Artykuł o Aaliyah w VIBE.com (po angielsku)

Renata

In Memory of Aaliyah: More Than A Woman

By: John Kennedy

August 25, 2006

It was five years ago that Aaliyah Dana Haughton, whose name is Arabic for “the highest, most exalted one,” died in a tragic plane crash along with nine others. But before Aaliyah’s passing, the Brooklyn-born, Detroit-raised singer left a legacy that will never be rivaled. She was a trendsetter throughout her career, whether continuously setting the standard in R&B music or swimming in baggy boys clothing - which helped her secure a spot in the 1996 Tommy Jeans ad campaign. But more than anything else, she loved to perform.

“I have to honestly say that everything is worth it,” Aaliyah said during an MTV Diary taping in July 2001, just a month before her death. “The hard work, the times when you’re tired, the times when you’re a bit sad, the good moments when you’re onstage performing in front of thousands of people. In the end, it’s all worth it because it really makes me happy, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.

“It’s hard to say what I want my legacy to be. Right now, I’m going to say that I want people to see me as an entertainer. Someone who can do it all.”

On the five-year anniversary of Aaliyah’s death, Vibe.com recaps the career of yet another promising young life that was taken too soon. This one’s for you, Babygirl…

Aaliyah burst onto the scene in 1994 with her R. Kelly-produced debut album Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number, quickly gaining the adoration of adolescents everywhere. Emerging in a wave of teenage talents that included R&B peers Brandy and Monica, to whom she was often compared, 15-year-old Aaliyah set herself apart with her unique style – a combination of sweet, whispery vocals and hip hop backdrops. Her drum-driven lead single “Back and Forth” became a summer soundtrack while the Isley Brothers-remake “At Your Best” exhibited Aaliyah’s angelic aura.

The world wouldn’t wait long for Aaliyah’s second project, which she released two years later. On her sophomore set, she shied away from mentor R. Kelly and signed on Missy Elliot and producer Timbaland, a Virginian duo that had not yet seen a glimpse of its modern-day success. The musical chemistry of the resulting effort, One In A Million, was undeniable; the album marked a more mature Aaliyah’s breakthrough while catapulting the careers of Missy and Timbaland, who wrote and produced much of the album. One In A Million was certified double platinum in under a year and churned out such smashes as “If Your Girl Only Knew,” “4 Page Letter,” “The One I Gave My Heart To,” and the title track.

“Working with Aaliyah is like working with the top,” Missy said in VIBE magazine’s November 2001 issue. “She’s so fast. I’d leave the studio for a minute and come back, and she would have completed a whole song. She really worked hard that way.”

Aaliyah’s momentum continued with her work on soundtracks for the 1997 animated film Anastasia and 1998’s wildlife comedy Dr. Dolittle. The former earned Babygirl an Academy Award nomination while the latter became one of the biggest hits of her career, producing a Grammy nomination.

From making movie music, she advanced to on-screen stardom. In 2000, she played opposite Jet Li in the (very) loosely-based Shakespearean thriller Romeo Must Die. As Trish O’Day, the sheltered daughter in a rich family, Aaliyah displayed a wealth of acting potential, with emotions ranging from the grief of losing a brother to the horror of murder. USA Today wrote that Aaliyah’s “glow is genuine.” “She was extremely humble and grateful, and very excited about her career,” said Romeo co-star Isaiah Washington in VIBE’s November 2001 issue.

In addition to filming Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah laced the movie’s soundtrack with a string of wildly popular songs. The ultra-catchy “Try Again” and funky DMX-assisted “Back In One Piece” were shot as music videos while “I Don’t Wanna,” (which also appeared on the Next Friday soundtrack) peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She had repositioned herself at the top of the music world and would soon go on to record her third, self-titled opus.

The third time would prove to be a charm, as Aaliyah, which was released in summer 2001, was arguably the singer’s most anticipated album. It had been five years since Aaliyah’s last album and fans were looking to see how she would evolve creatively. The first single, “We Need A Resolution,” met Timbaland’s seductive soundscape with Aaliyah’s alluring voice, showing yet another side of the songbird. “She always likes to go to the left,” Timbaland said in VIBE’s August 2001 issue. “She’s the only one who’s willing to use those tracks. It wouldn’t be right if she didn’t.”

The entire album showed her growth not only as an artist, but as a woman. There was the declarative “More Than A Woman,” heartfelt “I Care 4 U,” and sexy “Rock The Boat.” But in the midst of her budding as an R&B icon, tragedy struck. On August 25, 2001, after filming the video for “Rock The Boat,” she and nine others perished in a small, overloaded plane headed back to the States. Family, friends, fans and fellow artists alike were crushed.

Aaliyah did not get to see her second acting role be released to the public. In 2002, the gothic vampire film Queen of the Damned, which she headlined as Queen Akasha, hit movie theaters. The character was the queen of all vampires, but despite being the film’s biggest name, her time on-screen was limited. Still, she received critical acclaim. The Washington Post wrote: “Aaliyah takes to the role with enough presence to make you think about what might have been.” “It’s so weird to me that the last image of Aaliyah will be this shadow of the real person,” Michael Rhymer said in VIBE’s November 2001 issue. “As dark and evil as this character was, the real person was full of light.”

Aaliyah’s posthumous music release, I Care 4 U, was a greatest hits album that also featured unreleased Aaliyah tracks such as “Miss You” and “Come Over.” The video for “Miss You” gathered Missy Elliot, Lil’ Kim, DMX and several others to pay tribute.

Even after her death, Aaliyah continues to live through her music and the impact she had on others. You can see her influence everywhere from Ciara’s dance-heavy live performance to Ashanti’s upbeat, hip-hop soul fusion and new-comer Cassie's album cover even. Artists like Brandy, Jadakiss and the Game have paid respects in song lyrics. Jay-Z even recorded a personal dedication track to Aaliyah over the instrumental of her song, “Miss You.”

“Seems like we should be used to this by now,” wrote Hyun Kim in the November 2001 Aaliyah tribute feature. “We lost Eazy-E, then Tupac, Biggie, Big L, and Big Pun, among others. But we can never really learn to accept when a promising young life is cut short.”

But while she was here, one thing was certain – Aaliyah loved what she did. “This is what I always wanted,” she revealed in the August 2001 issue of VIBE, her first cover story in the magazine. “I breathe to perform, to entertain, I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. I’m just a really happy girl right now. I feel very fulfilled and complete.”

Continue to rest in peace.

Alexa

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