Aaliyah

Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( / ɑ:ˈliːə/; New York, January 16, 1979 - Marsh Harbour, Bahamas; August 25, 2001) was a American singer and actress. She is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop, and hip hop, musical contributions for which she has been awarded the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and the "Queen of Pop." urban".

Born in Brooklyn but raised in Detroit, she first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert with Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah was signed to Jive Records and Blackground Records, owned by her uncle Barry Hankerson. Hankerson introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as the primary songwriter and producer for her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. The album sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After allegations of an illegal marriage to Kelly, Aaliyah terminated her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records.

Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold three million copies in the United States and more than eight million copies worldwide. world. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die. She contributed to the film's soundtrack, recording the single "Try Again". This song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on airplay alone, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this goal. After completing Romeo Must Die , Aaliyah filmed another role in the film Queen of the Damned , and released, in 2001, her third and final self-titled studio album, which topped the Billboard 200.

On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah died at the age of 22 in a plane crash in the Bahamas, when the overloaded plane she was on crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all nine passengers on board. The singer had traveled to that place to record the music video for her song "Rock the Boat", which she managed to complete. It was later discovered that the pilot had traces of cocaine and alcohol in her body, and he was not qualified to fly the plane designated for the flight. Because of this, Aaliyah's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the aircraft's operator, Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. In the decades since her death, Aaliyah's music has continued to achieve commercial success, aided by several posthumous releases. He has sold 8.1 million albums in the United States and between 24 and 32 million albums worldwide. Billboard lists her as the 10th most successful female R&B artist of the last 25 years and the 27th most successful in history. Her accolades as her artist include three American Music Awards and two MTV VMAs, along with five Grammy Award nominations.

Biography and career

Childhood and beginnings

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, in New York City but grew up in Detroit. Her name is of Arabic origin (she is pronounced Ali-iah) and she is the feminine version of the name & # 34;Ali & # 34; (عالي) which means "ascent, elevated, higher, sublime". Also, in Hebrew, the word “aliyah” (עלייה) means "to go up to God" or simply "to go up, to ascend". The name also refers to the path of the Jewish people to the Promised Land.

He was of African American descent and had Native American ancestry. Her mother Diane Haughton was also a singer and she led her children Rashad and Aaliyah in said career. Aaliyah was the niece of Barry Hankerson, a top music industry executive, who married soul singer, Gladys Knight.

When she was 10 years old, she participated in the television talent show “Star Search” singing her mother's favorite song “My Funny Valentine”. Although, she did not win but she managed to work with an agent in New York to start going to auditions for TV Shows. As a result of her appearance in “Star Search”, she also managed to perform with her aunt Gladys Knight in Las Vegas; she and she later graduated from Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, in dance with excellent grades.

Age Ain't Nothing But A Number

Aaliyah was recruited by her uncle Barry Hankerson, owner of the music company Blackground Records, in 1993, when she was 14 years old, thus releasing her first album Age Ain't Nothing But A Number ('La age is only a number') in 1994 under the production of R. Kelly who wrote and composed all the songs on the album, except a cover of The Isley Brothers' which was also included. The best-selling album featured the smooth, velvety voice of a 15-year-old singing original and innovative urban music.

In a few months the album was certified Platinum in the United States, for sales of one million copies, and included the single "Back And Forth" (which certified gold, for sales of 500,000 copies and was #1 for 3 weeks on the Billboard R&B charts and #5 on the 100 Hot Singles, the main Billboard and US charts); "At Your Best" (Cover of The Isley Brothers' 1976 song; which with Aaliyah reached #2 on the U.S. R&B and #6 on the Hot 100); “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number” (#35 U.S. R&B and #75 on the Hot 100) and “Down With The Clique” (Released in Europe, #35 on the UK Top 75 Singles). In June 1995 the single "No One Know How to Love Me Quite Like You Do" was released to radio only. By those dates the album had already sold 3.5 million in the United States, certifying 4 x Platinum and almost 7 million copies sold around the world.

In 1994, when she was 15 years old, a rumor spread that she had secretly married, in the state of Illinois, with her mentor the singer R. Kelly, who was then 27 years old, divorcing him shortly after. In 1995 at the age of 16, she sang the United States national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" during a live basketball game at the "Orlando Magic." Also during that year she appeared on the soundtrack of the film A Low Down Dirty Shame with a minor international hit single titled “The Thing I Like” (#33 UK); the song was included in the international version of her first album.

