Aaliyah Bio

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Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 - August 25, 2001), who performed under the mononym Aaliyah (pronounced /əˈliːə/), was an American recording artist and actress. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At an early age, she appeared on Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah was signed to Jive Records and Blackground Records by her uncle, Barry Hankerson. He introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album. After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah left Jive and signed to Atlantic Records.

She followed by two additional albums, One in a Million and the eponymous Aaliyah. In addition to Aaliyah's commercial success, collaborations with Timbaland helped shape the sound of R&B in the later half of the 1990s. She also modeled for Tommy Hilfiger, appeared in a Victoria Secret ad and starred in two films, Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned, before she and eight others died in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001 after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat". Since then, Aaliyah has achieved commercial success with the singles "Miss You" and "I Care 4 U". She became the first artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 based solely on airplay alone with "Try Again".

Aaliyah: Early life

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Born of African and Native American descent, she was the second and youngest child of Diane and Michael Haughton. Her first name means "highest, most exalted one" in Swahili. At a young age, Aaliyah was enrolled in voice lessons by her mother. When she was five years old, her family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she was raised along with her older brother, Rashad. She attended a Catholic school, Gesu Elementary, where she received a part in the stage play Annie in first grade; from then on, she was determined to be an entertainer. Aaliyah's mother was a vocalist, and her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was an entertainment lawyer who was previously married to Gladys Knight. As a child, Aaliyah traveled with Knight and worked with an agent in New York to audition for commercials and television programs, including Family Matters; she went on to appear appeared on Star Search at the age of nine. She then auditioned for several record labels and appeared in concert alongside Knight at age 11.

Aaliyah: Career

Aaliyah - 1992-1995: Age Ain't Nothing But a Number

After Barry Hankerson signed a distribution deal with Jive Records, he signed Aaliyah to his Blackground Records label at the age of 12. Aaliyah began recording her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing But a Number, when she was 14. Hankerson later introduced her to recording artist and producer R. Kelly. He became Aaliyah's mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of the album. The album was released in June 1994 and peaked number 18 on the Billboard 200; it went on to sell two million copies in the United States and over two million copies worldwide. Aaliyah's debut single, "Back and Forth", topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for three weeks and was certified Gold by the RIAA. The second single, "At Your Best (You Are Love)", peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100.

With the release of Age Ain't Nothing But a Number, rumors began to circulate of a secret marriage between Aaliyah and Kelly. Rumors intensified with the title track "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" and the adult content that Kelly had written for Aaliyah. Vibe magazine later revealed a marriage certificate that listed the couple, where they were allegedly married on August 31, 1994, in Sheraton Gateway Suites in Rosemont, Illinois. Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time, was listed as 18 on the certificate; the illegal marriage was reportedly annulled by her parents. The pair continued to deny marriage allegations, stating that neither were married.

Aaliyah - 1996-2000: One in a Million and film debut

In 1996, Aaliyah left Jive Records and signed to Atlantic Records. She teamed up with producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who contributed to her second studio album, One in a Million, which was released in August 1996. Elliott and Timbaland co-wrote and produced majority of the album which yielded her second chart-topping song on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, "If Your Girl Only Knew", where it remained for two weeks. It eventually garnered the pair a World Music Award for World's Best Selling Female R&B Artist. The album was a landmark in Aaliyah's career, garnering her mass critical acclaim and introducing the singer more mature side. It embarked on the newfound chemistry of Aaliyah and Timbaland. The album's success was equally widespread, and following extensive airplay of the single overseas, the label released it globally following it success. One in a Million sold over two million copies in the United States and over eight million copies worldwide.

Aaliyah attended Detroit High School for the Performing Arts, where she graduated in 1997 with a 4.0 GPA. Aaliyah began her acting career that same year; she played herself in the police drama television series New York Undercover. Aaliyah teamed up with Kelly again for the A Low Down Dirty Shame, "The Thing I Like" was released overseas; it peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart. Aaliyah appeared on the soundtrack album for the Fox Animation Studios animated feature Anastasia, singing the pop version of "Journey to the Past". The song was nominated for an Academy Award, where she performed the song at the 1998 Academy Awards ceremony, becoming the youngest singer to perform at the ceremony.

Hilfiger gave Aaliyah her first endorsement deal. The singer was signed onto print campaigns, runway shows, and a commercial. During this period, Aaliyah would also make guest appearances on albums by artists such as Missy Elliott, Timbaland & Magoo, Ginuwine and Playa. Timbaland and Playa's front man, Static Major, remained Aaliyah's principal collaborators for the duration of her career.

