AALIYAH DANA HAUGHTON

Amanda Morgan

5 months ago

Transcript

00:00:00In the early 90s, there's a girl from Detroit with the voice of an angel.

00:00:04At 10 years old, she's on national TV.

00:00:09At 11, she's on stage singing with Gladys Knight.

00:00:14At 12, she signs a major record deal.

00:00:17And at the age of 14, she releases a debut album that would sell over 3 million copies.

00:00:22But 9 years later, at the height of her fame, Aaliyah was gone, dead before she even turned 23.

00:00:28The plane crash that killed a rising star in the world of music and film.

00:00:32Because the story of Aaliyah isn't just the tragic story of a promising young singer who was killed in an accident.

00:00:38It's the story of an industry built on greed.

00:00:40An industry that decided a child was more valuable as a product than as a person.

00:00:44From the very moment she started singing until the day she died.

00:00:48It's a story about how the entertainment industry and the money involved corrupts families, protects predators, and sacrifices people in the name of profit.

00:00:55But more importantly than that, it's also a story of resilience.

00:00:59Because even now, almost 25 years later, Aaliyah's fingerprints are still everywhere.

00:01:03Her sound and style are still shaping R&D and pop.

00:01:06The biggest names of today are still paying homage to her.

00:01:09Even her fashion style remains influential.

00:01:11Young people everywhere are still dressing just like Aaliyah did in cities around the world.

00:01:16And her face is still everywhere.

00:01:18On social media, on posters, clothes.

00:01:21Even though her life ended, Aaliyah's spirit remains.

00:01:23Despite the way that almost everyone around her failed to protect her when she needed it the most.

00:01:28Aaliyah never got to grow old.

00:01:29But her voice, her style, her influence, those things never aged.

00:01:33Never faded.

00:01:33Never disappeared.

00:01:35And that's why the story of Aaliyah still matters.

00:01:37In 1984, Diane and Michael Houghton moved their family to Detroit.

00:01:42They had roots in Brooklyn, New York, going back generations.

00:01:45But at the time, Brooklyn had been in decline for decades.

00:01:47And they no longer felt there was a future in America's largest ghetto as it was known back then.

00:01:52Specifically, they wanted to find a safer place to raise their two kids.

00:01:56Rashad, age 7, and Aaliyah, age 5.

00:01:58And so they followed Diane's older brother, Barry Hankerson, out to Michigan.

00:02:02Where he had found himself involved in a number of business ventures after going to college in the Midwest.

00:02:06And while you might not get why I'm going to list off all of Aaliyah's uncle's side hustles in the first minute of a video about her.

00:02:12I promise it's all going to make sense later.

00:02:14Barry's first thing in Detroit after going to college to play football was co-founding a community organization that set up opportunities for troubled youth.

00:02:21And helping formerly homeless men transitioning back into normal life.

00:02:25After that, he worked as a producer for local television stations.

00:02:28Then, in 1974, when the city's first black mayor was elected, he became an executive assistant at Detroit City Hall.

00:02:34And during that time, he had also been making connections in the local shipping industry.

00:02:38Which he would use to get his brother-in-law a job managing a warehouse.

00:02:41So the whole family could leave Brooklyn behind once and for all.

00:02:44So they uproot their lives and go all the way over to Michigan to start over.

00:02:48So they moved to the west side of the city.

00:02:49Which was a relatively safe place to be.

00:02:51And they were able to get their kids into a local Catholic school.

00:02:54Jeshu Elementary.

00:02:55Which was known for a strong theater program and a focus on the arts.

00:02:58And that's where their daughter, Aaliyah, would discover that she loved performing.

00:03:01Starting in the first grade, when she was cast in the 1920s orphan story, Annie, at school.

00:03:05Her parents would later remember just how happy and enthusiastic she was to deliver the one single line she had in the play.

00:03:16And before long, she was also in their church's choir.

00:03:19Where her vocal ability would only grow even further.

00:03:21In fact, Aaliyah loved performing so much and was so dedicated to it.

00:03:33That it would be before she even finished the fifth grade.

00:03:35That her family recognized they might have an obligation to develop their daughter's talents beyond just school and church.

00:03:41It would be nine-year-old Aaliyah's own idea to ask if she could start auditioning for TV shows.

00:03:46And the first big audition that they were able to find for her was for the role of Judy Winslow on Family Matters.

00:03:52Which, as we know, obviously went on to be a legendary show in the late 80s and 90s.

00:03:56But ultimately, without Aaliyah being picked for the role.

00:03:58But not long after that, when Aaliyah was 10, she auditioned for and got accepted onto a vocal and dance talent show called Star Search.

00:04:05That aired throughout the 80s and 90s with prizes of up to $100,000 available for winning contestants.

00:04:11I was 10 years old when I went on Star Search and it was a show that my mother and I watched faithfully.

00:04:18And I always wanted to be on it.

00:04:20And there would be a number of contestants on Star Search who would later go on to have massive careers in entertainment.

00:04:26Alanis Morissette, Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake.

00:04:30Those are only a few of the kids that competed on Star Search long before the world knew their names.

00:04:35One crazy example is Destiny's Child before they were even called Destiny's Child.

00:04:40In the early 90s, they competed on Star Search under the name Girls' Time, back when Beyonce was just 12 years old.

00:04:48And so when Aaliyah auditions and gets accepted to be on Star Search at just 10 years old, it's a pretty huge opportunity.

00:04:53But it also came with a lot of pressure.

00:04:55Because Star Search was different from most talent shows.

00:04:58You wouldn't just sing a song and then get judged by the hosts.

00:05:01You would also be pitted against someone else and the person with the best average score from the judges gets to go on to the next round.

00:05:07Well, of course, I love to sing and I love to dance and act and I love swimming.

00:05:14And when Aaliyah got to the stage, she displayed a ton of potential with her cover of the timeless jazz classic My Funny Valentine.

00:05:21Even in spite of her extremely bizarre late 80s outfit that was apparently sewn by her grandmother.

00:05:26But the Star Search judges were harsh and ultimately, Aaliyah narrowly lost to her opponent, a 12-year-old girl named Katrina Abrams.

00:05:40And so the story goes that after 10-year-old Aaliyah gets voted off of Star Search, she walked backstage and immediately started crying.

00:05:47But winning or losing Star Search was never the key to a successful career.

00:05:51In fact, pretty much all of the kids who were on Star Search and later found success got voted off early.

00:05:57Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Britney Spears, they were all dismissed from the stage without being considered particularly promising at the age they were back then.

00:06:05And pretty typical to most talent shows, many of the kids that did win on Star Search didn't necessarily go on to have a career in entertainment at all.

00:06:14The skills that make you win a talent competition at 12 are a lot different from the skills you'd use to become a pop star as an adult.

00:06:20And so with Aaliyah being rejected, even though it was hard for her to deal with in that moment because she didn't understand the ins and outs of entertainment at 10 years old,

00:06:27it didn't mean that she wasn't good enough to keep looking for new opportunities, which is exactly what her family would do.

00:06:32In fact, it wouldn't be long at all before being voted off of Star Search would be nothing but a distant memory.

00:06:37And that's because of Aaliyah's uncle.

00:06:39Because after Aaliyah's disappointment on Star Search, Barry Hankerson also started looking for opportunities to help his niece.

00:06:45But for him, it wasn't just a little kid's dream because Barry had already been married to a pop star.

00:06:50Back when Barry Hankerson first moved to Detroit and was working as a television producer,

00:06:53he had coordinated a TV special for sickle cell anemia research where one of the hosts was Gladys Knight.

00:06:58And Gladys Knight was a pretty big deal.

00:07:00A Detroit-based soul singer who herself had been a child star since the age of eight after competing on Amateur Hour,

00:07:05a 1950s talent show that had directly inspired Star Search.

00:07:08Then, in adulthood, Gladys Knight went on to dominate the Billboard charts for decades as part of Gladys Knight and the Pips,

00:07:13one of the biggest family groups in Motown history.

00:07:16Anyway, not long after they met, Barry Hankerson and Gladys Knight got into a relationship and got married in 1974.

00:07:22And Barry, being this guy who was always making moves every chance he got,

00:07:25he immediately leveraged his marriage into a film career.

00:07:28Two years after their wedding, he's producing a feature-length film called Pipe Dreams

00:07:32about a woman who travels to Alaska to win back her husband while he's working at an Alaskan oil field.

00:07:37And he and Gladys Knight played the lead roles together.

00:07:40How come you still got my ring on then?

00:07:43I'm waiting on it to turn green.

00:07:46And even though the movie was pretty bad and is essentially remembered by nobody on Earth,

00:07:50with only 300 views on YouTube today,

00:07:53Pipe Dreams actually earned Gladys Knight a Golden Globe nomination for New Actress of the Year,

00:07:58which, with Barry being the executive producer, was a pretty big deal on his resume as well.

00:08:02But before they could make a sequel, their short-lived marriage and business partnership

00:08:06ended with a messy and public divorce that included a custody battle over their two-year-old son

00:08:10that was reported about in newspapers all over the Midwest,

00:08:13with Barry even kidnapping their son at one point to defy court rulings over custody.

00:08:17Anyway, fast forward 10 years, and Barry's middle school-age niece, Aaliyah, is in vocal lessons,

00:08:22she's doing school plays, and then even gets onto Star Search.

00:08:25And Barry himself was ready to do whatever it would take to push her forward.

00:08:28And, of course, maybe bring himself along for the ride.

00:08:31Even if that meant reaching out to his estranged ex-wife

00:08:34and asking her if she would take Aaliyah under her wing.

00:08:36And Gladys Knight, regardless of how she may have felt about her ex-husband, seemed happy to help.

00:08:41With her own illustrious career having started from a singing competition on TV

00:08:44when she was a little kid in the 1950s,

00:08:46she probably saw similarities and wanted to help a young girl with talent reach her full potential.

00:08:50And so at the age of 11, in 1990,

00:08:52Aaliyah went out to Vegas to perform with her Aunt Gladys for a full week of shows at Bally's Casino,

00:08:57singing covers of songs that were popular at the time.

00:08:59You were working with Gladys Knight when you were what?

00:09:01When I was 11, I performed with her in Las Vegas at Bally's Hotel.

00:09:04Aaliyah's biography says that

00:09:05Aaliyah would later credit that string of performances as her greatest training for singing and performing live.

00:09:10The first night, she was so nervous that she stood in one spot on the stage, sang, and then walked right off.

00:09:15But her aunt would pull her aside and tell her,

00:09:17you need to learn how to move and work the audience.

00:09:20But, of course, that didn't mean that getting Aaliyah signed or into the industry at all was going to be easy.

00:09:24Getting voted off of Star Search and then the rejection after the Family Matters audition,

00:09:28that would be far from the only rejection.

00:09:30In fact, at first, when Barry and Aaliyah's family were shopping her demos around to labels,

00:09:34even with her TV and concert experience,

00:09:37they found it practically impossible for a record label to give her a chance.

00:09:40They were able to get her into a room with labels like MCA, Warner Bros., and Jive,

00:09:45and according to Barry Hankerson's later interviews,

00:09:47labels liked her voice a lot.

00:09:49Her potential was very obvious.

00:09:50But they ultimately didn't want to sign Aaliyah.

00:09:53And their reason was simple.

00:09:54She was too young.

00:09:55Getting signed to a label means constant work,

00:09:58recording, the demands of performing,

00:09:59press, being on stage all the time.

00:10:01If a little kid isn't ready for that type of workload, you can't force it.

