Fall 2025 Part 2.

 

 Aaliyah (25 Years Later)

 

 

It has been twenty five years since an iconic musician has passed away. She innovated R&B music and worked with Hampton Roads (in Virginia) 757's own of Timbaland and Missy Elliot to create some of the most futuristic sounding music of all time. She was Aaliyah Dana Haughton. She only lived for 22 years old, but her legacy has been very extensive. Her dance, her style, and her acting has been inspired by R&B and hip hop culture. That is why she worked with famous hip hop artists from DMX to Nas.  Aaliyah was born up Brooklyn, in New York City, and she was raised in the Midwestern city of Detroit, Michigan. She is Gladys Knight's niece by marriage. From her debut album in 1994 to her final self-titled album (when she was alive) in 2001, she displayed a unique sound and a soul filled with a love of people. She worked in movies like Romeo Must Die. Her album of One in a Million, that was released in August 1996 was one of the most influential R&B albums of all time by using an electronic sound, taking risks vocally, and being the blueprint of future R&B music of the 21st century. Aaliyah had tons of fans, traveled the world, promoted fashion with Tommy Hilfiger, and loved her family. She has African American and Afro-Jamaican plus Native American heritage. Her parents are Diana and Michael Huaghton. Her older brother is Rashid. Her cousin is the famous hip hop artist Tek, from Brooklyn, New York. Aaliayh's story has not been a crystal filled with love and other issues. Yet, she never gave up and lived her life to enjoy her life to the fullest from hanging out with friends and making groundbreaking music videos. Aaliyah was a sweet, urban black woman who inspired current and future generations to pursue their own dreams earnestly and without any apology. 

 

Her Youth

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, up North, in Brooklyn, New York City. She is the younger child of Diane Hankerson and Michael Haughton, a warehouse worker. She has African American, Afro-Jamaican, and Native American heritage. Her name is the feminine form of Ali, meaning "highest, most exalted one, the best." Aaliyah loved her name and was proud of it. When Aaliyah was five years old, her family moved into Detroit, Michigan, where she was raised along with her older brother, Rashad. In Detroit, Aaliyah's father worked in the warehouse business, one of his brother-in-law Barry Hankerson's widening interests.  Her mother stayed home and raised her and her brother. Her mother enrolled her in voice lessons at an early age. Eventually, she started performing at weddings, church choir events, and charity events. Aaliyah attended a Catholic school, Gesu Elementary, where in first grade she was cast in the stage play Annie which inspired her to become an entertainer.

Aaliyah's mother was a vocalist, and her uncle Hankerson was an entertainment lawyer who had been married to Gladys Knight. As a child, Aaliyah traveled with Knight and worked with an agent in New York City to audition for commercials and television programs, including Family Matters. After failing to land a role on the show she continued her acting through the Gesu Players. In 1989 at age ten, she appeared on Star Search, where she performed "My Funny Valentine." Aaliyah chose to begin auditioning. Her mother made the decision to drop her surname. She auditioned for several record labels and at age 11 appeared in concerts alongside Knight. After attending a Gladys Knight concert with music executive Suge Knight, and seeing Aaliyah perform on stage, rapper Tupac Shakur wanted to sign her to a record deal. Aaliyah attended Detroit schools and believed she was well-liked, but she was teased for her short stature. By age 15, however, she came to love her height. Her mother told her to be happy she was small and complimented her. Although some children disliked Aaliyah, she determined, "You always have to deal with people who are jealous, but there were so few it didn't even matter. The majority of kids supported me, which was wonderful." Even in her adult life, she considered herself small. She had "learned to accept and love" herself and added: "the most important thing is to think highly of yourself because if you don't, no one else will." During her audition for acceptance to the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, Aaliyah sang "Ave Maria" in Latin. Aaliyah held a 4.0 grade-point average when graduating from high school. She reflected: "I wanted to keep that 4.0. Being in the industry, you know, I don't want kids to think, 'I can just sing and forget about school.' I think it's very important to have an education, and even more important to have something to fall back on." She considered a future career teaching music, music history or drama if she did not make a living as a recording artist because, as she reasoned, "when you pick a career it has to be something you love."

