Saturday, August 25, 2012

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Aaliyah - Enough Said (Solo Version) Album Cover Art


All Album Cover Art by Prinza. Click the image to see the full size.

Aaliyah - Enough Said (Solo Version)

Aaliyah - Enough Said [HQ]
(Solo Version) without Drake
*NEW* 2012

Missy Elliott Says She Has "No Clue" About A New Aaliyah Album

Aaliyah's cousin and son of Barry Hankerson, Jomo Hankerson, confirmed in an exclusive interview with Billboard Biz that long time friends of Aaliyah, Timbaland and Missy Elliott, are on board with the new album, but according to Missy Elliott she has "no clue" about a new Aaliyah album. Today, a fan tweeted Missy Elliott congratulating her on being involved on Aaliyah's new album, but then Missy hit everyone with a doozy- no one told her about an Aaliyah album.

Stirring, posthumous Aaliyah single 'Enough Said' stirs controversy

Twenty seconds into "Enough Said," the posthumous Aaliyah single that Drake released Sunday, it's impossible not to feel an eerie chill.

When the low-end sounds of Drizzy's longtime producer Noah "40" Shebib open up to reveal a hypnotic percussion, Aaliyah's silky falsetto breathes a haunting life into the track.

"I can tell it's somethin' up with you, tell me do you wanna talk about, talk about ... I hate to see you feel this way," she coos effortlessly over the beat.

More than 10 years after the Detroit-raised singer's death, her voice — by way of vocal tracks left recorded but previously unheard — is finally being heard outside an all-too-abbreviated discography.

After countless rumors about posthumous releases, the idea of getting a new album of vaulted works seemed unrealistic. Drake and 40 now offer hope in a little under four minutes, but the effort is not without controversy.

For the past few weeks, the blogosphere has reignited with talk that a project is in the works — with Drake at the helm as executive producer. Obviously, the news struck discord with Aaliyah fans, as the singer's name (and music) have long been most closely associated with collaborators and friends Missy Elliott and Timbaland.

They didn't put this track together, which instantly polarized Aaliyah's fans, particularly on Twitter, where the song became a trending topic and sparked a range of emotions.

Some found it seemingly blasphemous that the first taste of an official project lacked the two heavyweights who helped Aaliyah both define and reinvent the sound of '90s urban music; others were just grateful to hear something new from the singer who died in a plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001.

"Anything Aaliyah-related needs to have Timbaland and MissyElliott covering it. They actually knew her," blogger KidFury tweeted after the release. Another fan, iAmKessa24, wrote "ive not waited this long just to diss it. hope the haughton fam gave it greenlight."

Drake's presence — he offers a verse with his usual struggling-with-fame-pathos — was equally as divisive for fans hoping for a completely solo track.

But to be fair, this is just one track. After Aaliyah's death, executives at her label, Blackground Records, told the Los Angeles Times that she had "recorded enough material for at least one more album." A year after her death, Blackground issued "I Care 4 U," a posthumous greatest hits package featuring six unreleased songs from sessions with Timbaland, Teddy Bishop and another longtime collaborator, Static Major, who died in 2008.

Although future involvement of Missy and Timbaland and further details of the release remain unknown (the label doesn't have an official website, though it uploaded the song on Soundcloud), Drake deserves to be applauded for the track.

His love of Baby Girl is no secret, and that passion is evident in "Enough Said," and no doubt whatever else he is able to contribute to the project.

Sure, he's made himself an easy target for bloggers, with tribute tattoos and open letters to the singer he never met, but rarely do artists get the chance to revive their inspirations, certainly not as deftly as he's done with the track.

There aren't many acts out right now with the ability to channel the breathy falsetto and innovative, genre-blending beats that made Aaliyah groundbreaking for her time. The song feels current, but could also fit nicely on her final self-titled 2001 album, which still manages to brim with urgency.

With "Enough Said," Drizzy and 40 managed to bring Aaliyah back — even if it's only for four minutes.

Drake Promises "New Aaliyah Album This Year"

Drake has made it clear that he doesn't spend much time on social media outlets thanks to the inevitable criticism, but this week the YMCMB rapper really caught heat for his new collaboration with Aaliyah. Amid rumors that her family isn't supporting the mysterious posthumous album that he's helming, Drake finally confirmed that the project is official — with the blessing of her family.

Aubrey first dropped hints about a posthumous album from the singer in March during a radio interview, telling fans he had some "great Aaliyah news coming soon." A month later, Timbaland was questioned about Drake's involvement in the project and he was firm in stating that both he and Missy Elliott should be involved in any Aaliyah music being produced on the horizon.