00:10:05But that didn't mean that Barry was out of ideas for how to get his niece into the entertainment industry.

00:10:09He was going to keep trying to make his niece a star,

00:10:11by absolutely any means necessary.

00:10:14But Barry Hankerson wasn't just a guy who had married a much more successful woman,

00:10:19made a movie with her, and then gotten divorced.

00:10:21After their messy breakup, he only went deeper into entertainment.

00:10:24But not as an actor.

00:10:26That probably wasn't his calling.

00:10:27Instead, he was finding success as a manager and producer in music.

00:10:31He helped manage multiple high-profile groups,

00:10:33he played drums on a couple of notable albums,

00:10:35and he even got into producing stage plays in Chicago.

00:10:38And so right around the same time as his niece Aaliyah was getting into singing,

00:10:42Barry Hankerson was in Chicago running auditions for a stage play called

00:10:45Don't Get God Started at a downtown theater.

00:10:48Suddenly, a young man who wanted to audition showed up too late,

00:10:51and whoever was working the door turned him away.

00:10:54But when he came back the next day and Barry heard him sing,

00:10:56he realized he had found not just a supporting actor, but a star in the making.

00:11:00Barry Hankerson signed him to an exclusive management deal.

00:11:03He took him right down to Jive Records in Chicago, where he knew a couple people,

00:11:06got him an audition, and quickly got him signed,

00:11:08helping negotiate the whole deal himself for a pretty penny.

00:11:11And before long, Barry's new client had become R&B's next big thing.

00:11:15But not only was his first project on Jive a big success full of sultry sexual songs

00:11:20that topped the charts in multiple countries,

00:11:23he was also establishing himself as a powerful producer and writer for other artists,

00:11:27crafting multiple hits for artists like Janet Jackson, Billy Ocean, and others

00:11:31just in the first year or two of his career.

00:11:34Along the way, Barry also helped him rebrand,

00:11:37changing his stage name from his full government name,

00:11:39Robert Sylvester Kelly, to simply R. Kelly.

00:11:43Basically, Barry Hankerson wasn't a nobody.

00:11:45He was actually the brain behind one of the biggest R&B stars of the early 90s,

00:11:50and he wanted to make the same thing happen for his niece as well.

00:11:53And he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

00:11:57Meanwhile, Aaliyah had been living a mostly normal life for any 13 or 14-year-old kid.

00:12:01When the labels had rejected her for not being ready yet,

00:12:04and she wasn't really invited back to a lot of film auditions,

00:12:07her parents had simply let her go back to enjoying school and acting in plays,

00:12:10things that a 13-year-old should be doing.

00:12:12Even if she was fairly mature and focused for her age,

00:12:15they also let her enjoy the things that were right in front of her in the moment.

00:12:18But everything would change when Barry Hankerson's new client, R. Kelly,

00:12:21got the big record deal and instantly experienced an explosion in popularity.

00:12:25Because suddenly, Barry sees a clear path forward.

00:12:28A light bulb pops up over his head.

00:12:31If he could get R. Kelly and Aaliyah to become a duo,

00:12:33with R. Kelly's talent for production and writing backing up her raw abilities,

00:12:37then the world might finally start paying attention to his niece.

00:12:41So Barry founds his own label, he calls it Black Ground Records,

00:12:44and immediately signs Aaliyah to it.

00:12:46And then right after that, he makes a deal with Jive

00:12:48that they could distribute and publish her debut album,

00:12:50with R. Kelly acting as writer and producer for the whole thing.

00:12:53So now, with someone who was quickly gaining traction in the industry involved in the project,

00:12:57they finally had a lead that they could chase after.

00:13:00And so at this point, when Barry goes back and pitches it all over again,

00:13:03instead of being hesitant, the label is downright excited.

00:13:06Finally, Barry had figured it out.

00:13:08By pairing his 14-year-old niece with someone who was already a star

00:13:11experienced in the industry with a name that people knew,

00:13:14his quest to make his niece a star would finally have some real momentum.

00:13:18Recording for Aaliyah's debut begins in January of 1993,

00:13:21when she was 13, turning 14.

00:13:23But it would take more than nine months to actually finish the album.

00:13:26Because, of course, she could only really work on it during breaks from school.

00:13:30Plus, R. Kelly had to face the challenge of making an entire album

00:13:33by and for a teenage girl.

00:13:36Yeah, this was her album, but he was the one responsible for writing it,

00:13:39naming it, composing, producing it.

00:13:41Songwriting and executive producing, it isn't a simple job.

00:13:44In a way, he was going to have to get inside Aaliyah's head

00:13:47to make a believable or authentic album for the teenage listeners

00:13:51they wanted Aaliyah to have.

00:13:52I mean, a 27-year-old guy who's known for making sexualized R&B,

00:13:56writing for a high schooler, getting into the right headspace

00:13:59would almost have to be like method acting.

00:14:01Making the music immersive, authentic, that's not easy.

00:14:05So the story goes that during the process of making the album,

00:14:08in order for R. Kelly to kind of get in the right mindset to make the music,

00:14:11he would sometimes take Aaliyah and her friends out for bowling,

00:14:13to play games at the arcades, maybe go see movies,

00:14:16the type of stuff that high school sweethearts might do for fun.

00:14:18Rob, it's great to work with, because really, it's not like we work,

00:14:23because we're like really close, so it's like just fun, really.

00:14:26We just hang out, sing.

00:14:27I don't ever remember working.

00:14:29Yeah, it's just like fun.

00:14:30He spent time with me, trying to see how I thought about things

00:14:33and what people my age think.

00:14:34We put in a lot of hours, because we'd be in the studio all night

00:14:37to make sure it was perfect.

00:14:39And Age Ain't Nothing But A Number features a variety of different sounds.

00:14:42At the time, it was called New Jack Swing,

00:14:44a specific fusion of R&B, hip-hop, and pop that was pretty popular back then.

00:14:48And it really is musically diverse.

00:14:50There are songs that have a G-funk sound,

00:14:52people would say it feels inspired by Mary J. Blige and Motown,

00:14:56it's full of pop jams, ballads,

00:14:58and the common thread holding it all together

00:14:59was Aaliyah's smooth, ethereal, almost whispered vocals on every song.

00:15:04And ultimately, the hard work they put in had a pretty crazy payoff.

00:15:08When Age Ain't Nothing But A Number was finally released in the spring of 1994,

00:15:12critics would say that Aaliyah, who was now 15 when it dropped,

00:15:15was next in line to become a chart-topping group.

00:15:18People immediately started comparing her to older, more experienced singers

00:15:21like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey.

00:15:23They were praising her angelic vocal skills

00:15:26for having the maturity of someone much older than her.

00:15:29It was widely noted that the album was appealing

00:15:31for both a teenage audience for kids Aaliyah's age,

00:15:34but also enjoyable for older listeners as well.

00:15:36I mean, I'm 25, I'm kind of old compared to

00:15:39whatever high school kids were listening to this in the 90s,

00:15:42but I love this album.

00:15:43It's one of my favorite albums from the 90s overall,

00:15:45and I still think it holds up today.

00:15:47Age Ain't Nothing But A Number peaked at number 18 on the Billboard charts,

00:15:51but within five years, it would be certified three times platinum.

00:15:54And that kind of shows how deeply Aaliyah's music would resonate,

00:15:57as it stayed on the charts for almost a year straight

00:15:59and continued to sell long after it came out.

00:16:02And on top of that,

00:16:03Aaliyah would also be nominated for Best New R&B Artist of the Year

00:16:06at multiple major award ceremonies.

00:16:10Her sound was soulful without being intimidating.

00:16:12It was pop without being mainstream, R&B without being niche.

00:16:16Her hip-hop flair gave her a big edge.

00:16:18For an album made by a teenager, it was an insane success.

00:16:20And as an added bonus, it happened to be really good.

00:16:23And so almost overnight,

00:16:24Aaliyah and her family's wildest dreams had come true.

00:16:27She was becoming a pop star before she was even old enough to drive.

00:16:30But at the same time,

00:16:31this beautiful dreamlike album was also going to make her life a nightmare.

00:16:36In the January after the album dropped,

00:16:39Vibe magazine published a cover story on R. Kelly called Super Freak.

00:16:43They focused on his rise to fame,

00:16:45starting with busking on Chicago street corners and subways

00:16:47to the collaborations with countless pop stars

00:16:50that made him one of the most in-demand names in R&B.

00:16:53They talked about the sexual, lustful contents of his performance and lyrics.

00:16:57But finally, they talked about Aaliyah.

00:16:59But the focus wasn't the sleeper hit album

00:17:01they had made together earlier that year.

00:17:03Vibe was looking to confirm a rumor that had been spreading like wildfire

00:17:07over the last couple of months

00:17:08that R. Kelly and Aaliyah had secretly gotten married.

00:17:12But when Aaliyah would be pressed by journalists,

00:17:14she would completely deny that she had gotten married to R. Kelly at the age of 14.

00:17:18In December, after being asked point blank

00:17:20about the nature of her and R. Kelly's relationship,

00:17:23she just says,

00:17:23When people ask me,

00:17:24I tell them,

00:17:25don't believe all that mess.

00:17:26We're close,

00:17:27but people took it the wrong way.

00:17:28Everything's going pretty good.

00:17:30Yeah.

00:17:30Okay, let's clear something up

00:17:31because you know I haven't been getting a rundown on the street.

00:17:33Everybody seems to think

00:17:34that y'all are either girlfriend or boyfriend

00:17:36or cousins

00:17:37or friends.

00:17:38Look at my man.

00:17:39Let's just get the record straight.

00:17:41Better go get me a white jeep.

00:17:44Okay.

00:17:46Well, no, we're not related.

00:17:48At all.

00:17:49No, we're not.

00:17:49We're just very close.

00:17:50He's my best friend.

00:17:51Yeah, cool.

00:17:52Now, who found her in the whole wide world?

00:17:55But then one magazine would write

00:17:57that Aaliyah had been seen frequently

00:17:59at R. Kelly's house in Chicago over the summer,

00:18:01walking his dog early in the morning

00:18:03or leaving quickly in a baseball hat

00:18:05and sunglasses to hide her identity.

00:18:06But more than speculation,

00:18:08the Vibe cover story

00:18:09actually produces a marriage certificate

00:18:11from August 31st, 1994 in Chicago.

00:18:14It had been filled out

00:18:15with Aaliyah's age falsified as 18

00:18:17and R. Kelly's age being his real age of 27.

00:18:20A man, hip-hop star R. Kelly

00:18:23did indeed marry his protege,

00:18:25the 15-year-old singer Aaliyah Houghton.

00:18:28Kelly stated his age is 27,

00:18:29two years older than he previously claimed to be,

00:18:31and Aaliyah produced two pieces of ID

00:18:33that appeared to show her to be 18.

00:18:35Suddenly, the whole situation was no longer funny.

00:18:38R. Kelly, almost a 30-year-old man,

00:18:40had illegally married his 14-year-old protege

00:18:42at a hotel in Chicago.

00:18:44Why they did it isn't 100% clear today.

00:18:47R. Kelly's former tour manager,

00:18:49who helped find a fake ID for Aaliyah

00:18:50to get married with,

00:18:51would later say that it was because

00:18:53R. Kelly thought he had gotten Aaliyah pregnant

00:18:55and that in Illinois or Michigan,

00:18:57you needed parental consent for an abortion

00:18:59under the age of 18.

00:19:00But if they faked her age and got her married,

00:19:02he could authorize it privately.