One In A Million

Aaliyah in 2000.

One In A Million is the title of her second record released on August 17, 1996, when she was 17 years old. This album was written, composed, and produced by then-unknowns Missy Elliott and Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley. The album was a benchmark for Aaliyah's career and was received by critics with excellent comments and acclaim, as it showed a more mature side of the singer. A few months after its release and before the end of 1996, the album certified Double Platinum in the United States, establishing Aaliyah as one of the most important and representative figures in R&B music.

One In A Million included singles such as the smash hit “If Your Girl Only Knew” (#1 on the U.S. R&B, #11 on the Hot 100); “One In A Million” (#1 on U.S. R&B Airplay, #25 on 100 Hot Airplay); “The One I Gave My Heart To” (#8 on the U.S. R&B, #9 on the Hot 100); "4 Page Letter" (#12 U.S. R&B Airplay); “Hot Like Fire” (#31 U.S. R&B Airplay) and cover of Marvin Gaye's 1977 song “Got To Give It Up” (#37 UK). And after the great success of the album, in 1996 he began the tour "The Hot Like Fire Tour" in the main cities of the United States.

In 1997, Tommy Hilfiger hired Aaliyah as a model for his ad campaigns. She used the brand in her shows and presentations, appeared in advertisements and commercials. During this period Aaliyah also appeared as a guest artist on records by R&B and Hip-Hop singers Missy Elliot, Timbaland & Magoo and Ginuwine and Playa; She also sang the theme song for the soundtrack of the animated film Anastasia.

By the end of 1997, the album One In A Million had sold 3.7 million copies in the United States and 11 million worldwide.

In 1998, Aaliyah had a smash hit with the single from the movie “Dr. Dolittle” “Are You That Somebody?” (#1 U.S. R&B for 8 weeks) and the video for that song was the third most streamed on the MTV music video network that year and gave the singer the title of "Queen of R&B."

In 2000, Aaliyah starred opposite Jet Li in the #1 box office martial arts film Romeo Must Die, she also contributed four songs for the soundtrack of the film: “Are You Fellin' Me?”, “I Don't Wanna”, “Come Back In A One Piece” with DMX (rapper); and the international hit "Try Again" that made history by being #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart based solely on its popularity on radio, since it was not initially offered as a single for sale, but after reaching the top of the charts both in the United States and in other countries around the world, it went on sale in 12' Maxi Single format with high sales. For its part, the single "I Don't Wanna" was also included in the soundtrack of the film "The Next Friday" and managed to reach #5 on the US chart. R&B.

In 2001, Aaliyah traveled to Australia to film the film “Queen Of The Damned,” an adaptation of the Anne Rice novel, with Stuart Townsend as her costar. During that time she was also involved in the recording studio, preparing what was her third record material, simply titled "Aaliyah".

Aaliyah

We Need a Resolution was the first single from his third album, it was produced by Timbaland and he himself participated in it, it was released on April 24, 2001; unfortunately it was not as successful as their previous singles, despite the excellent production and a wonderful video. The album was released three months later, on July 17, 2001, and although it debuted at #2 on the 200 Hot Albums, sales were initially low, but increased considerably after the singer's death. "Aaliyah" was received by critics and the media with excellent comments, as this album showed her darker side and an evident artistic evolution. A week after the accident that ended the life of Aaliyah, the album rose to #1 on the popularity charts and was certified Platinum for one million units sold.

The record company didn't agree on which song from the album should be the second single, so they finally released “More Than A Woman” as Aaliyah had already shot the video with director Dave Meyers and was in charge of promoting the video. issue. It was planned to record a Remix with the collaboration of Jay-Z, but this fact did not materialize. And when the official release of the video for “More Than A Woman” was nearing, another song from the album “Rock The Boat” began to have a great demand on the radio and a huge audience, so the record company executives sent to Aaliyah to film the video for this song to officially launch it, taking advantage of its great radio popularity. So "More Than A Woman" was pulled from the promotion and "Rock The Boat" went to #2 on the U.S. chart. R&B and #14 on 100 Hot. One more single “I Care 4 U” (#3 on U.S. R&B, #16 on 100 Hot) was subsequently released months after the singer's death, which did not have a promotional video. At the end of its promotion, the album "Aaliyah" sold just over 8 million units in the United States and about 16 million in the rest of the world.