Things went quiet for a while, until last week when word began to spread that Drake might premiere a new single featuring Aaliyah at his annual OVO Fest in Toronto on Sunday (August 5). While he didn't actually debut the song onstage, "Enough Said" (correctly billed as Aaliyah featuring Drake) hit the Web, causing quite the stir. Some fans were happy to hear unreleased music from the singer 11 years after her death, but plenty were up in arms over Drake reportedly cutting Timb out of the equation.

Next came rumors that Aaliyah's family wasn't supporting the project, but during an interview with MuchMusic, Drake finally explained the real deal. "People should be really excited. People thought it was my single; it's not my single. It's all off of an Aaliyah project that me and 40 are commanding and 40's just doing some incredible, some incredible music right now," Drake shared backstage at OVO Fest.

"To get 13, 14 new Aaliyah songs, everybody should be excited. It's not about me. It's not about 40. It's about her and her fans and us just getting the opportunity to give you something that we feel is great. And the people around her, everybody from her family to her old management and label, were like, 'If there's anyone out that can do it right now, it's [you] and 40.' And that was an honor and we're going to pull in some classic people, anybody who used to work with Aaliyah that was essential in her career we definitely hope to have them involved. So it's great. You get a new Aaliyah album this year on top of everything."

There has been no official statement from Aaliyah's family but the stamp of Blackground Records, which is run by her uncle Barry Hankerson, appears on the cover art for "Enough Said" alongside Drake's own OVO symbol

Timbaland and Missy Elliott Will Be Involved in Aaliyah Album

Timbaland and Missy Elliott helped craft Aaliyah’s trademark sound, and now fans will be able to hear them make magic once again on a posthumous album.


In an interview with Billboard.biz, Aaliyah’s cousin Jomo Hankerson, who runs Blackground Records with his father Barry Hankerson, confirmed the hitmakers’ participation.

“I can tell you that Timbaland will definitely be involved, Missy will definitely be involved,” said Hankerson, who added, “One of the records that we had that was never released was a Missy record that we obviously are going to be refreshing.”

Just days ago, Drake said that he and producer Noah “40” Shebib would be “commanding the new Aaliyah album,” but Hankerson denies the claim. Instead, he says that he and his father will executive produce the project, which they hope to release by the end of the year. They are pulling from 16 unreleased Aaliyah recordings and calling on “contemporary artists.”

He did reveal, however, that Drake will appear on “more of the records” in addition to the single “Enough Said,” and that 40 is “heavily involved.”

“We really felt like it was time,” explained Hankerson. “There’s a real new generation that doesn’t know her necessarily, and we wanted to continue her musical legacy with this new generation. That’s one of the reasons why we wanted to do very contemporary music. We didn’t want to make it a nostalgic project; we already did that with the I Care 4 U album.”

While his exact role remains unclear, Drake can’t wait for Aaliyah’s fans to hear new material from the late singer, who died 11 years ago. “40’s just doing some incredible, incredible music right now,” he told MuchMusic. “To get 13, 14 new Aaliyah songs, everybody should be excited. It’s not about me, it’s not about 40. It’s really about her and her fans and us just getting the opportunity to give you something that we feel is great.” 

UPDATE: Blackground Records has now confirmed to Billboard.biz that Drake and Noah “40” Shebib will indeed co-executive produce the Aaliyah album alongside Blackground Records.

Drake talks Aaliyah album

Drake feels good about moving forward with plans to produce a posthumous project.
The music world has been missing Aaliyah for years, but Drake recently brought her back with a new single titled "Enough Said."

The musical resurrection was welcomed by many fans, but not everyone is feeling the first release from the upcoming album that he is mixing alongside his producer Noah ’40′ Shebib. Drake is amped about the opportunity to kind of work with one of his idols, and he told MuchMusic that he wishes more people felt the same.

"People should be excited [about the new single]. It’s all off of an Aaliyah project that me and 40 are commanding and 40 is just doing some incredible, incredible music right now," he said. "To get 13-14 new Aaliyah songs …. everybody should be excited."

He added, "It’s not about me, and it’s not about 40. It’s really about her and her fans…and us just getting an opportunity to give you something that we feel is great."

Drake shared that he's definitely getting a vote of confidence from her inner circle, and he wants to make sure that all of her closest collaborators get a chance to have their voice heard on the album. That's great news for Timbaland, who recently told the hosts of the "The Breakfast Club" radio show that he thinks an Aaliyah album wouldn't be right without him and Missy Elliot making some kind of contribution. Drake seems to welcome their input.

