The Ukulele Ensemble: RnB

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Baby Girl

Aaliyah, whose name means "most exalted one" was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1979 and raised in Detroit. Early on she was more of a tomboy wearing baggy shirts and pants and was very interested in a singing career. She released her first album, Age Ain't Nothing But a Number in 1994 when she was only 14. Subsequent albums were One in a Million and Aaliyah. However, she was also dedicated to school and graduated from the Detroit Performing Arts High School with a 4.0 gpa. She also starred in the movies Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned. She was set to star in the Matrix sequels, but tragically was killed in a plane crash in August 2001, only a month after the release of her third album.

I first heard of Aaliyah when her second album, One in a Million was released. I thought she had a beautiful, smooth singing voice and a good vocal range that complemented her particular R&B style. She also seemed to have a maturity beyond her years. I mainly heard her singles on the radio and her videos on MTV. When the single "Are You That Somebody" was released, I could not get it out of my head. In fact, I thought it was rather annoying. However, I decided to get One in a Million so that I could listen to her but not that single. I was instantly hooked. After a hard day, I could throw her CD on and just relax. It didn’t hurt that she was beautiful too…watching her videos was always easy on the eyes. After that I bought her first album Age Ain't Nothing But a Number. I eagerly awaited her next album.

However, it turned out to be a few years because Aaliyah decided to get her acting feet wet in the Jet Li movie, Romeo Must Die. I saw that movie...it wasn't the best martial arts movie I've seen, but Aaliyah definitely had what it took to make it. Finally, in 2001 her third album Aaliyah was released and I eagerly snatched it up. It had a lot of awesome songs on it that brought out her voice and showcased more of her influences as she decided to go her own way from Timberland, who had been her music partner in making 2nd album. I thought Aaliyah was one of the best albums of 2001.

However, in August 2001 I woke up to horrible news. Aaliyah, beautiful baby girl, along with a few friends, was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming the video for "Rock the Boat." I was kind of numbed, shocked, and then saddened that she would never make music again. It was similar to waking up to find out that Kurt Cobain had killed himself. It's kind of like a punch to the chest when an artist who's work you love and admire dies suddenly. It was a little different with Aaliyah though...it just seemed so random and senseless...she had such a long career in front of her.

I still listen to Aaliyah often and remember her as a beautiful, talented singer with heart, grace, and a touch of rebelliousness. Aaliyah’s body of work is a must for anyone who’s into R&B, but it probably shouldn’t be missed by anyone who loves music in general.