00:19:04So it wasn't that they were necessarily in love

00:19:06or that they intended to be husband and wife,

00:19:09but it was that R. Kelly was trying to protect himself

00:19:11from statutory rape charges

00:19:12after he had been hooking up with a 15-year-old.

00:19:14The exact details of R. Kelly and Aaliyah's relationship

00:19:17during that period of making the album

00:19:19and releasing it is pretty murky and disturbing,

00:19:22and a lot of it is based in hearsay,

00:19:24and none of it is pleasant to talk about on the internet,

00:19:26especially in respect to someone who's passed.

00:19:28But the really important part

00:19:30is what happened after the news came out.

00:19:32R. Kelly would only continue to explode in popularity.

00:19:35In the same year,

00:19:36he drops a self-titled album

00:19:37that peaks at number one on the charts.

00:19:39He has multiple top five hits from 95 to 96.

00:19:42The Truth About Him was out there, available for everybody,

00:19:45but functionally,

00:19:46it did nothing to stop his rising star at all.

00:19:48The biggest song of his career

00:19:50came out just two years after this happened.

00:19:52His label, Jive,

00:19:53maintained him as a top artist on their roster,

00:19:55and his countless fans didn't waver.

00:19:57In fact, he only gained more.

00:19:59Slow dance, girl.

00:20:02Give it up for R. Kelly and the public announcement!

00:20:07Instead, the scandal would be mainly focused on Aaliyah herself.

00:20:11The Budweiser company dropped her from its Superfest tour

00:20:14because it felt she was too young to be on the road,

00:20:16and most convincingly,

00:20:17the Detroit High School of the Performing Arts

00:20:19acknowledged that Aaliyah is in fact a 10th grade student there.

00:20:22Whether or not she's in legal trouble for passing off fake ID

00:20:24remains to be seen.

00:20:25We will keep you posted.

00:20:26No one was questioning the uncle that introduced them.

00:20:29No one was questioning R. Kelly himself.

00:20:31Not even her parents face scrutiny

00:20:33for how exactly Aaliyah ends up getting sexually abused

00:20:36by a man in his late 20s when she's 14 years old.

00:20:39R. Kelly just keeps on trucking,

00:20:41pumping out hits,

00:20:42enjoying the adoration of millions of fans

00:20:44after abusing and grooming a teenager,

00:20:46and on her end, she basically gets blamed.

00:20:49She would be portrayed as the little girl who tempted a man,

00:20:52not a victim of his abuse,

00:20:54but part of the problem.

00:20:55I think in a big way,

00:20:56this was allowed to continue

00:20:57because R. Kelly had become such a huge asset

00:21:00for his label and the music industry in general.

00:21:03There's no one who's actually going to be willing

00:21:04to step up and say anything

00:21:05because of the financial consequences that would create.

00:21:08Aaliyah, however, was a much smaller name.

00:21:10There wasn't really any benefit

00:21:11for the people in power to defend her

00:21:13when she was an unproven artist

00:21:14who wasn't making them as much money as R. Kelly was.

00:21:17I don't think that's why they consciously did it,

00:21:19but it's pretty clear that that's how things went.

00:21:22Reporters wouldn't press R. Kelly

00:21:23about why he would have sex with a 14-year-old

00:21:25when he's 30,

00:21:26but they would ask Aaliyah about it nonstop

00:21:28until her publicist started telling journalists

00:21:30that they couldn't do any interviews at all

00:21:33if they brought up R. Kelly in any way whatsoever.

00:21:35I think it's something that's really crazy

00:21:52to even think about today.

00:21:53That's not how we see things anymore.

00:21:55A literal girl, a child,

00:21:57kind of tempting a man who falls for her seductive act,

00:22:00that's what the tabloids were writing.

00:22:02That's what was being said on the radio and in magazines.

00:22:04But no, she was in the ninth grade

00:22:06and he was 27 years old.

00:22:08And with all of the negative media coverage,

00:22:10they were having trouble finding people to step up

00:22:12and take control of producing a new project for her.

00:22:15The way that she was being portrayed

00:22:16as part of the problem,

00:22:17a bad girl, someone who causes issues,

00:22:19people were afraid of working with her

00:22:21and attaching their name to hers.

00:22:23Basically, her reputation had been sacrificed

00:22:25so R. Kelly's rising star could continue to grow.

00:22:28And at one point, it was looking like

00:22:30they may not be able to find any producers at all.

00:22:32One person that did offer to help was P. Diddy,

00:22:34known as Puffy, back then.

00:22:36Although that didn't work out,

00:22:37which was probably for the best in the end.

00:22:40When the dust settled,

00:22:41it was clear that Aaliyah's debut album

00:22:43would never really be seen or heard the same way again.

00:22:47Looking back at it now,

00:22:48it's still a great record,

00:22:49but there's an eeriness to it that's hard to shake.

00:22:51Looking at the album cover

00:22:53where R. Kelly is staring at her in the distance,

00:22:55wearing a vest with no shirt on,

00:22:57it's just weird.

00:22:59You can't help but think of the horror

00:23:00that went on behind the scenes.

00:23:02It's all over the album.

00:23:04Moments that don't feel like they came

00:23:05from the mind of a teenager,

00:23:06but from someone who was attracted to that teenager.

00:23:09Moments that are supposed to sound

00:23:10maybe a little flirty or suggestive,

00:23:12it starts to feel like evidence.

00:23:14Ballads feel like confessions.

00:23:16It conjures stuff that's just nasty to think about.

00:23:18Ironically though,

00:23:19the most popular long-lasting song

00:23:21from Age Ain't Nothin' But A Number

00:23:23would be the only one not written by R. Kelly.

00:23:25At Your Best You Are Love,

00:23:27a cover of an Isley Brothers track from 1976,

00:23:29it's the most streamed song from the record to this day,

00:23:32and it had basically no input from R. Kelly himself.

00:23:34Is there any song on the album

00:23:36that is your baby that you like more than others?

00:23:39At Your Best.

00:23:40At Your Best.

00:23:41At Your Best You Are Love.

00:23:42And that's what we're gonna peak at today, right?

00:23:44That's right.

00:23:45Why that song?

00:23:46Because I love the Isley Brothers.

00:23:48And I really admire them.

00:23:50They're very unique.

00:23:51Their sound is very unique.

00:23:53You can tell the Isley Brothers song right off.

00:23:55It's still a very good album,

00:23:56and Aaliyah is immensely talented,

00:23:58but there's a darkness in parts of it

00:24:00that's hard to ignore

00:24:01once you know the context of how it was made.

00:24:04But even though Aaliyah faced so much nasty criticism

00:24:07from the media

00:24:07and basically got blackballed from the music industry

00:24:10because of it,

00:24:11she and her family still pushed forward

00:24:13and wanted to help her grow and move past that.

00:24:15She needed a new sound and image that would be hers

00:24:17and have nothing to do with the man that had abused her.

00:24:20In the summer of 1995,

00:24:21they started recording demos

00:24:23with producers like Jermaine Dupri,

00:24:24who had already worked extensively

00:24:26with Mariah Carey, among others.

00:24:28But the next album wouldn't start to come together

00:24:30until they discovered Missy Elliott and Timbaland,

00:24:32who at the time weren't the giant names

00:24:34that we know today,

00:24:35having defined an era.

00:24:36Back in 1995,

00:24:37they were in their early 20s

00:24:38and didn't have much experience at all.

00:24:41Basically, they were kind of nobodies.

00:24:42We were kind of nervous

00:24:43because we hadn't done music

00:24:45with any artists of her caliber.

00:24:47But when we first met her,

00:24:48she treated us like we knew her for years,

00:24:50like we grew up with her.

00:24:51She was always very sweet,

00:24:53always smiling,

00:24:53and she made us feel like we were big producers

00:24:55even when we didn't have a hit record out.

00:24:57Even coming off a big album,

00:24:59she never treated us like we were beneath her.

00:25:01It was a big risk.

00:25:02Missy Elliott and Timbaland weren't big names

00:25:04and from her first album,

00:25:05it had given her a big boost

00:25:06working with a much more established producer.

00:25:08But it's also exactly what Aaliyah needed,

00:25:11a fresh start.

00:25:11collaborators she could grow with.

00:25:13Their creative chemistry was strong.

00:25:15They understood her style and thoughts.

00:25:17It was a much healthier collaboration.

00:25:19And for her second album,

00:25:21Aaliyah would be credited

00:25:22with co-writing some of the songs

00:25:23and also had a lot to do

00:25:25with the creative direction,

00:25:26much more so than anything she had made before.

00:25:28She knew that she wanted everything

00:25:29to feel sophisticated,

00:25:31but street, funky, and hot,

00:25:32yet also upscale.

00:25:34And they helped her bring that vision to life.

00:25:36It was something different

00:25:37they had never heard before,

00:25:38so they said, you know,

00:25:39let's put y'all in the studio with Aaliyah.

00:25:43And we were excited.

00:25:44I gotta thank her

00:25:45because she heard the specialists in us.

00:25:49Right.

00:25:49Because when Sugar and Spice,

00:25:50she's like,

00:25:51there's something special about Tim and Missy.

00:25:54But I don't like the words

00:25:56because it's too young,

00:25:56but there's something special about them.

00:25:58So let's, you know,

00:25:59let's go in the studio

00:26:00and see what we come up with.

00:26:04But there was another problem.

00:26:06Even more than being young and inexperienced,

00:26:08Missy Elliott and Timbaland

00:26:09weren't even supposed to be working with Aaliyah at all.

00:26:12They were already under a contract

00:26:13to be working on someone else's debut album,

00:26:15and Sony had already paid for the studio time

00:26:17to get that done.

00:26:18They wanted it finished ASAP.

00:26:20But Timbaland and Elliott

00:26:21wanted so badly to work on this project with Aaliyah

00:26:23that they told their other client

00:26:24they would pay him back if he covered for them

00:26:26and told the label they were hard at work

00:26:28while they flew off to Detroit to work with Aaliyah.

00:26:30It was a pretty shaky moment.

00:26:32Aaliyah's working with these producers

00:26:33who aren't really established in the industry at all,

00:26:36at the same time as they're double-crossing

00:26:37the label they were supposed to be working with

00:26:39just to come be with her.

00:26:40Her family was doubtful

00:26:41that it was even a good idea at all.

00:26:43They wanted her to work with someone much more established,

00:26:45but she also kind of needed it

00:26:46because no one else really wanted to work with her

00:26:48after the media machine dragged her name through the mud.

00:26:51Basically, there's no guarantee

00:26:52that Aaliyah's career really goes anywhere

00:26:54if this doesn't work out,

00:26:55but ultimately it paid off.

00:26:57Aaliyah's second album,

00:26:59One in a Million,

00:26:59would be nominated for a number of awards.

00:27:01It would chart even higher than her debut,

00:27:04once again also having a long tail of success,

00:27:06going double platinum in less than a year,

00:27:08staying on the charts for two years.

00:27:10Basically, all of the fears they had,

00:27:12the things they were worried about,

00:27:13the controversy,

00:27:14it all faded away

00:27:15because her second album was even better than her first.

00:27:18And it's even more admirable

00:27:19knowing what a tough spot she was in.

00:27:22The whole world was watching for all the wrong reasons,

00:27:24and Aaliyah had to completely reinvent her sound and image

00:27:27to leave that negativity behind

00:27:29and become her own person.

00:27:31And she did it all at the age of 16.

00:27:33But beyond the success it saw in the moment

00:27:35with sales and awards

00:27:36is the legacy of One in a Million.