"You know, the people around her, everybody from her family to her old management and label, were just like, ‘If there’s anybody out who can do it right now, it’s you and 40,'" Drake said. "And it was an honor to pull in some classic people, like anybody who used to work with Aaliyah that was essential in her career, we hope to have them involved."

When Drake said "everybody," that list likely did not include Aaliyah's brother, Rashad Haughton, who went on the singer's official Facebook page to denounce the project. "There is no official album being released and supported by the Haughton family,” Rashad wrote.

Watch Video Here >> http://youtu.be/CgMqkdCg-F8

Friday, August 10, 2012

Tank Talks Singing Background For Aaliyah

Tank Talks Singing Background For Aaliyah, TGT Supergroup: “It’s Gonna Be Major” [EXCLUSIVE]

R&B singer Tank is in town and stopped by Majic 107.5 / 97.5 to speak with Carol Blackmon. In addition to reminiscing about singing background for Ginuwine and Aaliyah, Tank also explained how the TGT super group came about, which includes Tank, Ginuwine and Tyrese.

Interview Below:

YKIGS: I want to ask you about a personal favorite artist of mine that you worked with years ago and that’s Static Major. What was your relationship like with him and what was it like working with him?

Tank: That was my guy, it was family so it was easy to make magic with Static, that’s what he knew how to do. I came up listening to songs that Static…my first tour, I was singing songs that Static wrote, big hits that he wrote for Ginuwine and he wrote for Aaliyah. So it was an honor and then it turned into family and from there it’s just what it was at that point. He’s sorely missed, great writer, great entertainer, great everything.

YKIGS: On your second album “One Man” he was credited in the writing credits for “Unpredictable” and “So Many Times” and I was just wondering, because they sound like more of your style than his, did we co-write those with you? How did that go down?

Tank: No he wrote those himself! I produced “Unpredictable” but he wrote it, and he wrote “So Many Times.” That’s all Static and that was probably maybe Static maybe coming into my world. We had an appreciation for each other’s craft so it worked perfect going into the studio with him. I didn’t second guess anything he wrote or anything he told me to sing, I just did it.

YKIGS: I also want to know what you remember about working with Aaliyah on the songs “I Can Be” and “What If” from her “Aaliyah” album. What do you remember most about those sessions?

Tank: Well unfortunately with those sessions, she was shooting “Queen of the Damned” over in Australia, and that was just when I was getting ready to start a promo, so I didn’t get to make the trip. But she told me specifically what kind of records she wanted, and she kinda wanted a little dangerous, a little sexy, that type of thing. I got to go in the studio and tailor make something for her, that was amazing that she called me from way overseas like “Tank, I need these kinds of records, I know you can write them for me.” And I was happy that I was able to deliver, that they were records that she actually loved them when she recorded them, she did her thing. 

Blackground Records Clarifies Rumors of Aaliyah's Posthumous Album

Last week, a report claimed that a posthumous Aaliyah** album was in the works and that Drake** would executive produce the project. Additionally, the Young Money rapper was supposedly set to feature the late singer, who passed in August 2001, on his latest single.

Instead, this past Sunday (August 5th), Blackground Records released Aaliyah's "Enough Said" featuring Drake to Soundcloud. The ghostly cut touted previously unheard vocals, a smoldering beat from producer Noah "40" Shebib and a verse from Drake. Three hours after it was posted, the song racked up more than 100,000 clicks. As of press time, it has more than 620,000 listens.

The song ignited debates about the possible existence of a new Aaliyah LP. Many fans speculated that Aaliyah collaborators Timbaland** and Missy Elliott** would not be involved with the project. Some criticized the fact that Drake, who has continuously expressed his love for her music, would oversee an album when he had never actually met her. Aaliyah's brother Rashad Haughton posted an official statement on Facebook that her immediate family will not support this project, which Drake later countered by claiming that "everybody from her family to her old management and label" were behind the record. Billboard.biz reached out to Haughton but had not received a response as of press time.

Aaliyah's cousin Jomo Hankerson, who runs Blackground Records with his father Barry Hankerson, spoke with Billboard.biz about the posthumous release, confirming that an album is in fact in the works. Using 16 unreleased songs and "fragments" from Aaliyah's archive, Blackground hopes to release the LP by year's end, enlisting "contemporary artists" to color the project and help repackage her vocals. This marks the first release from the late singer since 2002's "I Care 4 U," a compilation album featuring previously heard and unheard recordings, and is intended to introduce her to younger listeners by updating her sound.

