Aaliyah Dana Haughton
(January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), known
professionally as Aaliyah, was a Grammy-winning American
singer, dancer, model and actress. Introduced to
audiences by R&B singer R. Kelly, Aaliyah became
famous during the mid-1990s with several hit records
from the songwriting/production team of Missy Elliott
and Timbaland and their associate Steve
"Static" Garrett.
Notable for recording several hit records, including
several number one R&B hits, a number one pop hit,
and nine top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. She
also modeled for Tommy Hilfiger and starred in two
motion pictures before dying in a plane crash in the
Bahamas.
Early years: Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in
Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York on January 16,
1979 to Michael and Diane Haughton, and was raised in
Detroit, Michigan. Her name means "Highest, Most
Exalted, The Best" in Arabic. Aaliyah was brought
up as a Catholic with her older brother Rashad Haughton.
Her grandmother, Mintis L. Hicks Hankerson, was of
African American and Native American descent. Diane
Haughton, Aaliyah's mother, also a vocalist, encouraged
her daughter's career. Her uncle, Barry Hankerson, is a
prominent individual in the music industry and Aaliyah's
aunt, through marriage to Hankerson, is Gladys Knight, a
legendary soul singer with Gladys Knight & the Pips.
She appeared on the TV talent show Star Search at age
ten, singing her mother's favorite song, "My Funny
Valentine". Vibe Magazine. Retrieved February 9,
2007. Although she did not win, Aaliyah worked with an
agent in New York and began to attend auditions for TV
shows, including Family Matters (TV series)|Family
Matters.
Following her appearance on Star Search Aaliyah
performed on stage in Las Vegas with Gladys Knight. In
her early teens, Aaliyah attended the Detroit High
School for the Fine and Performing Arts, and graduated
as a dance major with a 4.0 GPA
Age Ain't Nothing But a Number (1994): Aaliyah
signed with her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground
Records label in 1993 at the age of 14. She released her
debut album, titled Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, in
1994 at the age of 15. R. Kelly, Aaliyah's then alleged
husband, was a leading songwriter and producer on her
debut album. The album displayed her smooth and velvety
vocals and the production work was said to be original
and innovative. The album went platinum within months.
The album featured the gold-selling singles "Back
and Forth" (#1 U.S. R&B, 3 weeks and #5 Hot 100
), "At Your Best" (#2 U.S. R&B and #6 Hot
100 ), a cover of The Isley Brothers' 1976 song, the
album-titled single "Age Ain't Nothing But A
Number" (#75 Hot 100 and #35 US R&B, 2 weeks),
and "Down with the Clique" (#33 UK Top 75
Singles). "Back and Fourth" was sampled by
Madonna for the track, "Inside of Me" which
appears on her 1994 album Bedtime Stories. In June 1995,
Aaliyah released another single to radio only, "No
One Knows How to Love Me Quite Like You Do." The
album has sold over 3.5 million copies in the U.S. to
date and nearly 7 million worldwide.
In 1994, a rumour surfaced that 15-year old Aaliyah and
27-year old R. Kelly had secretly married in the state
of Illinois. Both initially denied. Although many
websites and television shows claimed that they found a
marriage certificate, it never has been truly proven
that R. Kelly and Aaliyah have ever been married.
Guest appearances, movie roles and soundtracks (1995
- 2001): In 1995 at age 16, Aaliyah performed
"The Star-Spangled Banner" live at an Orlando
Magic basketball game. Also during that year, she
appeared on the soundtrack for A Low Down Dirty Shame
with the minor international hit "The Thing I
Like" (#33 UK). The song was also included on
international versions of Age Ain't Nothing But A
Number.
In 1997, Aaliyah appeared on the soundtrack album for
the 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 1998 Academy
Awards ceremony, becoming the youngest female recording
artist to perform at the ceremony. Not only was Aaliyah
the youngest female to perform but she was the youngest
African American to have the nominee for Best Original
Song.
Aaliyah had a hit in 1998 with "Are You that
Somebody" (number one airplay U.S. eight weeks),
the main single from the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. Its
video was the third most-played on MTV that year, and
the song's success helped make Aaliyah a household name
(and making her crowned as Queen of Urban Pop).