00:27:38Over the years,

00:27:39critics would say that

00:27:40One in a Million had a huge impact

00:27:41on influencing much later artists

00:27:43like Drake,

00:27:44Frank Ocean,

00:27:45SZA,

00:27:45Janae Aiko,

00:27:46while others would also say

00:27:47that it was unlike anything else

00:27:48on the radio at the time,

00:27:49helping reinvent R&B

00:27:51in a moment when it was becoming stale.

00:27:53I love all kinds of music

00:27:55and I want to be known

00:27:56as the kind of singer

00:27:57that can do all of that.

00:27:59So that's why I wanted

00:28:00the different varieties on the album

00:28:02to showcase each part of my personality.

00:28:05One in a Million showed the world

00:28:07that Aaliyah wasn't just going to survive

00:28:08the abuse and trauma,

00:28:10but she was also going to become

00:28:11something greater

00:28:12than anyone could have imagined.

00:28:14And yeah,

00:28:14what happened with Aaliyah's debut album

00:28:16and what was allowed to happen to her

00:28:18is one of the most disturbing

00:28:19and nasty examples

00:28:20of what the music industry does to young stars.

00:28:22But it's only an even bigger testament

00:28:24to who she was

00:28:25to see such an insane bounce back

00:28:27almost immediately after.

00:28:29And although she's still only a senior

00:28:31at Detroit's high school of performing arts,

00:28:33her new album,

00:28:35One in a Million,

00:28:36shows us just how much

00:28:37she's grown as an artist

00:28:38and as a lady.

00:28:40Performing her single,

00:28:41If Your Girl Only Knew,

00:28:43put your hands together

00:28:45for Aaliyah!

00:28:47After they pulled off

00:28:48a wild comeback

00:28:49with One in a Million in 1996,

00:28:51it would be five more years

00:28:53before Aaliyah's next album.

00:28:54But that doesn't mean

00:28:55she disappeared

00:28:55throughout the late 90s.

00:28:57After reclaiming her sound

00:28:58with a second album,

00:28:59she could step into the future

00:29:00with more control,

00:29:01options,

00:29:02and confidence

00:29:02than ever before.

00:29:03Not just as a teenage R&B singer,

00:29:05but a pop culture icon

00:29:07in the making.

00:29:07Because we have to remember

00:29:08that at this point,

00:29:09Aaliyah is only 16 years old.

00:29:11And despite her fame,

00:29:12she and her family

00:29:13wanted to prioritize

00:29:14her living as normal

00:29:15of a life as possible

00:29:16and even keep going

00:29:17to school in person,

00:29:18even though she needed

00:29:19a bodyguard

00:29:20to walk her through the halls.

00:29:21So even while she's

00:29:22dominating the R&B genre,

00:29:24has her albums on the charts,

00:29:25she graduated high school

00:29:26with a 4.0 GPA

00:29:27and even talked about

00:29:28going to college.

00:29:29But life had other plans.

00:29:31Even while she was trying

00:29:32to live a somewhat

00:29:32normal teenage life,

00:29:34doing homework

00:29:35in between flights

00:29:35and photo shoots,

00:29:36her public profile

00:29:37just kept getting bigger.

00:29:39Back in Detroit,

00:29:40even her senior prom night

00:29:41in 1997

00:29:41became a huge media event.

00:29:43When she decided

00:29:44to wear pants

00:29:45instead of the typical

00:29:45prom dress most girls

00:29:46would have put on back then,

00:29:47it ended up becoming

00:29:48an iconic moment

00:29:49in celebrity fashion

00:29:50at the time.

00:29:51Even more than

00:29:51just an R&B star,

00:29:53Aaliyah was becoming

00:29:54a trendsetter

00:29:54on a national level.

00:29:56Sleek hair,

00:29:56tinted sunglasses,

00:29:58hats, baggy pants,

00:29:59bandanas,

00:29:59small shirts.

00:30:00You can go anywhere

00:30:01in Chicago,

00:30:02New York,

00:30:02LA, whatever.

00:30:04Young people are still

00:30:05dressing like Aaliyah

00:30:06right now.

00:30:07That's why it takes me

00:30:08a while to put things

00:30:09together,

00:30:09especially if I'm doing

00:30:10a dressy thing

00:30:11rather than a sporty thing.

00:30:12Because what you see here,

00:30:13is really me,

00:30:14the baggy jeans

00:30:14and skull caps

00:30:16and everything.

00:30:16So when I'm doing

00:30:18a dressy thing,

00:30:18I've got to still remain

00:30:19in my image.

00:30:21So it takes me a while

00:30:22to put something

00:30:22really good together

00:30:23that still looks

00:30:24like Aaliyah.

00:30:24In 1997,

00:30:26again while she's

00:30:26still in high school,

00:30:27she signs a brand deal

00:30:28with Tommy Hilfiger.

00:30:29And with her being

00:30:30in all of their

00:30:30advertising material,

00:30:31that would only elevate

00:30:32her profile even further.

00:30:33The red, white,

00:30:34and blue baggy jeans

00:30:35they dressed her in

00:30:36would sell many

00:30:36thousands of pairs,

00:30:37becoming their best-selling

00:30:38piece at the time.

00:30:39Well, I've always

00:30:40bought Hilfiger

00:30:41ever since he first came out

00:30:42because I always felt

00:30:43that it was me.

00:30:45My image is

00:30:46the baggy pants,

00:30:47little tube tops.

00:30:48And I've always

00:30:49loved Tommy,

00:30:50so it's great for me

00:30:51to model this clothes

00:30:51because I really

00:30:52feel comfortable in it.

00:30:53And so at 17 years old,

00:30:54she's no longer

00:30:55just a rising young singer.

00:30:56She's now a fully

00:30:57developed pop star,

00:30:59one of the biggest

00:30:59around at the time.

00:31:00And just because

00:31:01she wasn't dropping albums

00:31:02didn't mean she wasn't

00:31:02putting out music.

00:31:03In fact,

00:31:04the spring after

00:31:05she graduated high school,

00:31:06she would release

00:31:06the biggest song

00:31:07of her career by far.

00:31:08Are You That Somebody

00:31:09was a single produced

00:31:10by Timbaland

00:31:11that was released

00:31:11as part of the

00:31:12Dr. Doolittle soundtrack

00:31:13when that movie

00:31:13came out back in 1998.

00:31:15It was an R&B funk song

00:31:16with trip-hop influences

00:31:17that made a huge

00:31:18splash for Aaliyah.

00:31:19Not only was it loved

00:31:30by critics

00:31:31earning her a Grammy nomination,

00:31:33but it also topped

00:31:33the charts in countries

00:31:34like New Zealand

00:31:35and the Netherlands,

00:31:36although it wasn't

00:31:36able to chart in the US

00:31:37because they didn't

00:31:38physically release it

00:31:39to record stores.

00:31:40But to this day,

00:31:41people talk about it

00:31:41being one of the best

00:31:42R&B songs of the 90s,

00:31:44and it ended up

00:31:44being listed as one

00:31:45of the greatest songs

00:31:46of all time

00:31:47by multiple different

00:31:47publications

00:31:48in the last 25 years.

00:31:50What had started

00:31:50as nothing but a movie

00:31:51tie-in single

00:31:52ended up becoming

00:31:53a certified classic.

00:31:54And soon after that,

00:31:55right around the time

00:31:56Aaliyah would have been

00:31:56around 19 years old,

00:31:57she started working

00:31:58on her third album,

00:31:59but it was interrupted

00:32:00when she got cast

00:32:01as the lead actress

00:32:02in the Warner Bros. movie

00:32:03Romeo Must Die,

00:32:05an action film

00:32:05that was basically

00:32:06a retelling

00:32:06of Shakespeare's

00:32:07Romeo and Juliet,

00:32:08but centered around

00:32:09feuding gangs

00:32:10in modern-day

00:32:11Oakland, California.

00:32:12A lot of celebrities

00:32:13try to get into film,

00:32:14and in a lot of cases,

00:32:15people with big names

00:32:16get roles they don't

00:32:17really deserve,

00:32:18and no one really remembers

00:32:19or cares much for it.

00:32:20But Aaliyah was different.

00:32:22I mean,

00:32:22she had been acting

00:32:23since she was a kid,

00:32:24and having started out

00:32:25in musical theater,

00:32:26her passion for acting

00:32:27went hand-in-hand

00:32:28with her musical talent.

00:32:29It was something I've wanted

00:32:30for a very long time.

00:32:31I've always been into

00:32:33full-on entertaining,

00:32:34which is singing

00:32:34and acting and dancing,

00:32:35but I wanted to wait

00:32:36for the right time.

00:32:37I wanted to wait

00:32:37for the right project,

00:32:38and Romeo was it.

00:32:39It was just the right role.

00:32:41I love Trish.

00:32:42She's tough.

00:32:42She doesn't take anything

00:32:44off of anybody,

00:32:45and that's what I liked about it.

00:32:46That's why I wanted it.

00:32:47And Romeo Must Die

00:32:48was a solid success.

00:32:50It grossed almost

00:32:50$200 million at the box office,

00:32:52and most critics

00:32:53would say that Aaliyah's

00:32:54performance in the movie

00:32:55was pretty solid.

00:32:56She played her part

00:32:57like a real actress,

00:32:58not just a celebrity

00:32:59who showed up

00:33:00to read a few lines

00:33:01and get a paycheck.

00:33:02But even more important

00:33:03than that,

00:33:03Romeo Must Die

00:33:04led to Aaliyah's

00:33:05most massive single yet,

00:33:07a song called Try Again

00:33:08that was literally

00:33:09record-breaking.

00:33:20They made Try Again

00:33:21for the soundtrack

00:33:22of Romeo Must Die

00:33:23as a tie-in for promo,

00:33:24but it essentially

00:33:25eclipsed the popularity

00:33:26of the movie itself

00:33:28when it became

00:33:28the first song

00:33:29to ever reach number one

00:33:30on the Billboard charts

00:33:31without a physical release,

00:33:33relying on just radio airplay

00:33:35to earn its sales numbers.

00:33:36Seriously,

00:33:37that was a huge deal back then,

00:33:39and it would only make her value

00:33:40as an actor

00:33:41and a singer go up.

00:33:42If she could make genuine hits

00:33:43out of thin air

00:33:44for the movies she was in

00:33:45while doing a good job

00:33:47in her roles,

00:33:48it would make her

00:33:48a hugely attractive asset

00:33:50for film projects.

00:33:51And again,

00:33:52she was doing all of this,

00:33:53these various phases,

00:33:54eras in her career,

00:33:55acting in real movies,

00:33:56doing a good job,

00:33:57releasing record-breaking singles,

00:33:59all before the age of 21.

00:34:01At this point,

00:34:02Aaliyah had outgrown

00:34:03the tragedy

00:34:04that once defined her career.

00:34:05The shadow of her early years

00:34:07wasn't gone,

00:34:08but she refused

00:34:08to let it cage her,

00:34:10and instead,

00:34:10she manifested a new future

00:34:11where she could become

00:34:12her own person,

00:34:13unburdened by the past.

00:34:14And it was, in fact, though,

00:34:15her tragedy

00:34:16that would play a big part

00:34:17in shaping her.

00:34:18She would come to be known

00:34:19for poise,

00:34:20confidence,

00:34:20self-assuredness

00:34:21beyond her years

00:34:22because she needed

00:34:23to be that way

00:34:24to survive.