"We really felt like it was time. There's a real new generation that doesn't know her necessarily, and we wanted to continue her musical legacy with this new generation," explains Hankerson. "That's one of the reasons why we wanted to do very contemporary music. We didn't want to make it a nostalgic project; we already did that with the 'I Care 4 U' album. The idea was to release new music for her diehard fans, and also reintroduce her music to a new generation that doesn't really understand how much influence she has in the music that they're listening to today."

Hankerson denies that Drake is contracted to executive produce the project (he says that he and his father will executive produce the album, but that they are considering adding others to the fold), but says that he will appear on "more of the records" and that Shebib is "heavily involved" in reshaping the music. After moving its publishing to Reservoir Media in July, Blackground reached out to the Canadian producer on the strength of his work with Alicia Keys** ("Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)") and his unique sound. It seemed only "natural" that Drake would contribute to what would become "Enough Said." Blackground was so pleased with the result that they released the stream before having a marketing plan or radio strategy in place.

While the album is in the early stages, Hankerson confirms that Timbaland and Missy Elliott will participate in assembling the LP. "Timbaland will be involved with this project. One of the records that we had that was never released was a Missy record that we obviously are going to be refreshing," says Hankerson, who did not clarify if Timbaland has already produced songs for the project. "This record ['Enough Said'] really kind of came sooner than we thought it was going to come, so it's really the beginning of the creative process for us. We've got a record out while we're still creating the project. A lot of that is still up in the air, but I can tell you that Timbaland will definitely be involved, Missy will definitely be involved." Timbaland declined to comment for this story, while Elliott did not respond to Billboard.biz's request as of press time.

Reservoir Media Management EVP Rell Lafargue estimates that there is enough leftover material for two posthumous Aaliyah albums, while Hankerson says that approximation might be "a little premature." Talks between Blackground and Reservoir began roughly 15 months ago for the latter to acquire the 500-song catalog that includes Aaliyah's archives, music from Static Major and albums from JoJo, Timbaland, Magoo and Tank. As part of the deal, Reservoir, a boutique publishing company with top 40 hits from 50 Cent, Madonna and Justin Timberlake, will market Aaliyah's music to television and film, as well as release songs to online services like iTunes and Spotify where much of her music cannot be currently found. Additionally, the company will assist with licensing of songs for covers and sampling (Lafargue notes that there are talks of Dr. Dre sampling "Rock the Boat" for a new song).

"Part of taking new music to market is to release old music as well in different forms. There are tons of old interviews, video, things that were shot before her passing will be part of any and all repackaging. There are alternate takes and different remixes that never got released," says Lafargue. "The one thing that was just confirmed, the demand, was Aaliyah's 10-year anniversary of her passing. The ratings on the BET special were huge for that network and there's a demand for it. I believe that we recognize the demand and want to give her fans what they want."

Monday, August 6, 2012

NEW Song! Aaliyah feat. Drake - Enough Said

A posthumous song by Aaliyah featuring Drake has come online. Billboard reports that the song was posted by producer Noah "40" Shebib to Soundcloud and is titled "Enough Said." The cover art for the song bears the logo of Drake's October Very Own as well as Blackground Records, the latter of whom represents Aaliyah's estate. As previously reported, Drake is said to be executive producing the late R&B star's first posthumous album while Timbaland, who worked with her on several songs, is in the dark.

"I know they trying to drop some Aaliyah records, but if [Drake] do it, it should be with me and him, and Missy [Elliott]," Timbaland said in an interview with Power 105.1. "I don't know what's going on. The proper way to do that would be for me, him and Missy to be all on the record. For it to be on his record, that would not be right."

Aaliyah sounds amazing so Drake Needs to give the full song to Her!

Listen to the song here:
http://soundcloud.com/futuresounds-bgr/aaliyah-enough-said-feat-drake 

Friday, August 3, 2012

Timbaland Opens Up On Drake Releasing New Aaliyah Music: Notable/Quotable

"I know they trying to drop some Aaliyah records, but if he do it, it should be with me and Missy. The proper way for him to do that would be for me, him and Missy to be all on the record. But to put it on his record, would just not be right."