Death

On August 23, 2001, Aaliyah and members of her film crew were traveling on two flights to the Bahamas using a Fairchild Metro III, an aircraft chartered through "Sky Limo." Aaliyah and her crew were scheduled to return from the Bahamas on August 26, but she decided to leave a day early as she had finished filming the music video for “Rock the Boat”.

On Saturday, August 25, at 6:49 p.m. Just after the “Rock The Boat” video shoot, Aaliyah and her crew boarded a small Cessna 402B, registration N8097W at Marsh Harbor Airport on Abaco Island., Bahamas. The aircraft, operated by "Blackhawk International Airways" which was smaller than the one they had initially contracted to travel, was heading to the Opa-Locka airport, located in the northern suburbs of Miami, but crashed shortly after takeoff in about bushes approximately 60 meters at the end of the track. Superintendent Basil Rahming of the Grand Bahama Police Department said six of the occupants, including Aaliyah, were killed when the craft crashed, while two others died shortly after: one at a Marsh Harbor clinic and the other. another when he was transferred by air to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. The pilot, Luis Morales III, died instantly.

Apparently, the passengers had earlier gotten impatient because the Cessna was supposed to arrive at 4:30 PM. m. ET, but didn't arrive until 6:15 p.m. m. ET. A charter pilot, Lewis Key, claimed to have heard passengers arguing with pilot Luis Morales III before takeoff, adding that Morales warned them there was too much weight for "safe flight." Key further stated: "He tried to convince them that the plane was overloaded, but they insisted that they had chartered the plane and that they had to be in Miami on Saturday night." Key stated that Morales III relented to the passengers and that he had to problems starting one of the engines. The subsequent investigation determined that the accident was due to an overload of luggage, since the pilot was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and did not have a license to fly. When the plane attempted to take off, it exceeded its maximum takeoff weight by 700 pounds (320 kg) and had one more passenger than it was authorized to carry.

According to the results of the investigation, Aaliyah suffered severe burns and a blow to the head as a result of the forceful impact. The investigation theorized that even if Aaliyah had survived the accident, her recovery would have been virtually impossible, due to the severity of her injuries.

As it turned out, at the time of the accident, Blackhawk International Airways did not have a permit from the Bahamas for commercial flights. The pilot Luis Morales III started working for this company two days before the accident. He even two weeks before he had been indicted on charges of possession of crack, cocaine and attempt to sell stolen airplane parts, and was on probation.

Aaliyah's burial was held Aug. 31 at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Manhattan. A hearse drawn by two white horses carried her body through the streets of Manhattan's Upper East Side to Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. After the funeral service, 22 white doves were released as a symbol of the 22 years that Aaliyah lived. She was initially entombed in a crypt in the main mausoleum. When the Rosewood Mausoleum was completed a few years later, her coffin was moved to a private room in the new building. The inscription of her alias, Baby Girl, is engraved in the crypt.

Legacy

Aaliyah in 2000.

Aaliyah has been credited with helping to redefine R&B, pop, and hip hop, in the 1990s and early 2000s, marking the historic shift in era reflected in her music for the new millennium. In 1998, Aaliyah was named "The Queen of R&B", for her lucrative and majestic career at just 19 years of age, despite having less than 10 years in the industry.

Rolling Stone magazine has established her as an icon of global popular culture and as a de rigueur exalted figure in the Afro-descendant community, praising her even-tempered career “leaving an indelible mark on the music industry as well as on Everything Around Her,” also recognized as R&B's most iconic female legend and a universal effigy of thriving female wunderkinds.

Likewise, she was recognized as the pioneer creator of main hits of the time, especially in her collaborations with the legendary Timbaland and Missy Elliott, with whom she maintained a sisterly relationship and impeccable professional consanguinity, becoming one one of the most successful singer/songwriter/producer teams in history.

Ernest Hardy of the aforementioned magazine dubbed her the “undisputed queen of midtempo come-on”. In a 2001 review of her eponymous album, Rolling Stone magazine stated that Aaliyah's impact on R&B and pop has been enormous. According to Billboard, Aaliyah revolutionized the R&B genre with her sultry blend of pop, soul, and hip hop. Steve Huey of AllMusic ranked Aaliyah among the "elite" artists in the R&B genre, stipulating that she "had played a major role in popularizing the stuttering, futuristic style of production that consumed hip hop and urban soul in the late '90s”; he also stipulated that "the records One in a Million and Aaliyah featured production by Timbaland, who helped make them one of the most forward-thinking albums of their time."