In 2000, she co-starred with Jet Li in the martial arts
film Romeo Must Die, which debuted at number one 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," "Come Back in One Piece," a duet
with DMX, and the international number one hit "Try
Again." Aaliyah made history once more when
"Try Again" became the first song to ever
reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 based solely
on the strength of its radio airplay, without any single
sales factored in. After the huge success of "Try
Again" at radio, a 12" maxi single was
released for consumer purchase. The radio-only single,
"I Don't Wanna", (which was also featured on
the soundtracks for the films Next Friday and Romeo Must
Die) peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot
R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
In 2001, Aaliyah went to Australia to co-star with
Stuart Townsend in the film Queen of the Damned, an
adaptation of the Anne Rice novel of the same name.
Aaliyah also recorded most of her third studio album,
Aaliyah, during this time.
One in a Million (1996): One In A Million,
Aaliyah's sophomore album, was chiefly written and
produced by then unknowns Missy Elliott and Timothy
"Timbaland" Mosley and released on August 27,
1996 when she was 17 years old. The album was a landmark
in Aaliyah's career, garnering her mass critical acclaim
and introducing Aaliyah's more mature side. It embarked
the newfound 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" (number one U.S.
R&B, 2 weeks and #11 Hot 100), "One In A
Million," (#1 U.S. R&B airplay, six weeks &
#25 US Hot 100 Airplay), the #8 U.S. R&B and #9 Hot
100 single "The One I Gave My Heart To," a
ballad written by Diane Warren, "4 Page
Letter" (#12 R&B Airplay), "Hot Like
Fire" (two versions) (#31 R&B Airplay), and
"Got To Give It Up(#37 UK)" (a remake of the
1977 Marvin Gaye song).
Tommy Hilfiger gave Aaliyah her first endorsement deal.
He 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. 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 over 3.7 million
copies in the U.S. and over 11 million worldwide.
After the success of One in a Million, in 1997 Aaliyah
headlined in her own tour "The Hot Like Fire
Tour", in which she toured various major city
venues performing hits from Her albums.
Aaliyah (2001): "We Need a Resolution,"
the first single from Aaliyah's third studio album, was
released April 24, 2001 (see 2001 in music). The
self-titled Aaliyah was released three months later on
July 17, 2001. The album was an instant critical success
but sales were initially lower than expected, although
they increased considerably after her death. Aaliyah
introduced a darker and edgier side to Aaliyah's music
and was noted as having showcased her growth as an
artist. Around the time of the album's recording and
release she had been filming Queen of the Damned, which
helped her show a dark and edgy side as her character
was a deadly villain. The album debuted at number two on
the Billboard 200 chart, selling 190,000 copies in its
first week, and was certified gold (500,000 copies sold)
within four weeks, before her death. The week after the
plane crash it climbed to number one. Trent Reznor of
Nine Inch Nails was to produce a song on the album but
scheduling conflicts did not permit the collaboration.
"More Than A Woman" and "Rock The
Boat": There was no shortage of confusion at
the label regarding the next single from the Aaliyah
album. Aaliyah had been promoting "More Than a
Woman", having performed it twice and shooting a
video with director Dave Meyers in the summer of 2001.
According to Blackground, a remix featuring State
Property and Jay-Z was also planned, but was scrapped
due to lack of adequate funds. The video was to be
released but "Rock the Boat" began receiving
huge amounts of radio-play, so she was immediately sent
to the Bahamas to shoot the video. The "Rock The
Boat" music video was put in the 106 and Park hall
of fame, making the countdown over 65 times and landed
at #2 on BET's Top 100 videos of 2001. "More Than a
Woman" made the number-one spot after "Rock
the Boat" was retired. "Rock the Boat"
was #2 U.S. R&B and #14 Hot 100 single. "I Care
4 U" was #3 U.S. R&B and #16 Hot 100 single.
The album went on to sell over 8 million copies
worldwide.
Death: On August 25, 2001, at 6:49 pm, just after
wrapping up filming of the "Rock the Boat"
video, Aaliyah and various members of her record company
boarded a twin engine Cessna 402B (N8097W) at Marsh
Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas to travel to Opa-locka
Airport near Miami, Florida, but the plane crashed
shortly after takeoff about 200 feet from the runway.
Pilot Luis Morales III and all eight passengers,
including Aaliyah, were killed in the aviation incident.
According to findings from an inquest conducted by the
coroner's office in the Bahamas, Aaliyah suffered from
"severe burns and a blow to the head," in
addition to severe shock. The coroner theorized that,
even if Aaliyah survived the crash, her recovery would
have been virtually impossible given the severity of her
injuries.