--Grammy award-winning producer Timbaland opens up on recent news of Drake reportedly releasing new Aaliyah music.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Keshia Chante's Ode to the late great Aaliyah & 90's R&B

Keshia Chante'
"I recently had the pleasure of working with the incredible Matt Barnes whose work I have been admiring for quite some time. I’ve been wanting to do a photo shoot like this forever &; I am so thrilled to see Matt take things to the next level. His work always feels like your inside of a movie &; I truly felt like a character in his film. My heart will forever be in love with old school R&B, especially the 90′s &; of course the late great Aaliyah &; I feel this shoot was an ode to that! We mixed some Liy, TLC, Brandy, Slick Rick, etc in this shoot &; it makes my heart flutter. Peep the old school phone, gold rope chains, pager, timbs, etc,. BIG thank you to the team: Matt Barnes, Tara, Janet Jackson of Jou Jou (hair), Dee Daly (makeup), Caitlin Wright (wardrobe stylist), Jennifer Hyland &; all the interns at Westside who helped make it special!!! I hope my KCRyders will love this. I’ve never felt more comfortable then this…"

Matt Barnes
"Canadian cultural mainstay Keshia Chanté was in front of Matt’s camera recently, so the two could give a nod to Aaliyah & throwback R&B, for a personal creative. An accomplished artist, whose life has been spot-lit since her early teens, Keshia is a Juno Award winner and chart topper, who has made the occasional foray into acting. The shoot, paying tribute to the singers that helped to influence Keshia’s career, was helped aesthetically along by makeup artist Dee Daly, hairstylist Janet Jackson, and wardrobe stylist Caitlin Wright. Ride the jump for the entire series." 

She looks so stunning in these photos! Props to Matt, Dee and everyone who put this together! What an amazing job you all did! Full photo credit goes to Matt Barnes, these are not my photos! Article credits: Keshia Chante' & Matt Barnes.


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Drake To Reportedly Executive Produce Aaliyah's Next Album, Features Her On New Single

Drake is reportedly set to executive produce Aaliyah’s upcoming posthumous album. He is also slated to feature the late singer on his new single.

A reliable source with inside knowledge of the situation told HipHopDX that the Young Money rapper, who has a tattoo of the songstress on his back, will sit at the helm for her new LP. Details surrounding the album are scarce, but in March, producer Jeffrey “J. Dub” Walker said that an unreleased song titled “Steady Ground” will appear on the project. Aaliyah’s brother, Rashad Haughton, later said that no such album was in the works.

In late March, Drake hinted to Tim Westwood that he had some “special things” related to Aaliyah in motion. “I have some great Aaliyah news coming soon,” he said. “Just some special things. Just gave you that, just a little. Because I said, I’m with Westwood, so I can’t not. But great things, great things for music, period.”

Additionally, Drake, who sampled Aaliyah’s “At Your Best (You Are Love)” for his track “Unforgettable,” is reportedly set to feature her vocals on his upcoming single. He is set to debut the song at the OVO Festival, taking place this Sunday (August 5th) at Toronto, Canada’s Molson Amphitheatre.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Timbaland Remembering Making Are You That Somebody For Aaliyah


It has been 11 years since the beautiful Aaliyah left a mark on this earth musically.  That doesn't stop those who were close to her from reminiscing about special memories and time they spent with her musically.  One hit that he produced for Aaliyah was "Are You That Somebody".

It was produced in 1998 for the movie Dr. DoLittle.  The combination of his epic producing by Timbaland tacked with Aaliyah's voice was a combination for the ages leading to a Grammy Nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.  

It's great that these types are memories are being kept alive and its great that the people who worked so closely with her can reminisce about good times.



In Memory of Lisa Lopes

Ten years ago the music industry lost one of it’s brightest stars: Lisa Lopes.