00:34:25After being not only abused,

00:34:26but abused

00:34:27and then publicly punished

00:34:28for it,

00:34:29Aaliyah never faltered.

00:34:30She just kind of

00:34:31continued to grow

00:34:31in a way that

00:34:32no one could have expected

00:34:33or questioned.

00:34:34She became one of the

00:34:35most notably cool,

00:34:36collected figures

00:34:37in an industry

00:34:37following the exact opposite.

00:34:39But she would turn

00:34:40into a very private young adult.

00:34:41Her interviews would be polite,

00:34:43but detached.

00:34:44What are the most important

00:34:45things you look for

00:34:45in a guy?

00:34:46Oh, wow.

00:34:47Well, I don't have a boyfriend.

00:34:48Oh, you don't have a boyfriend?

00:34:48No, I'm single.

00:34:50I'm looking for someone

00:34:51who's got a great sense of humor.

00:34:52I love to laugh.

00:34:53And someone who's got

00:34:55a good head on their shoulders,

00:34:56know what they want out of life.

00:34:58Yeah.

00:34:58And just an all-around good guy.

00:35:01Yeah.

00:35:01You know, not anything too specific.

00:35:03Missy Elliott often recalled

00:35:04how she expected Aaliyah

00:35:05to act like a diva,

00:35:06having people fix her nails

00:35:08or hair or sipping on tea

00:35:09at the studio.

00:35:10But instead,

00:35:10she would say that Aaliyah

00:35:12disarmed everyone

00:35:12with her sweetness.

00:35:14Aaliyah's ability to stay gracious

00:35:15was noted by everybody.

00:35:17Even after everything

00:35:17she had gone through,

00:35:18she didn't let it change her.

00:35:21And so after the crazy success

00:35:22of the Romeo Must Die soundtrack,

00:35:24which had been orchestrated

00:35:25by Virgin Records,

00:35:26Aaliyah and her team

00:35:27pursued a joint venture

00:35:28between Blackground and Virgin

00:35:29to give her third album

00:35:31the biggest boost

00:35:32they could possibly get.

00:35:33And after negotiations,

00:35:34her deal would be valued

00:35:35at a pretty insane $15 million.

00:35:38The announcement came

00:35:39in May of 2000,

00:35:40just a couple weeks

00:35:41after Try Again

00:35:41became a massive hit single.

00:35:43But all of this

00:35:44wasn't the only reason

00:35:45that Aaliyah was having

00:35:45a big year

00:35:46around the turn of the century.

00:35:47Her personal life

00:35:48was also healing

00:35:49and moving on

00:35:50after all the pain

00:35:51she went through

00:35:51in the industry

00:35:52when she was still

00:35:53a little kid.

00:35:54Because in the summer of 2000,

00:35:55while Try Again

00:35:56was basking in the peak

00:35:57of its success,

00:35:58Aaliyah met Dame Dash

00:35:59and they fell in love

00:36:00in a way that would

00:36:01change both of them forever.

00:36:03Dame Dash was brash,

00:36:04loud, and erratic.

00:36:05A cutthroat entrepreneur

00:36:06who was Jay-Z's manager,

00:36:08the co-founder of his label,

00:36:09his streetwear brand.

00:36:10He was powerful,

00:36:11connected,

00:36:12and had a reputation

00:36:13to say the least.

00:36:14But then he changed.

00:36:15Aaliyah's longtime

00:36:16recording engineer

00:36:17would say that

00:36:17Dame Dash was a bit

00:36:18of a difficult person.

00:36:20He wasn't kind.

00:36:21But one day,

00:36:21Aaliyah was on the mic

00:36:22in the studio

00:36:23and Dame Dash comes to visit

00:36:24and he asked me

00:36:25how I'm doing

00:36:25and I was like,

00:36:26what the fuck?

00:36:27But then he smiled

00:36:28and he called her darling

00:36:29and Aaliyah comes out

00:36:30and I realized

00:36:30he's in love

00:36:31and it softened him up.

00:36:32Now he's friendly

00:36:33because he finally found love.

00:36:35Aaliyah and Dame Dash

00:36:36would become inseparable.

00:36:37In the beginning,

00:36:38both Dame Dash and Jay-Z

00:36:39had been pursuing her,

00:36:40competing for her affection,

00:36:41but in the end,

00:36:42she made her choice

00:36:43and both of them

00:36:43seemed very happy

00:36:44because of it.

00:36:47But for Aaliyah,

00:36:51this period wasn't

00:36:52just about finding love.

00:36:53It was about finally

00:36:53stepping into her own life

00:36:55on her own terms.

00:36:56After years of silence

00:36:57about her past,

00:36:58years of her personal life

00:36:59being off limits,

00:37:00this era of her career

00:37:01would be a complete rebirth.

00:37:02With a record-breaking hit song,

00:37:04a massive new record deal,

00:37:05a relationship giving her stability,

00:37:07Aaliyah was finally

00:37:08steering her own ship.

00:37:09But despite all the positive

00:37:10developments in Aaliyah's life,

00:37:12she was still juggling

00:37:13two careers at the same time

00:37:15and the pressure

00:37:15to either deliver on both

00:37:17or focus on one

00:37:18was mounting fast.

00:37:19Movie studios wanted her

00:37:20on set for more films.

00:37:22Fans wanted a new album.

00:37:23Her last one was five years ago.

00:37:25If they didn't do something soon,

00:37:26both sides would suffer.

00:37:28I love music with my heart

00:37:29and I love acting as well.

00:37:31There's some similarities,

00:37:32but yet there are

00:37:33a lot of differences as well

00:37:34and I like doing both.

00:37:36And with acting,

00:37:37I get to explore

00:37:37a different side of myself.

00:37:39It can be very cathartic

00:37:40in a lot of ways

00:37:40and same with music.

00:37:42So I don't want to abandon

00:37:43one for the other.

00:37:43I want to try to do both

00:37:44as long as I can.

00:37:45And the next movie

00:37:46that she got cast to lead in,

00:37:48a Warner Bros. vampire movie

00:37:49called Queen of the Damned

00:37:50would shoot in Australia,

00:37:52only taking her

00:37:52further away from music.

00:37:54But when she went out

00:37:55to Melbourne

00:37:55to film her scenes,

00:37:56at the same time

00:37:57her entire honorage,

00:37:58producers, writers, engineers,

00:38:00would come fly over

00:38:01and stay in Australia

00:38:02with her

00:38:03to finally get

00:38:04the next album finished.

00:38:05It would be

00:38:05an insane grind.

00:38:07Recording at night,

00:38:08filming a movie

00:38:09during the day,

00:38:09but it was what

00:38:10they needed to do

00:38:11to keep the Alita machine rolling.

00:38:13But not everything

00:38:14would be perfect,

00:38:15because then came

00:38:16the creative fracture.

00:38:17Timbaland,

00:38:18central to her last era,

00:38:19her sound,

00:38:20her image,

00:38:20he wanted nothing

00:38:21to do with blackground anymore.

00:38:23Whether it was

00:38:23a disagreement on royalties,

00:38:25contracts, philosophies,

00:38:26I don't know exactly,

00:38:28but the story goes

00:38:28that he just no longer

00:38:29wanted to work

00:38:30with Alia's uncle.

00:38:31At first,

00:38:32it was a big problem,

00:38:33but it also became

00:38:34the test.

00:38:35Could Alia build

00:38:36a masterpiece

00:38:37without the producer

00:38:38that everyone swore

00:38:39she needed?

00:38:40In his place,

00:38:40Static Major would step in

00:38:42as the songwriter.

00:38:43Key Beats,

00:38:44Timbaland protégés,

00:38:45handled the boards.

00:38:46The team stayed in Australia,

00:38:47recording at night

00:38:48while the film shot by day,

00:38:49rebuilding her sound

00:38:50from the ground up.

00:38:51Eventually,

00:38:52they were also able

00:38:53to convince Timbaland

00:38:54to help out

00:38:54with a few songs,

00:38:55all of which would become hits,

00:38:57and then the album

00:38:57was nearly done.

00:38:58It was going to be

00:38:59Alia's most mature work,

00:39:01not about flirting

00:39:01or high school crushes,

00:39:03but about romance,

00:39:04relationships,

00:39:05a real coming-of-age project

00:39:06for a 22-year-old

00:39:07who was both a veteran

00:39:08in the industry

00:39:09but still had a ton

00:39:10of time to grow.

00:39:11This is where

00:39:12the revelation hits.

00:39:13Despite having different teams

00:39:14for each album,

00:39:15they always get the same result

00:39:16because Alia is the one constant.

00:39:18And people had often commented

00:39:20that maybe the producers

00:39:21were the real geniuses

00:39:22behind Alia's music.

00:39:23But once her self-titled

00:39:24Red album was released,

00:39:26it was hard to ignore

00:39:26that she was the one constant.

00:39:28And her ability

00:39:29to take a song

00:39:29and run with it,

00:39:30making it her own

00:39:31no matter who had written

00:39:32or produced,

00:39:33was what made the music so good.

00:39:35The self-titled Red album

00:39:36would still be futuristic

00:39:37and nostalgic

00:39:38at the same time,

00:39:39the way that a lot

00:39:40of her music

00:39:41had been before.

00:39:42Rock the Boat

00:39:42features spinning synths,

00:39:44bouncy drum,

00:39:45it feels like R&B,

00:39:46electro-pop,

00:39:47hip-hop,

00:39:47all at the same time.

00:39:49Manita Resolution

00:39:49features unique

00:39:50Middle Eastern-inspired samples

00:39:52from Timbaland,

00:39:53makes the song

00:39:53impossible to forget.

00:39:54And when it was released

00:40:19in July of 2001,

00:40:20it debuted at number two

00:40:21on the Billboard charts.

00:40:22Only Alicia Keys'

00:40:23songs in the key of A minor

00:40:25stood above it that week.

00:40:26It was by far

00:40:28Aaliyah's biggest release yet.

00:40:29With Aaliyah now entering

00:40:30her 20s,

00:40:31and with so much experience

00:40:32and accomplishments

00:40:33already behind her,

00:40:35she was cast in the sequels

00:40:36of The Matrix

00:40:37as the character Z,

00:40:38by far her biggest film project yet,

00:40:40and one of the biggest

00:40:41franchises around at the time.

00:40:43But at the same time

00:40:44as she announced

00:40:44that she was cast

00:40:45in a huge Hollywood movie,

00:40:47the biggest movie

00:40:47she had done yet,

00:40:48they were still in the middle

00:40:49of marketing her self-titled

00:40:50Red Album.

00:40:51All throughout the summer of 2001,

00:40:53she's on Jay Leno,

00:40:54106 and Park,

00:40:55promoting her music

00:40:55and doing as much press

00:40:57as she possibly could.

00:40:58On August 21st, 2001,

00:41:00she hosted a giveaway

00:41:00with BET

00:41:01where they gave away

00:41:02$20,000 and a Cadillac

00:41:04to a fan.

00:41:05And then the next day,

00:41:06she flew out to Miami

00:41:06to film the music video

00:41:07for Rock the Boat,

00:41:08which is quickly becoming

00:41:09one of the most popular songs

00:41:10from the new album.

00:41:19For Rock the Boat,

00:41:28they had hired Hype Williams,

00:41:29known for the Empire State of Mind

00:41:31and the Big Papa music videos,

00:41:32to direct.

00:41:33Basically,

00:41:34it was going to be a huge video

00:41:35that would boost

00:41:36her already skyrocketing album

00:41:37even further.

