth” still gets people at parties and events going crazy, singing along to it, “At Your Best (You Are Love)” is romantic but the remix with R. Kelly going “1, 2 check it, baby lemme know wassup” was even better and had a low groove that was hip hop but R&B. Of course the title track, also had that same groove and she walking hard but kept it girly at the same time in the video. Then in ’96 she was in crop tops, rocking Tommy Hilfiger or Karl Kani gear, belly button showing, fly dark shades, baggy pants still, and her long beautiful, silky, shiny hair that glossed, swooped across her face over her eye. Aaliyah showed a more sexier side of herself but she wasn’t trashy, far from it. “One In a Million” is my personal favorite album of hers because the production was something different during that time and the songs were more dope and mature than her first joint. The hardest joints to me are of course the album title track, “Hot Like Fire”, especially the remix and video version, “Ladies In Da House” and “I Gotcha Back.” Can’t forget about the first single “If Your Girl Only Knew” and her remakes of Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” and The Isley Brothers’ “Choosey Lover.” This album definitely blows the debut album out of the water and almost makes you forget it exists, that’s how dope the second album is. After that, baby girl did soundtrack joints and started doing acting. She put out “Are You That Somebody”, which is one my favorite Aaliyah videos, I know part of the choreography, she also put out “Try Again”, “Come Back In One Piece”, “Journey to the Past” and “I Don’t Wanna.” Baby girl did her thing in Romeo Must Did but I never saw “Queen of the Damned.” After that, her 2001 self titled album came along. My favorites cuts on the album are “Loose Rap”, “Extra Smooth”, “Never No More” and “I Care 4 U.” Aaliyah was at the top of her career and then suddenly, the plane crash that happened on August 25th, 2001. I don’t remember where I was when I found out but I just remember feeling so sad to the point it made me feel dizzy thinking about someone like Aaliyah in a tragic accident. I do remember when “We Need a Resolution”, “Rock the Boat” and More Than a Woman” first came out. “We Need a Resolution”, I swear to everything, that video was too dope. It’s another favorite music video of mine with “Are You That Somebody.” The choreography in that video was bananas. Aaliyah was a smooth dancer. She could be sexy and belly roll or grind with a guy backup dancer or she could do hip hop and bounce and groove all over. Aaliyah was the truth, no doubt. Then it was “Rock the Boat”, the video was amazing, perfect and beautiful too and “More Than a Woman” had the same dope dance moves too. Aaliyah was like the pretty girl you saw in the neighborhood who all the guys wanted but she knew better, she’s the good girl, the one who stays out of trouble and is very nice and popular, that’s how I always saw Aaliyah, even through her pictures, interviews, music videos and movies. Forever she will be in our hearts and forever her legacy will continue. With only 3 albums, over 10 singles, and 2 movies, baby girl has done more than most. Rest in peace Aaliyah Dana Haughton. We love you and we miss you.