Early Success

After Hankerson signed a distribution deal with Jive Records, he signed Aaliyah to his Blackground Records label at the age of 12. Hankerson later introduced her to recording artist and producer R. Kelly, who became Aaliyah's mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her first album, recorded when she was 14. Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was released under her mononym "Aaliyah", by Jive and Blackground Records on May 24, 1994; it debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 38,000 copies in its first week. It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 and it was certified two times Platinum by the RIAA. To date the album has sold over 3 million copies in the US. In Canada, the album was certified gold by Music Canada for 50,000 copies in shipments. In 2014, Vibe magazine estimated that the album had sold six million copies globally. Upon its release, Age Ain't Nothing But a Number received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Some writers noted that Aaliyah's "silky vocals" and "sultry voice" blended with Kelly's new jack swing helped define R&B in the 1990s. Her sound was also compared to that of female quartet En Vogue. Christopher John Farley of Time magazine called the album a "beautifully restrained work", noting that Aaliyah's "girlish, breathy vocals rode calmly on R. Kelly's rough beats." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic felt that the album had its "share of filler", but described the singles as "slyly seductive." He also wrote that the songs on the album were "frequently better" than that of Kelly's second studio album, 12 Play. The single "At Your Best (You Are Love)" was criticized by Billboard for being out of place on the album and for its length.

Aaliyah's debut single, "Back & Forth", peaked at number 5 on the Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for three weeks. Two more singles charted: a cover of the Isley Brothers' "At Your Best (You Are Love)" peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album's title track, "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number", peaked at number 75. Additionally, she released "The Thing I Like" as part of the soundtrack to the 1994 film A Low Down Dirty Shame. In August 1995, Aaliyah was featured on the single remix to Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s song "I Need You Tonight."

One in a Million

From 1996 to her passing, Aaliyah's career took off into the next level. By February 1996, Aaliyah was featured on Kris Kross's single Live and Die for Hip Hop, which featured Jermaine Dupri (the song's producer), and rapper Da Brat. Aaliyah left Jive Records in 1996 and signed with Atlantic Records. She worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliot (who are from my state of Virginia. Timbaland is from Virginia Beach and Missy Elliot is from Portsmouth in the 757). Both producers of Timbaland and Missy contributed on her second studio album of One in Million. All three human beings acted as family and go along with each other well. The album had hits like If Your Girl Only Knew, Hot Like Fire, and 4 Page Letter. One in a Million peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200. It was certified double platinum by the RIAA on June 16, 1997, which means that shipments of two million copies existed. It sold 3 million copies in America and over 8 million copies worldwide. One in a Million was an album that changed R&B forever with futuristic electronic beats, hip hop influences, and a up-tempo style. The album had trip-hop, electronica, funk, etc. Aaliyah left her former mentor R. Kelly for good, because R. Kelly did actions that were grotesque and evil. The album had producers like Jermaine Dupri, Vincent Herbert, and Craig King. Aaliyah was more grown and mature in the album. One in a Million was nominated in the Soul Train Music Awards and the 1997 Blockbuster Entertainment Award. In 1997, she graduated with a 4.0 GPA from the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, where she majored in drama. She was in the show New York Undercover in 1997 too. Also, she participated in the Children's Benefit Concert, a charity concert at the Beacon Theater in New York. 

She also became the spokesperson for the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. During her campaign with Tommy Hilfiger, the company sold over 2,400 pairs of the red, white and blue baggy jeans she wore in their advertisements. In December 1997, she performed the Christmas carol "What Child Is This?" at the annual Christmas in Washington television special. She also contributed to the soundtrack album for the animated film Anastasia, performing a cover version of "Journey to the Past" that earned songwriters Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. She performed the song at the 70th Academy Awards, becoming the youngest singer to perform at the event. Also in 1998, she released the song "Are You That Somebody?", which was featured on the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. The song peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned her first Grammy Award nomination.

