Aaliyah

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), better known simply as her stage name Aaliyah, was an American R&B singer, dancer, fashion model and actress. Introduced to audiences by R&B singer R. Kelly, Aaliyah became famous in her own right during the mid-1990s with several hit records from the songwriting/production team of Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Timbaland, and their associate Steve "Static" Garrett.

Life and career

Childhood and early career

Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Aaliyah signed with her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground label in 1993 and released her debut album, titled Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, in 1994. The album reached platinum status within months, and featured the Gold-selling singles "Back and Forth" No.1 R&B 3 weeks, and "At Your Best (You Are Love) No.2 R&B," a cover of the 1976 Isley Brothers single. The album went on to reach double platinum status with sales of over 2 million copies in the U.S. and 5 million worldwide.

Related Topics:
Brooklyn, New York - Detroit, Michigan - Barry Hankerson - Blackground - 1993 - Age Ain't Nothing but a Number - 1994 - Platinum status - 1976 - Isley Brothers

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It was briefly rumored that in 1994, when she was 15, she was married to R&B singer/songwriter R. Kelly, the producer of Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. VIBE magazine in 1995 published a copy of their marriage certificate and claimed Aaliyah had falsified her age as 18 so she and Kelly could be married. Neither agreed or denied the accusations. Both parties had the marriage quickly annulled when the press found out about the union. R. Kelly did not work on any of Aaliyah's future recordings.

Related Topics:
1994 - R&B - R. Kelly - ''VIBE'' magazine

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One in a Million (1996)

One in a Million, Aaliyah's sophmore album, was chiefly written and produced by then unknowns Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Tim "Timbaland" Mosley and released on August 27, 1996. The album was a land mark in Aaliyah's career introducing Aaliyah's more mature side. It embarked the new found chemistry of Aaliyah and Timbaland. The album was certified double platinum within a year, making Aaliyah a major R&B star and igniting the successful careers of Missy Elliott and Timbaland. One in a Million featured the international smash hit "If Your Girl Only Knew" Billboards R&B No.1 , 2 weeks", "One in a Million," Billboards Hot R&B airplay No.1 six weeks and the top 10 gold Billboard Hot R&B single "The One I Gave My Heart To," a ballad written by Diane Warren. The album also included "4 Page Letter" which hit the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Related Topics:
One in a Million - Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott - Timbaland - 1996 - Diane Warren

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Tommy Hilfiger took notice of Aaliyah's "street but sweet" image and gave Aaliyah her first endorsement deal. He immediately signed Aaliyah onto print campaigns, runway shows, and a commercial. During this period, Aaliyah would also make guest appearances on albums by artists such as Missy Elliott, Timbaland & Magoo, Ginuwine and Playa, and Elliott. Timbaland and Playa's frontman Steve "Static" Garrett would remain Aaliyah's principal collaborators for the duration of her career. To date, One in a Million has sold 2.6 million copies in the U.S. and 8 million worldwide.

Related Topics:
Missy Elliott - Timbaland & Magoo - Ginuwine - Playa - Steve "Static" Garrett

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Movie roles and soundtracks

In 1997, Aaliyah appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1997 Fox Animation Studios animated feature Anastasia, singing the pop version of "Journey to the Past". The song was nominated for an Academy Award, and Aaliyah performed the song at the 1997 Academy Awards ceremony, making history. Aaliyah became the youngest recording artist to perform at the ceremony.

Related Topics:
1997 - Fox Animation Studios - Anastasia - Academy Award

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Aaliyah had a huge hit in 1998 with "Are You that Somebody, No.1 R&B Radio hit for 8 weeks" the main single from the Doctor Doolittle soundtrack. Its video was the third most-played on MTV that year, and the song's success helped make Aaliyah a household name. The single was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Related Topics:
1998 - Doctor Doolittle - MTV

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In 2000, she co-starred with Jet Li in the martial-arts film Romeo Must Die, which debuted at #2 at the box office. Aaliyah and Timbaland executive produced the film's soundtrack album and Aaliyah contributed four songs: "Are you Feelin' Me?," "I Don't Wanna," "Back in One Piece," a duet with DMX, and the international #1 hit "Try Again." Aaliyah made history once again with her hit single "Try Again." It became the first song in history to ever reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 based solely on the strength of its radio airplay, without any single sales factored. After the huge success of the "Try Again", a 12" maxi single was released for consumer purchase. The radio-only single, "I Don't Wanna", peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #5 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

Related Topics:
2000 - Jet Li - Martial-arts - Romeo Must Die - DMX - Billboard - Hot 100

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In 2001, Aaliyah went to Austrailia to co-star in the film Queen of the Damned, an adaptation of the Anne Rice novel of the same name. While filming Queen of the Damned, Aaliyah also recorded most of her third studio album, Aaliyah.

Related Topics:
2001 - Austrailia - Queen of the Damned - Anne Rice - Aaliyah

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Aaliyah (2001)

"We Need a Resolution," the first single from Aaliyah's highly-anticipated third studio album, was released in April of 2001. The self-titled third album, was released four months later on July 17, 2001. The album was a critical success, introducing Aaliyah's dark and edgier side, and showcased Aaliyah's growth as an artist. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard Album 200 chart, selling over 187,000 copies. The album was certified Gold on August 14, 2001 (just 4 weeks after its release), with sales of 526,000 copies. The album was certified Platinum on August 30, 2001, just 16 days after its gold certification, and only 5 days after her death. In September, the week following Aaliyah's death, Aaliyah hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, with sales of over 300,000 copies. The album would later reach double platinum status with sales of 2.5 million in the U.S. and 6 million worldwide.

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In the summer of 2001, Aaliyah filmed the video for Aaliyah's intended second single, "More than a Woman". After the video was completed, however, it was decided "Rock the Boat" should be the second single instead, and the "More than a Woman" video was temporarily shelved.

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"Rock The Boat" video shoot

Aaliyah traveled to the Bahamas in August 2001 to film the "Rock the Boat" video with director Hype Williams. After filming was completed, Aaliyah and her entourage boarded a small airplane, which was to take them to Miami, Florida. The plane took off but quickly descended and crashed in the forest. All nine people aboard, including Aaliyah, the pilot and the other seven passengers, were killed in the crash. Some, including Aaliyah, died immediately; some later, in the hospital. Investigators determined the plane was overloaded by several hundred pounds, and an autopsy revealed cocaine and alcohol in the pilot's blood. Reports have also suggested the pilot of the plane falsely obtained his licence from Black Hawk Airways by showing hundreds of hours never flown, suggesting he was not qualified to pilot the plane to begin with.

Related Topics:
Bahamas - 2001 - Hype Williams - Miami, Florida - Autopsy - Cocaine - Alcohol

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