Daring, candid, vibrant and unapologetic; Lisa ‘Left-Eye’ Lopes was the ‘Crazy’ to Chilli’s ‘Sexy’ and T-Boz’s ‘Cool’ in the Atlantic R&B girl-group that would go on to conquer the music charts and change the way women were seen in a male dominated industry.
As the world was still mourning the loss of R&B superstar Aaliyah in the summer of 2001, initial reactions to the news of the tragic death of ‘Left-Eye’ in Honduras, Central America, was that of disbelief.
Although Lisa’s passing was felt the world over by the millions of fans she had gathered over the ten years she had spent in the group TLC, for Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins and Rozanda ‘Chilli’ Thomas the loss was inconceivable. When speaking to the remaining members of the group last year, they described how initially they believed the news of her death was just another of Lisa’s many ‘practical jokes’.
“Not that long before that she had played a joke like she was missing and I didn’t think it was funny because I was pregnant,” T-Boz remembered, “and this one time I was hoping it was a bad joke again. But it wasn’t, it was true.”
In 1991, Tionne Watkins was living in Atlanta as a hairdresser when she met eighteen-year-old Lisa. “I remember these little big eyes,” Watkins said. “She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and this little squeaky voice, she looked liked she was about twelve...We got along really well, straight off the bat, we kicked it off immediately. Honestly we were laughing and kicking at it the first day, [it] just kinda happened naturally”. For Lisa, it was Tionne’s strong sense of style that she was really drawn to: “She had the big earrings that were in style, she had the latest hairdo, she had the fly clothes. She was beautiful, real cool.”
This instant bond between the two was the perfect fresh start for the young Lisa, who aged seventeen left her family home in Florida where she had lived with her mother and younger brother and sister. Life growing up in the Lopes family had not been easy: an alcoholic father who was abusive to Lisa’s mother and enforced a military style upbringing had a profound effect on Lisa in many ways.
It was from him that Lisa learnt to find solace from her problems in alcohol. “My father would come over and check on me every weekend and we’d have a case of beer and that was one of the ways I’d get a lot of attention.”
“She really loved her father and had a great deal of respect for him on one side,” Chilli later explained, “but she experienced a lot and I think she kept a lot inside.”
But it was also from him that she inherited her musical talents - her grandfather had been a saxophonist at the Cotton Club, her uncle a world famous hoofer dancer and Ronald Lopes Snr. himself was a talented musician. From a very young age music was a huge part of her life, from church performances to rapping at talent competitions and presenting her own radio shows she was always in the spotlight.
So, along with their friend Crystal, Lisa and Tionne started performing under the name Second Nature and it wasn’t long before they had caught the eye of Pebbles Reid, co-owner of LA Face Records.
From the very beginning of her career in music Lisa wasn’t afraid to do what it took to succeed, no matter whom she upset, as T-Boz recalled: “Even though it was her own group, we kicked Crystal out… It was the funniest thing because I’ll never forget I was like, ‘Lisa, how are we going to tell her?’ She was like, ‘I know how!’ So we’re sitting there and she was like, ‘Girl, we got some good news and some bad news. The good news is Pebbles wants the group. The bad news…girl we don’t want you in the group no more!’ she said, laughing at the memory.
So Crystal was out, and when Pebbles introduced former dancer Rozanda ‘Chilli’ Thomas to the duo, TLC was formed.
“We used to call it the ‘MTB’ thing, ‘Meant To Be’,” T-Boz recalls, “but chemistry’s really important. Even though we are all different we all brought something different to the group.”
One of the things that Lisa certainly brought to the group was her quirky sense of style. When TLC burst onto the music scene in 1992 it was their look that was as pioneering as their sound.
Bursting onto the scene in the United States around the time of the Government’s first AIDS awareness campaign with their day-glo trousers adorned with condoms and a no-nonsense attitude to safe-sex the girls really stood out from the crowd. And although they were clearly continuing the legacy that had been established in the 1960s by acts like The Supremes and The Ronettes there was something about their sound and their image that took them beyond the achievements of contemporaries Salt N Pepa, Queen Latifah and Monie Love.
But all their success and critical acclaim did not come without a fight.
“You know it’s hard to have your clothes on and not sell sex, and actually sell albums and have people like you,” T-Boz states. “We stood up for all women and basically said you can still be sexy, it doesn’t matter what you wear, that doesn’t make you… It was really hard at that time to do those things. What’s so easily given now we really, really had to break our backs for you know… And the thing I’m most proud of TLC achieving is standing for what we believe in and staying strong to that, and keeping our clothes on and still becoming the biggest selling girl group without having to soul our bodies or our souls you know, compromising our integrity or our character to do so. I love that.”
Promoting the image of strong women, TLC soon found that they needed to lead by example. In 1994, despite selling eleven million copies of their second album ‘Crazy Sexy Cool’, the conditions of their contract meant that they only earned an approximate $35,000 each after expenses.
What’s more, Lisa’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol and even more unhealthy relationship with American Footballer Andre Rison had led to Lopes being indicted on charges of first-degree arson. Sentenced to five years probation and a $10,000 Lisa seemed to have hit rock bottom, but it was during these times that she penned lyrics for one of the groups’ most famous songs.
“I was in the diversion centre at the time, serving out my sentence,” she told an interviewer. “I got on a two-hour break to go and record in the studio and listen to the song that TLC was working on we called ‘Waterfalls’. On the way I was admiring the trees, the buildings, the sky and I looked up and there was this rainbow and I was like WOW, this place that we live in never meant so much to me.”
Some cynics think that it was the additional publicity created by Lisa’s legal case that shot the group into the limelight, but by 1997 TLC were the biggest female R&B group on the planet, and that didn’t come without a fight or two…even amongst themselves.
“With anything, and anybody in life you’re going to have disagreements, whether you respectfully disagree or you argue it out,” T-Box admits. “You know we never got into a physical fight but yes, we disagreed about a lot of things all the time.”
With three multi-platinum selling albums, several Grammy Awards and chart-topping hits including ‘Waterfalls’, ‘Unpretty’ and ‘No Scrubs’ under their belt by 1999 the group seemed unstoppable. But as the Millennium drew near, other interests and a series of personal conflicts were tearing the group apart. Lisa had developed an interest in holistic medicine and started to spend time in a retreat based in Honduras, Central America, often missing recording sessions as a result.
As you would expect from three feisty women these rifts were not subtle, Lisa never being one afraid to speak her mind. “She would just say something and nobody knew she was going to say it,” Chilli recounts, “just some of the ideas that would come in her mind she would just execute, not always thinking, but you know that was Lisa. And that’s what you just have to love about her because she was as real as they get.”
Outside of the group, Lisa’s unique style and outspoken nature meant that she has developed a following independent of the other girls. So it was no surprise when her solo career proved so successful, topping the UK charts with duets with Donnell Jones and Melanie C.
In 2002 things finally seemed to be back on track for the once wayward Lopes, with her own solo album ‘Supanova’, plans underway to develop a foundation for deprived children in Honduras, and being a new mum to her adopted daughter Snow. But whilst in Honduras filming a documentary of her life she began to feel the presence of a “spirit”.
Her suspicions were strengthened when a car accident led to the death of a ten-year-old local called Bayron Lopez. Lisa was convinced that this ‘spirit’ mistook the young boy for her because they shared the same name.
Only a few weeks later, whilst driving to Sambo Creek with the band Egypt she managed, Lisa lost control of her Jeep and it rolled off the highway. In the early hours of her twenty-sixth birthday Tionne received the news: Lisa was dead.
News quickly spread and her funeral in Georgia was attended by thousands of fans and famous friends including Alicia Keyes, Usher and Missy Elliott.
Following the death of Left-Eye, T-Boz and Chilli announced that they would finish the fourth album which they had already begun recording, but that they would never replace Lisa with another third member.
Although it has been ten years since the death of one of R&B biggest characters, her legacy still lives on through the people she knew and the many more people who grew up with her music.
So, when you download the latest Lady Leshurr track or check out Nicki Minaj’s new crazy look online, just remember that it was the vision of one small woman with big ideas and an even bigger personality that made this all possible.
Words by Jade Hutchinson


