We Miss You, Aaliyah
For all the folks who also grew up loving our late princess of R&B, Aaliyah—if you’ve ever wondered why you can’t find Aaliyah’s music on streaming platforms:
Aaliyah’s uncle, producer Barry Hankerson, has her discography on lockdown, according to a report published by Complex in 2016. In 2017, a hacker uploaded her posthumous album, Aaliyah, to iTunes for the first time, including some of her greatest hits: “One in a Million,” “Try Again,” and “Are You That Somebody.” Within 24 hours, the tracks were gone.
As Complex‘s Stephen Witt points out, the only Aaliyah album available online is her first, “the one that Hankerson doesn’t control the masters for, and the one where she sings lyrics penned by the suspected pedophile she was fraudulently married to. This does not honor her legacy.”
Unless you have her physical cds or vinyl records, Youtube has been the most accessible way to listen to her songs and watch her music videos. I remember that golden era of music by Missy Elliot, Timbaland, and Aaliyah.. taking R&B and hip hop by storm, dominating the sound of the 90s and ushering us into 2000s with more incredible music. The legacy they’ve built in less than a decade is still unsurpassable, and to this day there is no one else who sounds, moves, or shines like Aaliyah.
Like many others who enjoy playlists but grew frustrated trying to build one on a streaming platform.. (I know her 1st album is on Spotify but I don’t wanna stream it because it’s so tied to R. Kelly).. I gathered some of my favorite Aaliyah songs, tributes and remixes on Soundcloud:
Rest in peace, Aaliyah.
Sources & Recommended:
Gaudette, Emily. “Why Can’t I Stream Aaliyah? Late R&B Singer’s Discography Still Locked Down by her uncle.” 01/16/2019. Newsweek. Web article.
Okoth-Obbo, Vanessa. “One in 35 Million: How unlicensed music by Aaliyah ended up on Spotify.” 03/11/2018. FactMag. Web Article.
