Sometimes, when I see Beyonce, hear Alicia Keys, or notice some new pop-soul singer on the radio, TV or the Web, I think of Aaliyah. Today, Jan. 16, would have been her 31st birthday.
Born in Brooklyn, and raised in Detroit, Aaliyah Dana Haughton was one of the most innovative hip-hop soul singers of the last decade. She released her debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number” (1994), at the age of 14. Her follow-ups, “One in a Million” (1996), and “Aaliyah” (2001), were both influential and best-selling, fracturing the sound of traditional R&B.
While other soul stars belted out songs and looked to raise the roof, Aaliyah stayed in the groove, working with collaborators R. Kelly, Timbaland, and Missy Elliott, to create beat-driven music with unusual but gripping rhythms, subtle vocals, and dangerously glamorous videos. She cut a mysterious figure in an overexposed field, keeping her private life private, and sweeping her dark hair over one eye like Veronica Lake.
Soon after the release of her third, self-titled album, however, and just as she was securing a side career as a movie actress, Aaliyah’s career was cut short in a plane crash in 2001. She was 22 years old.
Please leave your thoughts about Aaliyah in the comments section.
Below, a few of Aaliyah’s music videos.
Here’s the video for “Are You That Somebody?”
Aaliyah "Are You That Somebody"
Aaliyah "More Than A Woman"Aaliyah "One In A Million"Aaliyah Rare Interview
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