Aaliyahweb.com

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Watch Aaliyah's behind the music online

VH1 has been on point with their Behind the Music series, dropping recounts on the lives of Game and T-Pain for the previous pair of segments, and for the latest, they take on the tragic tale of R&B icon Aaliyah who tragically passed away in a plane crash 11 years ago (hard to believe it's been so long).

The episode addresses the great "what could have been" that's always surrounded Aaliyah's talent, with friends like Missy Elliot ("You can't even say anything negative about her because she was an angel when she was born) and hip-hop journalist Nelson George discussing her brilliance and what kind fo career that would have come had she not passed away.

You'll learn everything from the origin of her name to the dedication of everyone behind her career, and the deal makes out for not only a great documentation, but a tribute as well.

Here's the episode, give it a watch, throw up your thoughts.

Watch it here: http://alturl.com/gkgn4

Timbaland compares Aaliyah and Beyonce

Timabaland still has faith that Aaliyah was the best in the game prior to her untimely death. The producer behind most of her hits even claims that if she was still alive, she would have been on Beyonce’s level. Sister2Sister Magazine reports that Timb even goes as far to say that their only difference was vocals – Aaliyah wasn’t as great of a singer. According to Mr. Magoo, Aaliyah might not have been a bigger star than Beyonce, but she would have been the first icon to use her star power out of the studio.

Drake to Release Aaliyah Collaboration

The rapper hints at a possible posthumous collaboration with the late R&B singer

Drake has never been shy about his love for late singer, Aaliyah. He once confessed that he truly loved her, and even has image tattooed on his back. Could he have finally convinced her label and producers to let his create a track featuring her vocals?“You know it’s hard for me to ride around to a female singer because at the end of the day, you’re a man, but she always kept it so G with the writing and the melodies. It was something to ride to, especially when it was chopped and crewed. That’s when I used to love,”

Drake explains of his love for AaliyahSpeaking with Tim Westwood while promoting his current Club Paradise tour, Drake shared, “I have some great Aaliyah news coming soon.” When questioned for more information, Drake simply said, “Some special things. Great things man. Great things for music, period.”