Her second studio album, One in a Million, became one of the most influential R&B albums in history. Renowned music critic Simon Reynolds called the smash hit “Are You That Somebody” the “most radical pop single” of 1998. Kelefah Sanneh of The New York Times wrote that instead of being the focal point of her songs, Aaliyah “knew how to disappear into the music, how to match your voice to the bass line”, and consequently “helped change the way popular music sounded”; the edgy, haunting songs driven by the beat of music by acts like Destiny's Child owe Are You That Somebody a clear debt.

The news of Aaliyah's death dramatically increased the sales of her albums and singles. Such is the case of "More Than A Woman" that its release and promotion were initially canceled and later managed to be #7 in the US. R&B and #25 on 100 Hot Singles. In addition to becoming #1 in the UK, being to date the only single by a deceased artist to reach the top of the British charts. The album Aaliyah sold almost 3 million in the United States and in 2002 the film in which she starred months before her death “Queen Of The Damned” was released, which was dedicated as a tribute to her and debuted in #1 at the box office. A week after her death, her album & # 39; Aaliyah & # 39; it jumped from number 91 to number 1 on the Billboard 200.

Missy Elliott released shortly after Aaliyah's death, the video for her single "Take Away" featuring images and words of the late singer as a tribute. Ginuwine also participated in this tribute.

Aaliyah's death shocked the world. She had died a young star in the world of music and a rising film promise, at the age of 22. The event had an impact on the artistic environment, mainly on her friend and producer Timbaland, who stopped working in music production for a few years, until he managed to overcome the pain of losing such a beautiful and talented woman.

Many singers have mentioned Aaliyah in their song lyrics, with messages of affection, mentioning that they miss her, that no one will take her place, wondering why she had to take that flight that ended her life, etc. Such artists as DMX, Boyz II Men, Brandy, D12, Jadakiss, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil' Flip, Mary J. Blige, Lil' Kim, Monica, Missy Elliott, Mya, Nas, Ray-J, The Game, Timbaland, Wyclef Jean, Tyrese, Rosario Dawson, Yolanda Adams, R. Kelly, Edoine, Satin Jackets among many others.

On December 10, 2002, Blackground Records released I Care 4 U A compilation album of their hits that included previously unreleased tracks, such as “Miss You,” a new #1 single on the charts. U.S. R&B and #3 on 100 Hot Singles. The album debuted at #3 on the 200 Hot Albums and at #1 on the R&B Albums Chart, where it remained in the top position for 7 weeks, selling 2.6 million copies in the United States and 5 million more around the world.

The video for “Miss You” was shot with the participation of numerous artists, close friends of Aaliyah, including Missy Elliott, Toni Braxton, Lil' Kim, Dallas Austin, Ananda Lewis, Jamie Foxx, DMX, among others. Followed by "Miss You" a single "Don't No Want To Tell Ya" was released in Europe and Asia (#22 in the UK, #57 in Germany). As the third single, "Come Over" was released in the United States with much less promotion, which led it to reach low positions, compared to the other singles within the popularity charts (#9 U.S. R&B, #32 on 100 Hot Singles).

In 2006, another compilation album titled “Ultimate Aaliyah” was released which includes all her hits and singles and has sold a total of 2.5 million copies.

In connection with her emerging film career, shortly before she died, Aaliyah had played some scenes as Zee in the second and third films of the Matrix trilogy (she was eventually replaced by Nona Gaye; the films had to be reshot). scenes). In addition to being one of the protagonists of the dance film Honey and the (then in progress) film Sparkle with Whitney Houston, although the latter filming was finally canceled after its death and postponed until 2011, where Jordin Sparks plays the role that would have been played by Aaliyah.

In the 2010s, Aaliyah became fashionable again. On October 4, 2021, the portal of the American publication Pithcfork included her in its list of 200 Most Influential Musicians of the last 25 years, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its foundation.

Discography

Albums of study

• 1994: Age Ain't Nothing but a Number
• 1996: One in a Million
• 2001: Aaliyah

Filmography