Aaliyah's eulogy was held on August 31 at Saint Ignatius
Loyola Roman Catholic Church on East 84th Street in
Manhattan. A horse-drawn carriage then carried her
coffin to Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York,
where she was initially interred in a crypt in the
extension wing of the main mausoleum. When the Rosewood
Mausoleum was completed a couple of years later, Aaliyah
was moved to a private room in the new building. The
inscription of her alias Baby Girl is engraved on her
crypt.
Investigation: NTSB reports indicate that the
pilot, Luis Morales III, was not qualified to pilot the
plane he was attempting to fly. Morales falsely obtained
his FAA license by showing hundreds of hours never
flown, and he may also have falsified how many hours he
had flown in order to get a job with his employer,
Blackhawk International Airways. Additionally, an
autopsy performed on Morales revealed cocaine and
alcohol in his blood.
Further investigations determined the plane was over its
total gross weight by several hundred pounds. Although
witnesses claimed that the passengers had been asked to
leave some luggage behind, it was later discovered that
the passengers, including Aaliyah, had not been informed
of the excess weight.
Eddie Golson, president of Pro Freight Cargo Services at
Opa-locka Airport, said workers carted "a pickup
truck of freight" from the crash site Monday.
"That's absurd to think that this pilot got in this
airplane with eight other people and a truck full of
freight and expected this thing to fly," Golson
said. "What the hell was going on?" a baggage
handler was reported to have said, in reaction to
hearing that no one weighed the passengers or baggage.
Two of the passengers, members of Aaliyah's entourage,
weighed in the neighborhood of 300 pounds and sat in the
rear of the plane, where the baggage was also stored.
The day of the aviation incident was Mr. Morales' first
official day with Blackhawk International Airways, a
Part 135 single-pilot operation. He had been employed
with Golden Airlines, from which he was fired only four
hours before the fatal aviation incident. In addition,
Luis Morales III was not registered with the FAA to fly
for Blackhawk. As a result of the incident, a wrongful
death lawsuit was filed by Aaliyah’s parents and was
later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of
2,000 doallars.
Barry & Sons, Inc., a corporation formed in 1992 to
develop, promote and capitalize on the musical talents
of Aaliyah and to oversee the production and
distribution of her records, tapes and music videos,
brought an unsuccessful lawsuit in the Supreme Court of
the State of New York against Instinct Productions LLC,
(a company hired by Barry & Sons, Inc. in August,
2001 to produce the "Rock the Boat" music
video). The case was dismissed since New York State's
wrongful death statute only permits certain people to
recover damages for wrongful death.
Legacy: "Rock the Boat" went on to
become a posthumous hit on radio (reaching number two on
Billboard's Hot R&B Singles charts, number 14 on the
Hot 100, and number 12 in the UK) and video channels,
and the news of Aaliyah's death gave her album a notable
sales boost, pushing it to number one on the Billboard
200. The album produced two other singles. "More
than A Woman" reached number 7 on Billboard's Hot
R&B singles chart, number 25 on Hot 100, and number
one in the UK. "I Care 4 U" reached number
three on Billboard's Hot R&B singles chart and
number 16 on the Hot 100, the latter attaining success
even without the promotional push of a music video. The
Aaliyah album went on to sell over 3 million copies in
the U.S. Queen of the Damned was released in early 2002.
Before its release, Aaliyah's brother Rashad was called
upon to re-dub several of his sister's lines during the
post-production ADR process. Upon its release, the film
debuted at number one. The film was also dedicated to
her.
In 2001, Missy Elliott released her video for "Take
Away". The video contained words and images about
Aaliyah. The single also featured Ginuwine and was the
debut of Elliott's recent protégé, Tweet.
Aaliyah and former Beatle George Harrison made UK Chart
History in January 2002 when they scored the first, and
to this date only, back-to-back posthumous number one
hits (aside from the Elvis Presley re-releases in 2005).
Aaliyah's "More than a Woman", released on
January 7 and topped the chart on January 13, was
followed by Harrison's "My Sweet Lord",
re-released on January 14 and topped the chart on
January 20. Aaliyah was voted one of "The Top 40
Woman of the Video Era" in VH1's The Greatest, also
ranked #36 on their list of the 100 Sexiest Artist.