Acting and Television

In 1999, Aaliyah landed her first big-screen acting role in Romeo Must Die. She starred opposite martial artist Jet Li, playing a couple who fall in love amid their warring families. Released on March 24, 2000, the movie grossed US$18.6 million in its first weekend, ranking number two at the box office. She purposely stayed away from reviews of the film to "make it easier on" herself, but heard "that people were able to get into me, which is what I wanted." In contrast, some critics felt there was no chemistry between her and Li, as well as viewing the film as too simplistic. This was echoed by Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times, who wrote that while she was "a natural" and the film was conceived as a spotlight for both her and Li, "they have so little chemistry together you'd think they're putting out a fire instead of shooting off sparks. In addition to acting, she served as an executive producer of the film's soundtrack, for which she contributed four songs. "Try Again" was released as a single from the soundtrack; the song topped the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first artist to top the chart based solely on airplay; this led the song to be released in a 12-inch vinyl and 7-inch single. The music video won the Best Female Video and Best Video from a Film awards at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. It also earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist. The soundtrack went on to sell 1.5 million copies in the United States.

After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah began to work on her second film, Queen of the D____. She played the role of an ancient vampire, Queen Akasha, which she described as a "manipulative, crazy, sexual being." Filming both Romeo Must Die and Queen of the D____ delayed the release of her next album. She had not intended for her albums to have such a gap between them: "I wanted to take a break after One in a Million to just relax, think about how I wanted to approach the next album. Then, when I was ready to start back up, Romeo happened, and so I had to take another break and do that film and then do the soundtrack, then promote it. The break turned into a longer break than I anticipated." Ultimately, she filmed Queen of the D_____ and recorded her third album at the same time, so that the album could be released in 2001. She enjoyed balancing her singing and acting careers. Though she called music a "first" for her, she also had been acting since she was young and had wanted to begin acting "at some point in my career", but "wanted it to be the right time and the right vehicle" and felt Romeo Must Die "was it." Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times argued that Aaliyah's focus on her film career may have caused her to not give the album "the attention it merited."

The Last Album (in her life)

The last album of Aaliyah when she was alive was her self-titled album called Aaliyah. She loved to sing and act constantly during her longevity. During the recording stages of the album, Aaliyah's publicist said that the album's released date would most likely be October 2000, but that wasn't the case. Aaliyah finished recording the album in March of 2001. This was after a year of recording tracks that began in March 2000. Aaliyah was the album released on July 17, 2001 (five years after One in a Million). The album sold 187,000 copies in its first week. The first single from the album was We Need a Resolution with Timbaland. It peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100. The week after her death, the album rose from number 19 to number 1 on the Billboard 200. Rock the Boat was released as a posthumous single. The music video premiered on BET's Access Granted, and it became the most viewed and highest rated episode in the history of the show. The song peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The promotional posters for Aaliyah that had been put up in major cities like New York City and Los Angeles became makeshift memorials for grieving fans. By February 2002, the album was certified double platinum by RIAA. The album Aaliyah's songs like More than a Woman and I Care 4 U were released as posthumous singles and peaked within the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100. More than a Woman reached number one the UK singles chart, making her the first woman deceased artist to reach number one on the UK singles chart. The album was released by Blackground Records and Virgin Records. Aaliyah worked on the album as early as 1998. She recorded much of the album in 2000 at Sing Sing Studios in Australia, where she shot her role for the 2002 film Queen of the D_____. She also recorded at the Manhattan Center and Sony Music Studios in New York plus Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles (among other locations). There were many writers and producers involved in the project like Bud'da, J. Dub, Rapture, Eric Seats, and longtime collaborator Timbaland. Aaliyah was an album with R&B, neo soul, dance-pop, funk, alternative rock, Electronica, hip hop, and Latin music. Static Major was involved in the project as a friend of Aaliyah too. Aaliyah was the album that was more mature that evaluated romance in a complex way from infatuation to heartache. It promoted women empowerment. Aaliyah was posthumously awarded the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist, and the American Music Award in 2002 for Favorite R&B/Soul Album. Aaliyah helped to change R&B and inspire future R&B stars like Ciara, Ashanti, Beyonce, and Rihanna. Timbaland reached more success with Aaliyah. Timbaland would never reach that next level without Aaliyah as Timbaland would admit too. 

