Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Remembering Aaliyah (1979-2001)




I remember the first time I fell in love with Aaliyah's music. My cousin and I would spend hours watching Video Music Box (to those of you not familiar, this was the 90's version of 106th and Park minus the screaming fans) waiting for Aaliyah's "Back & Forth" video to play. You see, back then you would have to call in and request the video and wait hours, and hours, and some more hours to see it play; but it was the experience that mattered the most.



What I admired most about Aaliyah was the fact that she stood out from the breed of over-sexed artists that flaunted their bodies in scantly clad outfits only to divert your attention away from their voices that was their real selling point. Aaliyah could sing and dance and showcase her sexy without even trying. When she came back in 2000/2001 with a new look, a lot of fans were shocked. The last time we saw Aaliyah in a skirt was for a brief moment in one of her videos, but Ms. Haughton was serving her T&A and attitude for days on "We Need A Resolution", loved it!



The day I found out she passed in a plane crash was the night of August 25th, 2001 when I was on the computer browsing the net and saw words scrolling at the bottom of a rock video I happen to be watching on MTV. I thought it was a joke, because just a few days before she appeared on 106th and Park to give away a free black Escalade; I couldn't fathom that she could be here one day and gone the next.

Aaliyah's music was one of the soundtracks of the 90's. Everyone wanted that dime male or female and would experience heartbreak and falling in love wearing their baggy jeans, cut off tops, and dark shades (if you had this combo you were the ish lol). Though she is here in spirit and not in the physical, her music does the talking for her now. She was a revolutionary that defined all standards of what a singer was and what they could do. No one could imagine a soft voice over a Hip-Hop beat until Aaliyah made it happen and for that she will forever be missed but will forever live in our hearts. R.I.P. Aaliyah.

Check out a video of a rare interview with Aaliyah and some of the music that set her name in lights.





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