00:41:38When she got to Miami,

00:41:39they filmed a couple scenes

00:41:40with a green screen,

00:41:41and then after that,

00:41:42they were going to fly

00:41:42a small plane out

00:41:43to a nearby island

00:41:44in the Bahamas

00:41:45to finish the video

00:41:46on location

00:41:47at a quiet beach.

00:41:48But Aaliyah didn't want to.

00:41:50It wasn't like her.

00:41:50I mean,

00:41:51she had been working full-time

00:41:52since she was a kid.

00:41:53Saying no to an opportunity

00:41:54or an obligation

00:41:55wasn't her personality.

00:41:57But she was tired,

00:41:58she wanted to go home.

00:41:59For the first time in her career,

00:42:00she was just kind of tapped out.

00:42:02Plus,

00:42:02she wanted to go be with Dame Dash

00:42:04and have a quick break

00:42:04after she had already been outside

00:42:06promoting her new album

00:42:07for far too long already.

00:42:09Her boyfriend would beg her

00:42:10not to go to the Bahamas.

00:42:11She hated flying,

00:42:12especially on small planes,

00:42:13and they just wanted

00:42:14to hang out together,

00:42:15and he knew she was stressed.

00:42:16Dame couldn't accompany her,

00:42:18and she had to go get his son

00:42:19from New York for a school event.

00:42:20Her mom was busy

00:42:21undergoing a medical procedure.

00:42:23It was one of the first times

00:42:24that someone in her immediate

00:42:25personal life and family

00:42:26wouldn't be present.

00:42:27But it was too late.

00:42:29They had Hype Williams on the line.

00:42:30They had to finish the video

00:42:31to get it out in time

00:42:32and boost the album even further.

00:42:34She had more work coming up soon.

00:42:35The marketing machine,

00:42:37the label machine,

00:42:37had no time to slow down for Aaliyah.

00:42:40So they load up,

00:42:41get out to the Bahamas,

00:42:42and shoot a video.

00:42:44The video production

00:42:45went pretty much all out.

00:42:46Hype Williams gets them

00:42:47on a big-ass boat to dance on.

00:42:49They've got Aaliyah underwater

00:42:50like a mermaid.

00:42:52It's a pretty cool video,

00:42:53even if the special effects

00:42:54don't really hold up

00:42:5520 years later.

00:42:56But basically,

00:42:56shooting took a couple of days.

00:42:58They had to load up lights,

00:42:59sound equipment, cameras,

00:43:00all this huge stuff

00:43:02that came with a big production budget,

00:43:03and they had to get it all

00:43:04to the island.

00:43:05Switching from being in the water

00:43:06to being on the beach,

00:43:07on the big boat,

00:43:08it was a big, laborious process,

00:43:10and a pretty expensive,

00:43:11heavy one too.

00:43:12A teenager who was working

00:43:13at the hotel

00:43:14the crew was staying at

00:43:15during shooting

00:43:15would say that at one point

00:43:17he asked Aaliyah

00:43:17how he could become famous

00:43:18like her someday,

00:43:19only for her to tiredly answer

00:43:21indicating how burned out she was,

00:43:23don't become a singer or rapper,

00:43:25write a book instead.

00:43:27When she actually was,

00:43:28saw the plane,

00:43:30she,

00:43:31you know,

00:43:31we had the Blackberry,

00:43:32she said,

00:43:32I don't like this plane.

00:43:34And I was like,

00:43:34well, don't get on it.

00:43:35She got on the plane,

00:43:36and she always had a very serious fear

00:43:37of planes in general.

00:43:39So she had to overcome

00:43:40a fear to get on that plane

00:43:41on the way there.

00:43:42And when they finally finished the video,

00:43:45all Aaliyah could focus on

00:43:46was leaving the island

00:43:47as soon as she possibly could.

00:43:49And it's long been discussed

00:43:50and argued about

00:43:51exactly why she wanted

00:43:52to go home so badly.

00:43:53Some people think it's because

00:43:54the hotel had no hot water

00:43:55and she wanted to go home.

00:43:57Some people say it's because

00:43:58she was burned out.

00:43:59Some people say it's because

00:43:59she wanted to see her boyfriend.

00:44:01Maybe it was all of that.

00:44:02We'll never know.

00:44:03There's a term in aviation

00:44:04called get-home-itis,

00:44:06and it describes the way

00:44:07that a pilot's strong desire

00:44:08to get back home

00:44:09can start to override

00:44:11their decision-making skills

00:44:12attention to detail.

00:44:14It can make them take

00:44:14unnecessary risks

00:44:15during complicated moments,

00:44:17and that's exactly

00:44:18what starts to happen

00:44:19after the shoot wraps.

00:44:20After they finished

00:44:21in the middle of the last day,

00:44:22most of the video crew

00:44:23wanted to stay

00:44:24and enjoy the island

00:44:25until their hotel checkout

00:44:26the next morning.

00:44:27But Aaliyah,

00:44:28her bodyguard,

00:44:29a couple of assistants,

00:44:30and the makeup team

00:44:31all wanted to go back,

00:44:32so they start looking

00:44:33for a plane to charter.

00:44:34But the Cessna 404

00:44:36they had come on

00:44:36wasn't available.

00:44:38All they could get

00:44:38at that exact moment

00:44:39was a different company

00:44:40that only had a much smaller

00:44:42Cessna 402.

00:44:43And so at the same time

00:44:44as she desperately

00:44:45wants to get home,

00:44:46Aaliyah also doesn't

00:44:47want to board

00:44:48the unsafe-looking plane

00:44:49anymore either,

00:44:50and chaos unfolds.

00:44:52The pilot advises

00:44:53that they can't all

00:44:54go on his plane.

00:44:55He tells them

00:44:55that they're going

00:44:55to be overweight,

00:44:56the bags are too big,

00:44:57there's too much film equipment,

00:44:59and Aaliyah gets cold feet.

00:45:00She doesn't want to get

00:45:01on this tiny plane.

00:45:02She eventually walks away

00:45:03and waits in a taxi

00:45:04while her team handles

00:45:05the situation

00:45:06with the pilot

00:45:07and the charter company

00:45:08who seemingly can't get

00:45:09another plane over

00:45:10that day.

00:45:11At one point,

00:45:12Aaliyah starts complaining

00:45:12of a headache,

00:45:13someone passes her a pill

00:45:14which leaves her napping,

00:45:15while they argue

00:45:16with the pilot for hours

00:45:17over the safety

00:45:18of how much lighting

00:45:19and sound equipment

00:45:20they were trying

00:45:20to bring back with them.

00:45:21Eventually,

00:45:22the pilot agrees

00:45:23to take them to Miami

00:45:23after they essentially

00:45:24force him to.

00:45:25Meanwhile,

00:45:26Aaliyah is loaded

00:45:26onto the plane

00:45:27while still napping.

00:45:28The teenage hotel worker

00:45:29would later say,

00:45:30They just started loading

00:45:31all this stuff

00:45:32onto the plane.

00:45:33Aaliyah didn't even know

00:45:34she was getting boarded

00:45:35and went on the plane

00:45:36asleep.

00:45:37But after they finally

00:45:38got started,

00:45:39within one minute

00:45:40of the plane taking off,

00:45:41reaching a height

00:45:41of no more than 200 feet,

00:45:43it nosedived

00:45:44and crashed into a bush

00:45:45with gasoline spilling

00:45:46everywhere

00:45:47and a fire disintegrating

00:45:48the entire scene.

00:45:50The plane crash

00:45:52that killed

00:45:52a rising star

00:45:53in the world

00:45:54of music and film

00:45:55reaction today

00:45:56after Aaliyah

00:45:57and eight others

00:45:58were killed

00:45:58when their plane

00:45:59went down.

00:46:01The plane,

00:46:01just after taking off

00:46:02for Florida

00:46:03in perfect weather,

00:46:04suddenly plummeted

00:46:05to the ground.

00:46:06Investigators now saying

00:46:07one of the engines

00:46:08apparently failed.

00:46:09Along with eight passengers,

00:46:11Aaliyah,

00:46:11a young Brooklyn native

00:46:12and a talented singer

00:46:13and actress.

00:46:14The investigation

00:46:15yielded a long list

00:46:16of disturbing,

00:46:17tragic details.

00:46:19The plane ended up

00:46:20being at least

00:46:20900 pounds overweight,

00:46:22an insane amount

00:46:23for a plane

00:46:24with an empty weight

00:46:25of less than

00:46:254,000 pounds itself.

00:46:27A total of nine people

00:46:28were killed.

00:46:29The pilot,

00:46:30Aaliyah's two stylists,

00:46:31her security guard,

00:46:32a manager from the label,

00:46:33a makeup artist,

00:46:34and two employees

00:46:35from Virgin Records.

00:46:36After his autopsy,

00:46:37the pilot was found

00:46:38to have alcohol

00:46:39and cocaine

00:46:39in his system

00:46:40and looking even closer,

00:46:42they found that

00:46:42he wasn't actually

00:46:43approved to fly the plane

00:46:44at all

00:46:44and that he had obtained

00:46:45his FAA license

00:46:46fraudulently,

00:46:47having lied about

00:46:48hundreds of hours

00:46:49of training

00:46:49that never happened.

00:46:50And just a couple weeks

00:46:51before the accident,

00:46:53he had been arrested

00:46:53and charged

00:46:54with possession

00:46:54of crack cocaine

00:46:55in Miami.

00:46:56You could write

00:46:57an entire book

00:46:58on the long list

00:46:59of incompetency

00:47:00and betrayals

00:47:01and corner cutting

00:47:02that allowed

00:47:03this crash to happen.

00:47:04But no matter

00:47:04what the root cause was,

00:47:06who was to blame,

00:47:07the end result

00:47:07was a terrible tragedy.

00:47:09A few of the crash victims

00:47:10survived for a short time,

00:47:11but none of them

00:47:12made it to the hospital alive.

00:47:14Not even Aaliyah,

00:47:14who was found

00:47:15ejected from the plane

00:47:16and still strapped

00:47:17into her seat

00:47:18when she died.

00:47:19The reason for the crash

00:47:20was undoubtedly

00:47:21the fact that

00:47:21the plane was overweight.

00:47:23Basically,

00:47:23Aaliyah didn't want

00:47:24to go do the video

00:47:25on the island,

00:47:26then on the island,

00:47:26the hotel didn't have

00:47:27hot water,

00:47:28then the video shoot

00:47:29was exhausting

00:47:29and took a long time

00:47:30and when she was finally done,

00:47:32she just wanted to go home.

00:47:33And that's what

00:47:33it all really comes back to.

00:47:35The people around Aaliyah

00:47:36failing to do right by her,

00:47:38pushing and pushing

00:47:39till they couldn't

00:47:40push any further.

00:47:41Aaliyah's countless fans

00:47:42have been searching

00:47:42for reasons for why

00:47:44she passed for a long time.

00:47:45Looking for explanations,

00:47:46conspiracies,

00:47:47maybe someone had

00:47:48a financial motive

00:47:49for killing her,

00:47:49something to make it

00:47:50make sense.

00:47:51But ultimately,

00:47:52you don't even need

00:47:53to dig that deep

00:47:54to see what was wrong.

00:47:55Aaliyah's life

00:47:55had been turned

00:47:56into a product

00:47:57by the people around her.

00:47:58It ceased to belong to her.

00:48:00She wasn't in control.

00:48:02The people with

00:48:02the financial motive were.

00:48:04She didn't want to do

00:48:05the video in the Bahamas,

00:48:06she just wanted to go home.