Aaliyah also made E!'s list on the 101 Most Shocking
Moments in Entertainment, Juciest Hollywood Hookups, and
Best Kept Hollywood Secrets. Aaliyah recently ranked at
#18 on BET's "Top 25 Dancers of All Time". In
2005, former Co-Star Jet-Li as reported from CNN stated
the memory of Aaliyah had haunted him in Vancouver,
where he and the late songstress shot the film Romeo
Must Die.
In addition Aaliyah has been the topic of five books:
Aaliyah: More than a Woman (2001) by Christopher John
Farley, Aaliyah: An R&B Princess in Words and
Pictures (2002) by Kelly Kenyatta, Aaliyah by Tim
Footman (2003), and Aaliyah Remembered: Her Life &
The Person behind the Mystique (2005) by William
Sutherland.
"Her legacy is, you can achieve your dreams and
still maintain being a beautiful person" -Brother
Rashad Haughton
Lyrical Dedications: Boyz II Men: "Think Of
Aaliyah" a.k.a. "The Aaliyah Song" -
"When you think of Aaliyah, laugh, don't cry, cause
I know she want it that way".
Brandy: "Turn It Up" - "Get Baby Girl's
attention, she's more than a woman and we sure do miss
her. I wanna represent her, Timbaland, Missy, you get
the picture.","Should I Go" - "this
industry was more like a different world, when it was
just me, Monica, and Baby Girl [Aaliyah], I never got to
tell you how much you meant / I wish you and me both was
sittin' here workin with Tim / Just to be in the
presence of people that you affected on a personal level
just makes me stop for a second. [inhales and exhales]
You were such a blessing, you helped me answer all of my
questions."
D12: "9-11" - "We lost Aaliyah, lost our
families, it takes no tenges. You don't need us to see
the world is (messed) up, God can see it"
Jadakiss: "Why" - "Why Aaliyah had to
take that flight?"
Jay-Z: "Miss You Remix" - names certain people
who missed her after her death.
Juelz Santana: "One Day I Smile" - "Once
again a deep thought of Aaliyah crosses my mind"
Kanye West: "Never Let Me Down" - "But I
can't complain what the accident did to my Left Eye /
Cuz look what an accident did to Left Eye / First
Aaliyah and now Romeo must die / I know I got angels
watching me from the other side"
Layzie Bone: "For The Thugs That's Gone" -
" Too many celebrities perish, these people we love
and cherish, and I had a chance to meet Aaliyah, but I
was to embarrassed and I should of took a chance, I
heard that from a man, Jam Master J was so real, you
niggas don't understand, he told me to handle my
business, make sure I pay my taxes, a little advice from
a legend to keep my paper stacking, and I gotta give
props to Eazy, that nigga put me on, if he didn't
believe in the thugs you all wouldn't of heard of Bone.
Lil' Flip: "Hall of Fame Graveyard" -
"From Eazy E to Aaliyah, we even lost Left Eye /
How come the wack rappers live but the best die"
Mary J. Blige - "MJB Da MVP" - "It was
when Aaliyah died / I could hardly sleep / Thought about
it every day / and it made Me change my ways"
Missy Elliott: "Can You Hear Me?" - "I
been checkin' on your moms and dad / And your brother
since the day you left / Passed on and went away with
God / But for your mama it's been / So damn hard / I
hate to even hear her cry / Aaliyah she asked me why /
Would her baby girl go this way / Can you give me better
words to say / Cause One day she'll see you again / With
the same old beautiful smile / Long hair and the voice
of a hummingbird / You'll be singing them same old songs
/ Aaliyah can you hear me? / I hope that you're proud of
me / Me and Tim we been doing our thing / But it's never
been the same / Since you had to go / I ain't never met
a friend / More incredible"
Monica: "Go To Bed Mad" - "Argue about
things so critical / And you heated over nothing / And
just hang up the phone / I want / I wanna talk in the
mood / See we need a resolution / Like that Aaliyah
song"
Mya: "After The Rain" - "No one could
ever fill your shoes, you're one in a million"
Nas featuring Quan: "Just A Moment" -
"And can we please have a moment to mourn? / For
Pac, Biggie and Pun 'cause through us they live on / Jam
Master Jay, Freaky Ty and Aaliyah / Big L and Left Eye,
when we die we hope to see ya"
Ray J: "War Is Over" - "One day one day
one day / I hope to see my girl Aaliyah"
The Game: "Dreams" - "Martin Luther King
had a dream, Aaliyah had a dream, Left Eye had a
dream", "Runnin" - "God let me in,
give me a room by Aaliyah with ESPN"
T.I.: "Rubberband Man" - "throw your
lighters up for my cousin Toot, Aaliyah, Left Eye, and
Jam Master Jay"
TQ : "Gone But Not Forgotten" - "Aaliyah,
I wish we could've did a song, but baby girl when I get
my wings, I'm gonna send your precious love"
Wyclef Jean: "Industry" - "Back and forth
and forth and back / Like Miss Aaliyah man do I miss
her"
Outkast ft. Killer Mike: "The Whole World" -
"Mami, I'm coming, I hope u get off / Or rock your
own boat like Aaliyah don taught / Back, back and forth,
forth / Get that sailor on course course"
French R'n'b singer Assia covered "Don't know what
to tell ya" with French and Arabic lyrics and
entitled it "Le prix pour t' aimer (Habibi Maareft
Ach'n Oullek)" in her latest album "Encore et
Encore".