Last Moments

The last moments of Aaliyah was filled with excitement and tragedy. Aaliyah appeared on BET's 106 and Park on August 21, 2001. She announced that the shooting of the video for the single Rock the Boat is to be directed by Hype Williams. She said that the filming will start in the following day. Hype Williams was already a legend of filming R&B and hip hop music videos. Nearly sixty people worked on the video in the Bahamas. On August 22, 2001, Aaliyah traveled to Miami, Florida and film dance routines backed by a green screen during the day, with underwater shots for the video in the evening. On August 23, Aaliyah and employees of Virgin Records America flew to the Bahamas on two flights using a Fairchild Metro III, chartered through Sky Limo. She was scheduled to leave the Bahamas on August 26, but chose to leave the day before since she had finished early. Williams recalled, "Aaliyah left mid-production, so we were still shooting when she left." Aaliyah worked with Fatima Robinson, one of the greatest choreographers of our generation. Fatima is a great dancer and music video director too. Fatima and Aaliyah were great friends (they worked together on the Aaliyah music videos of Are You That Somebody?, Try Again, We Need a Resolution, and More than a Woman). The New York Post printed one of the last photographs taken of Aaliyah, with a fan who wanted it as a souvenir, but wrongly labeled it as having been taken just before the crash flight departed. The photo was in fact taken when Aaliyah arrived in the Bahamas on Thursday, August 23. The music video of Rock the boat was filled with massive dances, a tropical environmental, and Robinson's signature, hip hop type of choreography. The first part of the music video was created in Miami with an extensive 9-hour soundstage shoot and underwater sequences in a diving pool. The 2nd part of the production was filled in The Bahamas with the iconic beach and yacht performances. Those performances were some of the greatest performances in R&B history. The song Rock the Boat is self-explanatory about its themes of romance and love making. 

On Saturday, August 25, at 6:50 p.m. (EDT), after she had completed her portions of the music video, Aaliyah and Virgin employees boarded a twin-engine Cessna 402B (registration N8097W) at the Marsh Harbour Airport, on the Abaco Islands, for the return trip back to Opa-locka Airport in Florida. The aircraft designated for the return flight was smaller than the one on which they had originally arrived, but it still had room to take on the whole party and all of their equipment. The passengers had grown impatient because the Cessna was supposed to arrive at 4:30 p.m. EDT, but did not arrive until 6:15 p.m. EDT. Charter pilot Lewis Key claimed to have overheard passengers arguing with the pilot, Luis Morales III, prior to take off, adding that Morales warned them that there was too much weight for a "safe flight". Key further stated: "He tried to convince them the plane was overloaded, but they insisted they had chartered the plane and they had to be in Miami Saturday night." Key indicated that Morales gave in to the passengers and that he had trouble starting one of the engines.

The following is what much of the public didn't know until 2021. According to Kathy Iandoli's 2021 biography, Aaliyah was a nervous flier. She had serious reservations about flying on the small, overloaded plane and refused to board. After arguing with the rest of her entourage about it, she retreated into a taxicab to rest, claiming that she had a headache. One of the passengers was sent to check on her and proceeded to give her an unidentified pill and a glass of water. She took the pill, fell back asleep, and was aided into the plane. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, about 200 feet (60 m) from the runway. Aaliyah and five of the eight others on board were killed instantly. Scott Gallin, Aaliyah's security guard and two other people initially survived the crash, but died shortly afterwards. According to the paramedics on scene, Gallin spent his last moments asking about Aaliyah's condition.  One witness recalled the condition of the bodies: "It was an awful sight. Some bodies were so badly disfigured, you couldn't identify them. And two guys were alive – one screaming and screaming for help. He was horribly burned all over." A pilot who witnessed the crash saw the Cessna go down as he was working on some machinery "about half a mile" (0.8 km) away. He recalled the aircraft being only "60 to 100 feet" (18 to 30 m) off the ground before it crashed. He went to get a fire truck and was stunned by what he saw upon arriving at the crash site. "It was pretty devastating. The aircraft was broken into pieces and some of the seats were thrown from the aircraft." 