00:48:08Aaliyah gave her entire life

00:48:09to music and art

00:48:10and entertainment.

00:48:11Literally all of it.

00:48:12And the people around her

00:48:13failed profoundly

00:48:15in that regard.

00:48:16Even in the moments

00:48:17before her life

00:48:17was taken away,

00:48:18the people around her

00:48:19are pushing for more.

00:48:21Instead of waiting

00:48:21for a new plane,

00:48:22she's given a downer

00:48:23to make her go to sleep

00:48:24and loaded up onto a plane

00:48:25she said she wasn't

00:48:26comfortable with

00:48:27while she's unconscious.

00:48:28It's the whole story

00:48:29of her life

00:48:30in one moment.

00:48:31Giving everything she has,

00:48:33doing stuff that

00:48:33she doesn't want to do,

00:48:35while everyone around her

00:48:36pushes for more

00:48:37and more

00:48:38and more.

00:48:38I'm constantly thinking

00:48:40about my life

00:48:41and the things

00:48:42that I want

00:48:43to achieve.

00:48:45Thinking about everything.

00:48:46Not even my life,

00:48:47but just even other people

00:48:48that are close to me.

00:48:49I think about my brother

00:48:50a lot and my family

00:48:51and their lives

00:48:52and what they're going through

00:48:53and how I can make

00:48:54them happy.

00:48:55You know,

00:48:55I'm also someone

00:48:55that likes to make

00:48:56everyone around me happy.

00:48:58So,

00:48:59there's a lot going on

00:49:00in Aaliyah's head

00:49:01for sure.

00:49:03The plane crash

00:49:04wasn't a freak accident.

00:49:06It was the product

00:49:07of a chain of negligence.

00:49:08A fraudulent pilot.

00:49:09A plane overloaded

00:49:10with equipment

00:49:11that should have been shipped.

00:49:12An exhausted star

00:49:13persuaded to keep going

00:49:14when she already said no

00:49:15and then being drugged

00:49:17so she'd go

00:49:17without a complaint.

00:49:18You know,

00:49:19Hype was making this video

00:49:20and I was like,

00:49:20I know Hype.

00:49:21I just got off of

00:49:23Big Pimpin'

00:49:26where I had to cut the video.

00:49:27You know what I mean?

00:49:27Because I just spent bread.

00:49:28So I was like,

00:49:30you know,

00:49:30he's going to make you

00:49:31do another day.

00:49:32Don't do it.

00:49:32Trust me.

00:49:33It's just so he can spend money.

00:49:34You know?

00:49:35I just thought that

00:49:36it wasn't necessary.

00:49:39You know,

00:49:39I knew that

00:49:39that was going to happen.

00:49:40And then,

00:49:42and sure enough,

00:49:43she came home that day

00:49:44and she was like,

00:49:45well,

00:49:45I got to

00:49:46because I got work to do.

00:49:48But you don't need

00:49:48to blame anyone in particular

00:49:50to see what's obvious.

00:49:51Aaliyah was taken advantage of.

00:49:53Her uncle,

00:49:53who introduced her

00:49:54to his much older client

00:49:55and facilitated

00:49:56a close working relationship

00:49:57that would lead

00:49:58to disturbing

00:49:58sexual and emotional abuse.

00:50:00A media industry

00:50:01that made money

00:50:02from blaming her for it all.

00:50:03Then,

00:50:03as her career

00:50:04became all the more demanding

00:50:05after she never complained

00:50:06about anything

00:50:07for years and years,

00:50:08she finally shows signs

00:50:09of burnout.

00:50:10She cries out for help.

00:50:11She begs for some comfort

00:50:13or just to be in control

00:50:14for a moment.

00:50:15She ends up dying

00:50:16in a gruesome accident

00:50:17that was entirely preventable

00:50:18and only happened

00:50:19because of concern

00:50:20for the bottom line

00:50:21of the equipment

00:50:22on the plane.

00:50:23More than just bad luck,

00:50:24it looks like

00:50:25Aaliyah's life

00:50:26was defined by a pattern

00:50:27of being taken advantage of.

00:50:29That's why it isn't shocking

00:50:30that conspiracies

00:50:31about her life and death

00:50:32have persisted

00:50:33for 20 years.

00:50:34For someone

00:50:34who is so often mistreated,

00:50:36it's hard to imagine

00:50:37that anyone at all

00:50:38cared about her life.

00:50:40Her family,

00:50:41her team,

00:50:41the people who needed

00:50:42to keep her alive

00:50:43to keep making money

00:50:44from her.

00:50:45Her death only became

00:50:46even more of an obsession

00:50:47once people started

00:50:48connecting it

00:50:49to her last interviews

00:50:50because in the months

00:50:50before her death,

00:50:51Aaliyah's persona

00:50:52started to shift.

00:50:53Obviously,

00:50:54she was already experiencing

00:50:55a ton of career

00:50:56and personal growth,

00:50:57getting into a relationship,

00:50:58being cast in

00:50:58all these huge movies,

00:50:59but even more than that,

00:51:00she seemed to have been

00:51:01changing as a person.

00:51:02During her interviews,

00:51:03she acted more grown up.

00:51:05She would talk to journalists

00:51:05about wanting to have

00:51:06a family with kids,

00:51:08wanting to travel the world

00:51:09and visit Africa and Europe

00:51:10once she had the free time

00:51:11to do so.

00:51:12Any time for vacations here?

00:51:14You have to make time

00:51:15for those things.

00:51:16You just have to tell people,

00:51:16you know what,

00:51:17I'm taking a week off here

00:51:18and I'm going on vacation

00:51:19and haven't had the time

00:51:21for that just yet.

00:51:22When I get too tired

00:51:23and I'm down and I'm out,

00:51:25I'll say,

00:51:25look, I need a vacation,

00:51:27but I won't be from it.

00:51:28But at one point,

00:51:29her interviews became strange.

00:51:31During one,

00:51:31she would talk about

00:51:32repeated dreams

00:51:33where she would find herself

00:51:34flying and swimming in the air,

00:51:36trying to escape

00:51:37the demands of her career.

00:51:38Even though that had defined

00:51:39most of her life,

00:51:40having worked nonstop

00:51:42since she was a child

00:51:42to master performing,

00:51:44living the life of a star,

00:51:45her dreams were telling her

00:51:46that she needed

00:51:47to get away from it.

00:51:48But in the end,

00:51:48she would say that

00:51:49the feeling of anxiety

00:51:50in the dream would go away

00:51:51and she would go back

00:51:52to peacefully embracing

00:51:53her very demanding lifestyle

00:51:55the best she could.

00:51:56And many people

00:51:57who found her death

00:51:58hard to accept

00:51:59would interpret this

00:52:00as a sign

00:52:00that she subconsciously knew

00:52:01her time on earth

00:52:02was almost up.

00:52:03In reality,

00:52:04I think it was probably

00:52:05a sign that she was human.

00:52:06The trauma that Aaliyah

00:52:07endured in the spotlight,

00:52:09the never-ending workloads,

00:52:10her own family

00:52:11putting the bottom line

00:52:12before her dignity,

00:52:13Aaliyah had never really

00:52:14said anything.

00:52:15She pushed it down

00:52:16and kept going

00:52:17and she experienced

00:52:18true success

00:52:19in spite of it all.

00:52:20But eventually,

00:52:21that kind of trauma

00:52:22catches up.

00:52:22No matter who you are,

00:52:23no matter how much money

00:52:24or success you have,

00:52:25it just happened

00:52:26that Aaliyah's life

00:52:27would be stolen

00:52:28before even that moment

00:52:29would arrive.

00:52:31Aaliyah's death

00:52:32sent a shockwave

00:52:33through the entertainment industry.

00:52:35People who had worked with her

00:52:36couldn't even find words

00:52:37to describe it.

00:52:38At her private funeral,

00:52:39hundreds of people

00:52:40who knew her

00:52:40would join to walk

00:52:41behind a horse-drawn

00:52:42glass carriage

00:52:43carrying her silver casket

00:52:45through the streets

00:52:46of the Upper East Side

00:52:47in Manhattan.

00:52:48Thousands of young fans

00:52:49would gather outside the church

00:52:50where they held her service,

00:52:51holding signs with lyrics,

00:52:53t-shirts,

00:52:53playing her music

00:52:54in the street.

00:52:55In his speech,

00:52:56her brother would say,

00:52:57Aaliyah, you left,

00:52:58but I'll always see you

00:52:59next to me

00:52:59and I can see you

00:53:00smiling through the sunshine.

00:53:01When our life is over,

00:53:03our book is done.

00:53:04I hope God keeps me strong

00:53:05until I see her again.

00:53:06After the eulogies,

00:53:08her family released

00:53:0822 doves into the sky

00:53:10in her honor.

00:53:15And for a long time,

00:53:16her music industry collaborators

00:53:18would find it almost impossible

00:53:19to process what happened.

00:53:21She's a beautiful person

00:53:22inside and out

00:53:23and we're gonna all

00:53:24miss her deeply.

00:53:26At the MTV Awards,

00:53:28just two weeks after she passed,

00:53:29Missy Elliott would break down,

00:53:31barely able to speak.

00:53:32To the world and to our fans,

00:53:34Aaliyah was known as Aaliyah,

00:53:36but to us,

00:53:36her extended family

00:53:37was known as Baby Girl.

00:53:39While other artists

00:53:40would wear shirts

00:53:40with her face on it,

00:53:42and yet others

00:53:42would dedicate

00:53:43their performances to her.

00:53:44Timbaland would say

00:53:45that he lost part of himself

00:53:46and his creative energy

00:53:47when Aaliyah passed.

00:53:49Beyonce would talk about

00:53:50praying for her every day,

00:53:51noting that Aaliyah

00:53:52was the first person

00:53:53to embrace Destiny's child

00:53:54when they were getting started.

00:53:56She was our age

00:53:56and it's just scary

00:53:57because that could have been

00:53:59any one of us

00:54:00and she was an angel

00:54:01and I know that

00:54:03now she's with God.

00:54:05All across America,

00:54:07from Detroit to LA,

00:54:08hundreds of young kids

00:54:09who loved Aaliyah's music

00:54:10would hold candlelight vigils.

00:54:12I actually took the day off

00:54:14from work today

00:54:14to be here.

00:54:16Because we all love her

00:54:18and we'll mix her.

00:54:19And in the weeks

00:54:20after she passed,

00:54:21all of her albums

00:54:22would rise on the charts,

00:54:23even the soundtracks

00:54:24to her films.

00:54:25Her last album skyrocketed

00:54:26in popularity,

00:54:27finally reaching number one

00:54:28on the Billboard 200

00:54:29after it had missed it

00:54:30the first time around.

00:54:31She had it going

00:54:32with her music,

00:54:34her acting career.

00:54:36She had a lot going

00:54:37for a young girl

00:54:38with a lot of potential.

00:54:40And even now,

00:54:41almost 25 years later,

00:54:43despite her tragically

00:54:44short career,

00:54:45Aaliyah merch

00:54:45and posters

00:54:46are still on the shelves

00:54:47of stores around the country

00:54:49and her online fanbase

00:54:50remains dedicated.

00:54:51There are forums

00:54:52for discussing her career,

00:54:53her work,

00:54:54her life,

00:54:54but at the same time,

00:54:56her popularity

00:54:56also seems to have endured

00:54:58partly in spite of her label,

00:55:00instead of anything

00:55:00they actually did

00:55:01to keep her spirit alive.

00:55:04And even a year

00:55:04after she passed,

00:55:05it didn't stop.