In 2000, Aaliyah landed her first major movie role in Romeo Must Die. A loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Aaliyah starred opposite martial artist Jet Li, playing a couple who fall in love amid their warring families. It grossed $18.6 million in its first weekend, ranking number two at the box office. In addition to acting, Aaliyah served as an executive producer of the Romeo Must Die soundtrack, where she contributed four songs, including her first U.S. chart-topper, "Try Again". The soundtrack went on to sell 1.5 million copies in the United States.

Aaliyah - 2001: Eponymous album and death

"We Need a Resolution", the first single from Aaliyah's third studio album, was released in April 2001. The eponymous Aaliyah was released in July 2001. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 187,000 copies in its first week. The album was a critical success, introducing a darker and edgier side to Aaliyah's music, and was noted as having showcased her growth as an artist. In the Summer 2001, Aaliyah filmed the video for Aaliyah's intended second single, "More than a Woman". After the video was completed, another song started to receive heavy reviews and airplay; then became finalized and decided that "Rock the Boat" should be the second single instead, and the "More than a Woman" video was temporarily shelved and confirmed the third single. Most of the songs were written by Static Major, with Missy Elliott contributing the album's fourth single, "I Care 4 U". "Try Again" became the first song to top the Billboard Hot 100 based solely on airplay, which led the song to be released in a 12" vinyl and 7" single.

On August 25, 2001, at 6:45 pm (EST), Aaliyah and various members of her record company boarded a twin engine Cessna 402B (N8097W) at Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas, to travel to an airport in Opa-locka, Florida near Miami, after they finished filming the music video to "Rock the Boat". The crew had a flight scheduled the following day, but Aaliyah and her entourage were eager to return to the United States due to the video filming finishing early, so they demanded that their heavy equipment to be on the plane rather than leave it behind. It resulted in the aircraft being well beyond the standard weight and balance tolerance provided by Cessna.

The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, about 200 feet (60 m) from the runway. Aaliyah, pilot Luis Morales III and the seven other passengers, including her hair stylist Eric Forman, Anthony Dodd, her security guard Scott Gallin, Douglas Kratz (a director of video production for Virgin Records), stylist Christopher Maldonado, Keith Wallace and Gina Smith (both employees of the Blackground label) were killed. According to findings from an inquest conducted by the coroner's office in the Bahamas, Aaliyah suffered from "severe burns and a blow to the head", in addition to severe shock. The coroner theorized that, even if Aaliyah had survived the crash, her recovery would have been virtually impossible given the severity of her injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board report stated that "the airplane was seen lifting off the runway, and then nose down, impacting in a marsh on the south side of the departure end of runway 27." It also indicated that the pilot, Luis Morales III, was not approved to pilot the plane he was attempting to fly. Morales falsely obtained his Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) license by showing hundreds of hours never flown, and he may also have falsified how many hours he had flown in order to get a job with his employer, Blackhawk International Airways. Additionally, an autopsy performed on Morales revealed traces of cocaine and alcohol in his blood.

Further investigations determined the plane was over its total gross weight by several hundred pounds. Eddie Golson, president of Pro Freight Cargo Services at Opa-locka Airport, said workers carted "a pickup truck of freight" from the crash site. Two of the passengers weighed in the region of 300 pounds and sat in the rear of the plane, where the baggage was also stored. The NTSB report stated that "the total gross weight of the airplane was substantially exceeded." In addition, with heavy passengers and cargo in the back, the center of gravity was pushed too far aft. This caused an uncontrollable nose-up attitude, leading to a stall. Aaliyah's funeral was held on August 31, 2001, at the Saint Ignatius Loyola Church in New York, which was attended by over 800 mourners. With the death of Aaliyah, her eponymous album, Aaliyah, went from number 19 to number one on the Billboard 200. The album was certified double Platinum by the RIAA and sold 2.5 million copies in the United States.

Aaliyah - 2002-2005: Posthumous recognition and wrongful death lawsuit

Aaliyah went on to win two posthumous awards at the American Music Awards of 2002; Favorite Female R&B Artist and Favorite R&B/Soul Album for Aaliyah. Her second and final film, Queen of the Damned, was released in February 2002. Before its release, Aaliyah's brother, Rashad, re-dubbed part of his sister's lines during post-production. It grossed $15.2 million in its first weekend, ranking number one at the box office. In December 2002, a collection of previously unreleased material was released as Aaliyah's first posthumous album, I Care 4 U. A portion of proceeds was donated to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund, a program that benefits the Revlon UCLA Women Cancer Research Program and Harlem's Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 280,000 copies in its first week. In August of the following year, clothing retailer Christian Dior donated profits from sales in honor of Aaliyah.