With the remaining crew left behind on the island, and too scared to get on a plane to return to the United States following Aaliyah's crash, singer Lenny Kravitz, a personal friend of "Rock the Boat" choreographer Fatima Robinson, sent his private jet to collect her and the dancers. Fans of Aaliyah were reportedly grieving in New York City, where the singer had spent the first five years of her life before relocating to Detroit. Quincy Jones told the Associated Press that he was devastated by her death. The then Bahamian Minister for Tourism O. Tommy Turnquest stated: "We find it devastating and most unfortunate that after having this world-famous star Aaliyah and her crew select the Bahamas as their choice location for her latest video, the project has climaxed on such a tragic note." Two days after she died, on August 27, fans gathered near her former high school to remember her in a candlelight vigil. By August 29, nearly 6,000 people had emailed BBC News "expressing shock and sorrow" at her death.

Gladys Knight said she felt "blessed" to have known Aaliyah and stated: "I watched her grow up, and, with the rest of the world, saw her achieve success with her special and unique talents." She continued: "From an early age, I knew she had enormous talents, an intrinsic gift. When she first performed with me in Las Vegas, she was still quite young, but she already had it – that spark the world would later see and fall in love with." Silbert Mills, an official on Abaco Island, reported the denizens playing her music there and added: "That's the whole tragedy of it. We felt as if we knew her, yet we didn't." Destiny's Child lead singer Beyoncé Knowles praised her good nature and stated: "She was one of the first celebrities we met, she was so nice, we went out, we hung out with her, and it's really sad and we're trying to be strong." Lil' Kim described the crash as "really devastating" and said she "could never find anything bad about her."

Actor Jet Li, Aaliyah's co-star from the film Romeo Must Die, heard of her death and was "deeply saddened that she is no longer with us. She was a wonderful and talented artist who will be missed by everyone whose lives she touched." DMX called her "talented, classy, warm, beautiful, compassionate, humble." Damon Dash said he was "crushed and heartbroken over the loss of such a beautiful and talented woman whom I loved deeply and meant the world to me." Ginuwine referred to her as family, said he would miss her and offered his condolences to her family, while speaking to the New York Daily News from Los Angeles. Brian McKnight complimented Aaliyah as being "really genuine and nice and not jaded about being a star." Jill Scott said she felt numb over Aaliyah's death given her age, talent and beauty and added, "It hurts, and it's sad, and we'll miss her." 

According to the findings of 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 and a weak heart. The coroner theorized that she went into such a state of shock that even if she had survived the crash, her recovery would have been nearly impossible. The bodies, some of them badly burned, were taken to the morgue at Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau, where they remained until relatives made positive identification.

The accident was investigated by the Civil Aviation Department. It determined that the aircraft was over its maximum takeoff weight by more than 900 pounds (410 kg) and had one more passenger than it was certified to carry. An informational report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated, "The airplane was seen lifting off the runway, and then nose down, impacting in a marsh on the south side of the departure end of runway 27." It indicated that pilot Morales was not approved to fly the aircraft. Morales had falsely obtained his FAA license by showing logs of hundreds of flight hours he had never flown. He may also have falsified the number of hours he had flown to get the job with his employer, Blackhawk International Airways. Additionally, Morales' toxicology report revealed traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system. The NTSB reported that the maximum allowed gross weight of the aircraft was "substantially exceeded" and that the center of gravity was positioned beyond its rear limit. The U.S. joined the investigation on August 27, 2001, as authorities from the NTSB and the FAA arrived in the Bahamas. On August 31, the day of Aaliyah's funeral, an independent expert of the Cessna Pilots Association reported that the aircraft was overloaded

The day of the crash was Morales' first official day with Blackhawk, an FAA Part 135 single-pilot operation. He was not registered with the FAA to fly for Blackhawk and, as a result of the accident, Aaliyah's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company, which was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

The families of Foreman and Dodd filed lawsuits against Virgin Records America, alleging the record company was negligent in chartering the aircraft that crashed, killing all the passengers. The lawsuit noted that Blackhawk had been cited four times in the previous four years. At a news conference, attorney Brian Panish charged that the crash victims died instantly because Virgin Records America "put profits over people." In less than a week, the relatives of Gallin sued Virgin Records America, claiming that the label, and its affiliated music and video production units, were liable for his death because they handled the arrangements for Aaliyah's video shoot in the Bahamas. Gallin's relatives claimed that the label should have hired a "competent" transportation broker and air charter company, and that Blackhawk allowed the pilot to fly the aircraft even though he was unqualified, and took off with it dangerously overloaded. Stuart Grossman represented the Gallin family during the lawsuit and reasoned that even the pilot did not want to take off because of overloading and called it "outrageous." He added: "This is a case of trying to put a size 12 foot in a size 10 shoe."