00:55:07The cost for Aaliyah

00:55:08and the other

00:55:08crash victims' bodies

00:55:09to be shipped back

00:55:10to the US

00:55:11remained unpaid

00:55:12by her label,

00:55:13leaving Aaliyah's parents

00:55:14themselves to pay for it.

00:55:15The same happened

00:55:16with her funeral.

00:55:17Executives at Virgin Records

00:55:18had promised to pay

00:55:19for the whole thing,

00:55:20but ended up

00:55:21backing out later.

00:55:22In the 24 years

00:55:23since Aaliyah's passing,

00:55:25her uncle's label,

00:55:26the one he founded

00:55:26specifically to get

00:55:27her career off the ground,

00:55:29would become

00:55:29not a piece of her legacy,

00:55:31but a symbol

00:55:31of music industry corruption

00:55:33and mismanagement.

00:55:34Basically,

00:55:35Barry Hankerson

00:55:35would sign a number

00:55:36of artists to Blackground

00:55:38that would later sue him

00:55:39for essentially ruining

00:55:40their careers.

00:55:41Jojo,

00:55:41a pop artist from New England,

00:55:42was signed to Blackground

00:55:43in 2003 at the age of 13

00:55:45and she would have

00:55:46a hugely successful career

00:55:47as a teen singer

00:55:48in the mid-2000s.

00:55:50She released

00:55:50multiple top 10 albums,

00:55:52she sold 7 million copies

00:55:53of her records,

00:55:54but she eventually

00:55:55had to sue Blackground

00:55:56for irreparable damages

00:55:57to her career

00:55:58when Barry's label

00:55:59would neither let her

00:56:00drop music

00:56:00or release her

00:56:01from her contract

00:56:02for years.

00:56:03Toni Braxton,

00:56:04seven-time Grammy winner,

00:56:06would also sue Blackground

00:56:07in the mid-2000s.

00:56:08She would allege

00:56:09fraud,

00:56:09deception,

00:56:10double-dealing

00:56:11and mismanagement

00:56:12of her industry connections.

00:56:14Even Aaliyah's own catalog,

00:56:15her personal musical legacy,

00:56:17would pay the price

00:56:18for Barry's decline.

00:56:20At the start of the 2000s,

00:56:21while streaming was becoming

00:56:22the dominant way

00:56:22for listeners to consume music,

00:56:24Aaliyah's albums became

00:56:25some of the last

00:56:26to not reach streaming platforms

00:56:27for years.

00:56:29Barry had let his business

00:56:30fall into such disrepair

00:56:31that he didn't have

00:56:32a distribution deal

00:56:33with a company

00:56:33that could get her albums

00:56:35uploaded to the internet.

00:56:36The only music of hers

00:56:37that you could find anywhere

00:56:38throughout the 2010s

00:56:39would be her stained

00:56:40R. Kelly debut

00:56:41since the rights

00:56:42to that project

00:56:42were owned by Jive

00:56:43and not Blackground.

00:56:45Everything else,

00:56:45hit singles,

00:56:46compilations,

00:56:47her other two studio albums,

00:56:49it just wasn't there.

00:56:50It effectively erased

00:56:51her influence

00:56:52from a whole generation

00:56:53of listeners

00:56:53at the exact moment

00:56:55her legacy

00:56:55could have been cemented.

00:56:56But in 2021,

00:56:58once Aaliyah's albums

00:56:59were finally available online,

00:57:01her insanely enduring popularity

00:57:03became very clear.

00:57:04Her 1996 album

00:57:05One in a Million

00:57:06immediately returned

00:57:07to the Billboard charts,

00:57:08peaking at number 10.

00:57:10That's almost 30 years

00:57:11after it came out.

00:57:12In the last couple of years,

00:57:14her hits have racked up

00:57:15hundreds of millions

00:57:16of plays on Spotify.

00:57:17Her catalog of music

00:57:18hasn't lost much relevance,

00:57:20if any,

00:57:20even despite the decade-plus

00:57:22long blackout

00:57:23of her music

00:57:24being unavailable online.

00:57:25Even while people debate

00:57:26if her uncle handled

00:57:27her musical legacy

00:57:28in the same strange,

00:57:29concerning way

00:57:30that he handled her

00:57:31while she was alive,

00:57:32it made one thing

00:57:33very clear.

00:57:34Aaliyah was one of the greatest

00:57:35R&B artists

00:57:36of her generation

00:57:37at all.

00:57:38The degree to which

00:57:39her music,

00:57:40fashion,

00:57:40performances

00:57:41can all still be recognized

00:57:42as leaving a mark

00:57:43that's alive to this day,

00:57:44it's unlike anyone else.

00:57:46The futuristic R&B lane

00:57:47she made

00:57:48with Missy,

00:57:48Ellia,

00:57:48and Timberlund,

00:57:49it was a whole new

00:57:50template for artists.

00:57:51Odd time accents,

00:57:52minor key mood,

00:57:53vocal harmonies

00:57:54used like instruments

00:57:55instead of diva belting.

00:57:56Aaliyah influenced Drake,

00:57:58The Weeknd,

00:57:58SZA,

00:57:59Janae Aiko,

00:58:00basically everybody.

00:58:01And then on top of that,

00:58:02her outfits that fused

00:58:03the tomboy and luxury styles

00:58:05with bandanas,

00:58:06shades,

00:58:06small tops,

00:58:07big pants,

00:58:08that's what literally

00:58:09everyone in the world

00:58:10is still wearing right now.

00:58:12There's no doubt about it,

00:58:13Aaliyah's dress code

00:58:14and musical ideas

00:58:14are much,

00:58:15much more of a blueprint

00:58:16than most people even know.

00:58:18The sad part is that

00:58:19even after she pushed

00:58:20through the suffering

00:58:21inflicted on her

00:58:22by other people,

00:58:23she still ended up

00:58:24paying the ultimate price for it.

00:58:25It's nothing new,

00:58:26we've heard this story

00:58:27countless times before,

00:58:28but with Aaliyah,

00:58:29it's one of the saddest

00:58:30of all of them.

00:58:31The people around her

00:58:32weren't just business partners

00:58:33and executives,

00:58:34they were her family.

00:58:35The same people

00:58:36who were supposed to

00:58:37protect her life

00:58:38and keep her safe

00:58:39and the pursuit of money

00:58:40and fame

00:58:41warped their boundaries

00:58:42so badly

00:58:43that even her own uncle

00:58:45started to look

00:58:45more like a pimp.

00:58:47Aaliyah's boyfriend

00:58:48at the end of her life

00:58:49would talk about how Aaliyah,

00:58:50no matter how close they got,

00:58:52even when they were

00:58:52intending to get engaged,

00:58:54would not speak about R. Kelly,

00:58:56only calling him

00:58:57a bad, bad man.

00:58:58That's how much it affected her,

00:59:00even when she maintained

00:59:01a strong facade

00:59:02on the outside.

00:59:03She couldn't fully share

00:59:04parts of her life

00:59:05with the people

00:59:06she was closest with.

00:59:07A few years

00:59:08after Aaliyah's passing,

00:59:09when Dame Dash's

00:59:10business partner,

00:59:11Jay-Z,

00:59:11chose to go out on tour

00:59:12with R. Kelly,

00:59:13Dame Dash would name that

00:59:14as the moment

00:59:15that their partnership

00:59:16completely fell apart forever.

00:59:18But it's not even that.

00:59:19People want to protect themselves,

00:59:20their jobs,

00:59:21their stability.

00:59:22It leads to this

00:59:22corporate indifference

00:59:24where the artist

00:59:24isn't a person

00:59:25but a product

00:59:26and it's the root

00:59:26of these troubles

00:59:27that followed her

00:59:28throughout her whole life

00:59:29and eventually

00:59:30led to her death.

00:59:31It's like the story

00:59:31of Justin Bieber,

00:59:32Britney Spears,

00:59:33Amy Whitehouse,

00:59:34all these people

00:59:35who have had their humanity

00:59:36exploited to the point

00:59:37of breaking down

00:59:38or worse.

00:59:39For Aaliyah,

00:59:40she wasn't even ready to cave.

00:59:41She wanted to keep

00:59:42growing and shining

00:59:43but it would be

00:59:43those same forces

00:59:44that would take her life

00:59:45away regardless.

00:59:46The world of entertainment

00:59:47can be so corrupted

00:59:49by money,

00:59:50self-interest,

00:59:50greed,

00:59:51abuse,

00:59:52that absolutely nothing

00:59:53is off limits.

00:59:55Getting to the level

00:59:55Aaliyah got to

00:59:56is never ever free

00:59:58and the price attached

00:59:59can often end up

01:00:00costing more

01:00:01than what you get

01:00:02in return.

01:00:03She did everything right.

01:00:04Worked,

01:00:05learned,

01:00:06reinvented herself,

01:00:07carried her burdens

01:00:07with grace

01:00:08but still,

01:00:09everyone around her

01:00:10treated her like

01:00:11a piggy bank

01:00:11that they could keep

01:00:12pulling money from

01:00:13until they pulled

01:00:14a little too hard

01:00:15and it killed her.

01:00:16But they can never

01:00:17take away the fact

01:00:18that in spite of all of it,

01:00:20we don't remember

01:00:21Aaliyah as just

01:00:22a cautionary tale.

01:00:23She was an artist

01:00:24who pioneered

01:00:25new sounds

01:00:26and new looks.

01:00:27She made an identity

01:00:28all her own

01:00:29and impacted music forever

01:00:31and she did it all

01:00:32at an insanely young age.

01:00:33Aaliyah is the girl

01:00:34who deserved to live.

01:00:36Tragically,

01:00:37she didn't

01:00:37but in a way

01:00:38she still does

01:00:39because of all the ways

01:00:40that her work

01:00:41will live on

01:00:42within us

01:00:43forever.

01:00:44I'm Philip.

01:00:44This has been Volksgeist.

01:00:46Thank you very much

01:00:47for watching.

01:00:49Because of the nature

01:00:50of this video

01:00:51and the topic

01:00:51and everything,

01:00:52I have nothing to promote.

01:00:53I have nothing to sell you.

01:00:54I will say that

01:00:55if you enjoy the work

01:00:56that went into this video,

01:00:57I have a Patreon page

01:00:58where you can basically

01:00:59donate to the production

01:01:00of more of these videos.

01:01:02I have help

01:01:02with researching

01:01:03and writing,

01:01:03making graphics

01:01:04and images

01:01:05and video editing,

01:01:06all of that stuff.

01:01:06So if you would like

01:01:07to donate some money

01:01:08for me to be able

01:01:09to produce more of these

01:01:10more sustainably,

01:01:11you very much can

01:01:12at patreon.com

01:01:13slash Volksgeist.

01:01:15I have absolutely

01:01:15nothing else to sell,

01:01:16nothing to promote,

01:01:17no sponsor,

01:01:18nothing like that

01:01:19because I want everyone

01:01:20to walk away

01:01:21from this video

01:01:21taking something away from it.

01:01:23Realizing something

01:01:24about themselves,

01:01:25realizing what's really

01:01:25important in life

01:01:27and reflecting on

01:01:28and respecting the memory

01:01:29of people like Aaliyah

01:01:31who sacrifice a lot

01:01:32to express themselves

01:01:34and often pay

01:01:35a crazy price for it.

01:01:36Again, I'm Philip.

01:01:37This has been Volksgeist.

01:01:38Thank you very much

01:01:39for watching

01:01:40and I'll see you soon.

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