The Gossip - (covered are you that somebody) as a
tribute to Aaliyah
Others include tracks by DMX, Yolanda Adams, Tyrese, R.
Kelly, TLC, Timbaland & Outsiderz 4 Life.
Cooper C.: "Why...?" - "Imma rock da
boat, Aaliyah, and be wit you. One day, hopefully I will
see you too."
Unfinished Films: Aaliyah was to have had a
supporting role as Zee, the wife of Harold Perrineau
Jr.'s character, Link, in the two sequels to The Matrix.
The directors initially tried to find a way to
incorporate her footage into the movies but decided
against it due to lack of material available. The role
was recast with Nona Gaye playing the character. Other
films in which Aaliyah was signed to star in were Honey
(which instead was filmed with Jessica Alba as the main
character), and a Whitney Houston-produced remake of the
1976 film Sparkle (now in the works with Raven-Symoné
as the main character).
In addition, Aaliyah and one of her agents had pitched
and inked a deal with Fox Searchlight Pictures for her
to star in a film based upon a true story about
interracial love.
I Care 4 U (2002): I Care 4 U was released by
Blackground Records on December 10, 2002. Along with her
hit singles, a number of previously unreleased tracks
were included on the album, including "Erica
Kane", "Don't Worry" and "All I
Need" and the new singles "Miss You",
"Don't Know What to Tell Ya", and "Come
Over." I Care 4 U debuted at an impressive #3 on
the Billboard 200 and #1 on the R&B album charts
(where it remained for 7 weeks). The album went on to
sell over 2.6 million in the U.S. and 5 million
worldwide.
The video for "Miss You" features Missy
Elliott, Toni Braxton, Lil' Kim, Dallas Austin, MTV
presenter and close friend Ananda Lewis, actor/singer
Jamie Foxx, AJ Calloway, Free, Quddus, Missy's recent
protegé and longtime friend Tweet, U-God (of the
Wu-Tang Clan) and DMX, Rosario Dawson, among others,
paying tribute to Aaliyah. Following her death, her
single "Miss You" made it to #1 on the US
R&B Charts. The album earned Aaliyah a posthumous
Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangment Accompanying
Vocals
The follow-up single to "Miss You" was
"Don't Know What to Tell Ya". However it was
only released in Europe and peaked at #22 in the UK and
#57 in Germany. The "Handcuff Remix" became
popular among fans who had bought the single. The third
and final Single released (second in the U.S.) was Come
Over. The single had moderate pop success peaking in the
top 40 of The Hot 100 at #32. It did a lot better on the
R&B charts becoming a top 10 hit peaking at #9.
Aaliyah in the mid-2000s: In early/mid-2005, four
previously unreleased Aaliyah tracks were leaked to the
Internet: a cover of Gladys Knight & the Pips'
"Giving Up", "Where Could He Be"
featuring Missy Elliot and Tweet (which was sent to
radio stations), "Steady Ground" featuring
Static from Playa, and a duet with Digital Black from
Playa entitled "Don't Think They Know". In
January 2006, a new unreleased Aaliyah track was leaked
to the Internet. Entitled "Time", it was a
snippet of an unfinished song and was produced by
Timbaland (Sample of this track can be found on YouTube)
Buzz of a song titled "Girlfriends" has been
brewing for years now since the death of Aaliyah, until
recently Yaushameen Michael posted the song on her
Myspace, a Duet with the late R&B Princess.
Merchandise and the Aaliyah Charity Fund:
Aaliyah's official website features items such as
t-shirts with Aaliyah's name on them. She has had a
calendar with her pictures since 2002.
Aaliyah
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