Her Funeral

On August 28, Aaliyah's remains were transported from the Bahamas back to the United States. Over 100 people waited outside the funeral home in Nassau as four men lifted her coffin into a hearse. It was then taken to the Nassau International Airport, where a private jet waited to return the body to Newark International Airport in New Jersey. The other victims' bodies were repatriated on August 29. A U.S. Embassy spokesman reported that Virgin Records America paid the cost of all mortuary services in the Bahamas, the return of the bodies to the U.S., as well as the funerals. Aaliyah's family was staying at the Trump International Hotel in New York when her body was returned. Staff reported flowers and condolences had been sent in steadily since her death. A worker at the reception desk disclosed that at least 500 bouquets, delivered mostly by grieving fans, had arrived for the family in the three days between the crash and the return of her body. Aaliyah's publicist, Jill Fritzo, said the Haughton family was touched by the support they received from fans and reported the condition of the family: "They're hanging in there. It's very tough for them."

In May 2002, Aaliyah's parents filed a lawsuit, similar to those filed by the families of Foreman and Dodd, against Virgin Records America in Los Angeles, alleging negligence. Their lawsuit claimed that a "dangerous and unsafe configuration" of the Cessna was the cause of the crash and that it was the "wrong plane" for the charter flight; the litigation also asserted that Morales was not properly qualified to operate the aircraft. In addition to suing Virgin Records, the lawsuit named Blackhawk, music video director Harold Williams, Instinct Productions, Big Dog House Films, Blackground Records LLC and Skystream. An investigator for the Civil Aviation Department stated neither Blackhawk nor Skystream had a permit to operate commercial charter flights in the Bahamas. In September 2003, the Haughtons' lawyers filed a notice in federal court that the case had been settled with an agreement to keep the monetary details confidential.

Aaliyah's Legacy

Revolutionary describes Aaliyah's life and legacy. She was an artist who broke down barriers and show complex fashion, hybrid music, and a sense of light that made people feel positive about life. From 1979 to 2001, Aaliyah was a massively talented human being. She could dance, sing, act, and write all of the time. Her gift was that she mixed a down-to-Earth personality along with an urban mentality. That is why she was called "sweet but street." Aaliyah had all of the street smarts in the world along with a glorious singing voice that has inspired millions of people in the world. Aaliyah loved to merge hip hop and R&B styles in her music along with soul and pop. Her music increasingly was influenced by the futuristic, techno sounds from Timbaland and Missy Elliot (who were born and raised in the 757 or Hampton Roads, Virginia). She helped to inspire future R&B stars in the 21st century like Ashanti, Rihanna, Ciara, Beyonce, Victoria Monet, and other people in the music industry. She revolutionized R&B music with her unique blending of many different genres. One of the most groundbreaking R&B albums in the 1990s was her One in a Million album. Her song of Are You That Somebody? was a very radical song with fashion, vocal ability, and style that has relevancy in the 21st century (while the song was released in 1998). She worked with legends from Static Major to Fatima Robinson. Aaliyah worked with tons of other people like Nas, Junior M.A.F.I.A, DMX, Slick Rick, Lil' Kim, Da Brat, the group Playa, and Magoo. Aaliayh had many friends like her brother Rashad Haughton, Ginuwine, Kadida Jones, Ananda Lewis, Foxy Brown, etc. Damon Dash said that he dated Aaliyah. Groundbreaking success deals with Aaliyah's legacy too. She sold 8.1 million albums in America and an estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide. She has been called the Princess of R&B and Pop Princess. She has been called the Queen of Urban Pop too. At the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, Aaliyah was honored by Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Ginuwine, and her brother Rashad, all of whom paid tribute to her. Also, during 2001, the United States Social Security Administration ranked the name Aaliyah as one of the 100 most popular names for newborn girls. Also in 2003, the Entertainment Industry Foundation created the Aaliyah Memorial Fund in her memory to donate money raised to charities she supported. In September 2023, she was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. Aaliyah's iconic legacy has given hope and power to future generations of people to be themselves in an authentic fashion. 

By Timothy