A posthumous Aaliyah album has been in discussion for quite some time. Earlier this month, producer J.Dub tweeted “Just got great news today; the smash unreleased song called ‘Steady Ground’ I produced on #Aaliyah is gonna be on her upcoming album:)”Although Background Records has not confirmed the upcoming album, it would not come as a surprise considering two posthumous albums have already been released; I Care 4 U in 2002 and Ultimate Aaliyah in 2005.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Lil Kim talks about her relationship with Aaliyah

Lil Kim talks about her memories of Aaliyah

“She was an angel. I never met a person in my life that has never gotten upset about anything. She had to be angelic. She was just a beautiful person. Inside, out, everything about her was just beautiful… She was just unexplainable.”

Monday, March 5, 2012

New Aaliyah album is not official

Rashad (Aaliyah's Brother) posted this on his official twitter.

"Statement: there is no official album being released and supported by the Haughton family."

Sunday, March 4, 2012

New Aaliyah Album

New Aaliyah Album Confirmed to be in the Works by Producer on Project.

The news all Aaliyah fans have been waiting for since her passing in 2001 has finally become a reality; a new album is on the way.

Jeffrey “J. Dub” Walker, a producer who worked on her posthumous self titled “Aaliyah” album (“I Refuse, “I Can Be”), today revealed on his Twitter account that this would indeed be the case.

“Just got great news today; the smash unreleased song called “Steady Ground” I produced on #Aaliyah is gonna be on her upcoming album:)”, said Walker.

Some may have already heard the Static Major penned “Steady Ground”, as it’s made its rounds on the internet after her passing as an unreleased song. In fact, J. Dub revealed exclusively to YouKnowIGotSoul that the song was in fact intended to be a single on the “Aaliyah” album:

“It was really the first single after “Rock The Boat”, but my engineer was mixing the record and somehow lost the vocals. So the vocals that you hear are really just the demo vocals”, said Walker. “The final vocals got erased, so yeah. So that’s why it didn’t make the album.”

Even though it’s been a decade since Aaliyah’s passing, her fans have not wavered in their support of her artistry and should be excited about this news.

Note from Prinza: I yet have to confirm if this is true. I will keep you updated.

Full Source: youknowigotsoul.com

Monday, February 20, 2012

Keshia Chante Breaks Silence on Aaliyah Movie

Keshia Chante Breaks Silence on Aaliyah Movie Status with Chris Yandek *Three years ago in an announcement across the world, it was reported singer Keshia Chante was reportedly set to play the role of Aaliyah in the biopic of her life. Three years later this month, Ms. Chante opens for the very first time ever telling Chris Yandek of CYInterview.com in a world exclusive in its entirety what happened with the Aaliyah movie, updates the status of the Aaliyah project and put all the rumors to rest. “I did meet a few people production company wise that are developing the Aaliyah movie and they spoke to me about playing her in the biopic of her life… And from my understanding, there are people trying to create a movie and Aaliyah’s family are still mourning her loss and aren’t ready to share her story and create a film. So there’s a bit of back and forth thing with her family and with creative people. And I know that they would bless a movie being created, they’re just not 100 percent comfortable and unfortunately from my understanding they don’t have complete control of her estate. So a movie could technically be made without them green lighting it and I kind of think that’s unfortunate. So I want her family to be on board and to be happy with it. It’s still kind of lingering in the air.” Ms. Chante explained why this was the perfect time to tell the world through interview journalist Chris Yandek what is the status of the movie that many Aaliyah fans want to see happen: “I’ve always wanted to kind of talk about it, it’s just really, it’s uncomfortable. I don’t want to disrespect her family. I know that they’re, they don’t like it. They don’t like when they get calls from people, like, ‘Oh, I heard this about your daughter. I heard this.’ Because it’s painful for them. So I know that the lawyer and even them and even my team who have kind of like you know, it’s happy, it’s better for everyone to not really speak on it and I just feel like you know, I’m not supposed to speak on it, but I know in this situation, yeah, it’ kind of, it’s a long time coming and I know people really want to know what’s going on. So yeah, I definitely think this was the perfect time to tell you.”

Credit: CYInterview.com

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Aaliyah -Tribute-Inspired Look

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Aaliyah -Tribute-Inspired Look (1-16-2012)
A makeup tribute for Aaliyah.

106&Park reveals details on the Aaliyah movie

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A new Aaliyah movie is in the works & the production is eyeing Canadian R&B singer, Keshia Chante as the lead role for Aaliyah.

Aaliyah Remembered by Ginuwine

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On the Anniversary of Aaliyah's death- singer Ginuwine remembers their time together.