Aaliyah was signed to appear in future films Honey (recasted to Jessica Alba), State Property 2 (recasted to Mariah Carey) and a Whitney Houston-produced remake of the 1976 film Sparkle which was later announced cancelled as well as Some Kind of Blue due to Aaliyah's death. Aaliyah was also offered a role in Ice Cube's film Next Friday but due to a busy schedule and promotion of her debut film Romeo Must Die, she could not commit to the role and was later scrapped. Looking ahead, Aaliyah had a supporting role in the two sequels of The Matrix as Zee, the wife of Harold Perrineau Jr.'s character, Link. The directors initially tried to find a way to incorporate her footage into the movies but decided against it due to lack of material available. The role was recast with Nona Gaye playing the role. In 2004, The Matrix was released to DVD, tributes and footage of Aaliyah were found inside the special features. She was also set to work with musician Trent Reznor but their schedules (Post production of Aaliyah's sophomore movie Queen of the Damned and Nine Inch Nails' The Fragility Tour) conflicted with each other and the collaboration never scheduled.

The day of the crash was Morales' first official day with Blackhawk International Airways, an FAA Part 135 single-pilot operation. In addition, Luis Morales III was not registered with the FAA to fly for Blackhawk. As a result of the accident, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Aaliyah's parents and was later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Barry & Sons, Inc., a corporation formed in 1992 to develop, promote and capitalize on the musical talents of Aaliyah and to oversee the production and distribution of her records, tapes and music videos, brought an unsuccessful lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York against Instinct Productions LLC, (a company hired by Barry & Sons, Inc. in August 2001 to produce the "Rock the Boat" music video). The case was dismissed since New York State's wrongful death statute only permits certain people to recover damages for wrongful death.

Aaliyah: Musical style

Aaliyah had a vocal range of a soprano. With the release of her debut single "Back and Forth", Dimitri Ehrlich of Entertainment Weekly expressed Aaliyah's "silky vocals are more agile than those of self-proclaimed queen of hip-hop soul Mary J. Blige." Though Aaliyah did not write any of her own material, her lyrics have been said to contain much substance. Her songs were often uptempo and melancholy, revolving around matters of the heart. She incorporates R&B, pop and hip hop into her music, supplemented by guitars and synthesizers. Her songs have been said to have "crisp production" and "staccato arrangements" that extend genre boundaries while containing "old-school" soul music. When experimenting with other genres, such as Latin pop and heavy metal, writers panned the attempt.

As her albums progressed, writers felt that Aaliyah matured, calling her progress a "declaration of strength and independence". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described her eponymous album, Aaliyah, as not only "a statement of maturity and a stunning artistic leap forward", but was also one of the strongest urban soul records of its time. She portrayed "unfamiliar sounds, styles and emotions", but managed to please critics with the contemporary sound it contained. Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone felt that Aaliyah reflected a stronger technique, where she gave her best vocal performance. Others felt that she was "satisfying rather than extraordinary", claiming that she added little to modern R&B.

Aaliyah: Legacy

In 2001, the United States Social Security Administration ranked the name Aaliyah one of the 100 most popular names for newborn girls. Aaliyah has been credited for helping redefine R&B and hip hop in the 1990s. Her second studio album, One in a Million, became one of the most influential R&B albums of the decade. Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone dubbed her as the "undisputed queen of the midtempo come-on".

"Rock the Boat" went on to become a posthumous hit on radio (reaching number two on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles charts, number 14 on the Hot 100 and number 12 in the UK) and video channels. The album produced two other singles: "More than a Woman" reached number seven on Billboard's Hot R&B singles chart, number 25 on Hot 100 and number one in the UK. "I Care 4 U" reached number three on Billboard's Hot R&B singles chart and number sixteen on the Hot 100, the latter attaining success even without the promotional push of a music video.

Aaliyah's "More than a Woman", released on January 7 and topped the chart on January 13, was followed by Harrison's "My Sweet Lord", re-released on January 14 and topped the chart on January 20.

Aaliyah was voted one of "The Top 40 Women of the Video Era" in VH1's The Greatest, also ranked number 36 on their list of the 100 Sexiest Artists. Aaliyah also made E!'s list on the 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment, Juiciest Hollywood Hookups, and Best Kept Hollywood Secrets. Aaliyah recently ranked at number 18 on BET's "Top 25 Dancers of All Time" and ranked at number four on BET's "Top 25 Sexiest Women of all Time".

Her family created The Aaliyah Memorial Fund which will donate money raised to charities Aaliyah supported. Aaliyah's Cancer Awareness Angels participate in a Revlon Run Walk in which Aaliyah herself once participated.

In May 2008, it was announced that The Detroit School of Arts (Aaliyah's Alma Mater) had named a Recital Hall in honor of the late songtress. Aaliyah has sold 8.1 million albums in the United States and over 24 million albums worldwide.