*All About A True Star*
Aaliyah was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York City. Interestingly, her parents had decided on the name ‘Aaliyah,’ which means ‘most exalted one’ in Arabic, long before she was even conceived because of the high expectations they would have for their daughter. Also, her parents were considering converting to the Islamic religion at the time. Also included in the family is Aaliyah’s brother, Rashad, with whom Aaliyah shared an intimate bond. By the time Aaliyah was five, the family had moved into a middle-class neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. Throughout her childhood years in Detroit, Aaliyah continuously performed at church, school, and local talent shows as her reputation as a singer grew. She was introduced into the music industry by her uncle, who was then married to Gladys Knight and R. Kelly’s manager. At the age of 11, Aaliyah gained the opportunity to be a part of Gladys Knight’s show in Las Vegas.
In 1993, when Aaliyah turned fourteen, she was approached by R. Kelly and her uncle, and production for her first album went underway. Meanwhile, Aaliyah collaborated with R. Kelly on several songs off his album 12 Plays. In early 1994, Aaliyah released her first album, Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number, at the tender age of fifteen. The R. Kelly-produced album was a smash hit, and it spawned number-one tracks such as “Back & Forth” and “At Your Best (You Are Love).” The success made her an overnight sensation, and at the center of gossip and controversy. Aaliyah and R. Kelly allegedly married shortly after the album was released, despite their large age difference.
After leaving R. Kelly for personal and professional reasons, Aaliyah began work on her sophomore album with producers Timbaland and Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott. In 1996, One In A Million was released, and was even more successful than the previous album. With a series of number one hits such as “One In A Million,” “If Your Girl Only Knew,” and “Hot Like Fire,” the album quickly went double platinum by 1997.
In addition to the two albums, Aaliyah contributed to several soundtracks periodically. In 1997, Aaliyah released “Journey To The Past,” from the Anastasia soundtrack, and the song received an Oscar nomination. She was invited to perform that song at the 1998 Oscars. Later in 1998, “Are You That Somebody,” from the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack, was released. The track gained overwhelming fame, and stayed at the top of the billboard charts for many weeks. The song was so popular, that it has become synonymous with Aaliyah.
During 1999 and 2000, Aaliyah shifted her focus from music to the widescreen. She auditioned and won the part of “Trish,” counterpart to Jet Li, in the box office hit Romeo Must Die. She also recorded four new songs for the soundtrack. The young star achieved even greater success during this time when she released her most popular song, “Try Again.” Aaliyah began to penetrate the foreign music market as her track gained enormous fame in many countries across the world. Also released from the soundtrack was “Come Back In One Piece,” a collaboration with rapper DMX, and “I Don’t Wanna.”
More than five years after her release of One In A Million, Aaliyah set work on her final album while shooting her latest movie, Queen of the Damned. The focus of the album, according to Aaliyah, was to show the gained maturity in herself and her music. In July 2001, Aaliyah was released as the young singer’s career was skyrocketing. The first single, “We Need A Resolution” was not a great hit, but the next single “Rock The Boat” fared much better.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck just after Aaliyah finished shooting the video for “Rock The Boat,” in the Bahamas. On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and seven other people boarded a Cessna plane, which was overloaded with cargo. When they took off for Miami, the plane failed to gain lift and crashed within a few hundred feet from the runway. The rising star was instantly killed along with seven other people and the pilot. News of the tragedy traveled quickly as thousands of fans showed their remorse through a sudden explosion of Aaliyah album sales, tribute websites, and local memorials. In October of 2001, Aaliyah’s last single “More Than A Woman” was released, with the video having been shot before “Rock The Boat.” She was also scheduled to be cast in the upcoming Matrix sequels.
Despite her early death in August 2001, fans and celebrities –alike- still morn the loss of Aaliyah and continue to cherish her existence through the appreciation of her music and movies. Having been known for embodying a creative combination of Hip-Hop and R&B in her music along with her genteel, self-less personality, Aaliyah will continue to inspire and entertain millions of fans for years to come. Her existence in our souls will never dim and her presence will always be known.
