Aaliyah: “The Highest, Most Exalting One, The Best.”

Born on January 16, 1979 in Brooklyn, Aaliyah Dana Haughton was destined for greatness. Her family moved to Detroit when she was five. Singing with her mother soon turned into voice lessons at age nine, which later would be used as she performed at weddings, churches, and school productions. Her passion for music truly blossomed when she found her love in acting in elementary school.

Aaliyah performing “My Funny Valentine” on Star Search, 1989.

“It was my first experience with singing, dancing, and acting all at the same time,” Aaliyah said. “I knew then that it was something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

Like most of our favorite child-stars-turned-legends, she competed on Star Search at age 11. Although she lost the competition, she was determined to be a star. She did not let that stop her. The hip-hop princess would go on to sing for her aunt, Gladys Knight, in Las Vegas that same year. By age 12 she was signed to Jive Records.

By day, she was a normal teenage girl roaming the halls of Detroit’s Performing Arts High School as a dance major. By night, she was a superstar, living her dreams on the Billboard Hot 100 with her first hit single “Back & Forth”. Her famous Tommy Hilfiger shoot came to life in 1993. She released her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number, in 1994. With her perfectly-edgy-yet-sultry streetwear style and her angelic tone, she made her way into the hearts of people all around the world.

She teamed up with legendary producer Timbaland and songwriting extraordinaire Missy Elliot for her 1996 release One in a Million, which had hits like “If Your Girl Only Knew” and “4 Page Letter”. This album truly catapulted Aaliyah’s career. She performed all around the world, from Tokyo to Paris to South Africa. Her relationship with the two would grow into some of her closest friendships and birth some of her greatest hits. At the time, they were all young and building their catalogues together. Aaliyah’s projects launched Missy and Timbaland’s careers.

Missy Elliot, Eminem, Aaliyah, and Timbaland.

“When Timbaland and I come together, it’s magic,” Aaliyah said. “When we first met each other back in ’96 we clicked immediately. And it’s been like that ever since. I think when you have a chemistry like that with someone, there’s no reason to leave.”

During this time, she also began to solidify her status as a fashion icon. Since the beginning of her career, Aaliyah was known for her baggy pants and black bandanas. But she started to show more of her sexy side. She became the queen of abs and crop tops. She didn’t shy away from tight, silky red carpet looks. By tapping into just enough of her femininity, she was able to unlock a whole new identity, transitioning from America’s favorite tomboy to a grown woman.

Aaliyah had officially cemented her spot to superstardom before she even graduated high school (1997). In 1998, Aaliyah performed “Journey to the Past” at the Academy Awards, a song she recorded for the Anastasia soundtrack, and was nominated for Best Song. She was the youngest person to ever do so at the time. That was the same year she released “Are You That Somebody”, an infectious bop produced by none other than the beat king himself, Timbaland.

Transitioning back to her roots, Aaliyah landed her first major film role in 2000 as Trish in Romeo Must Die. The film was a huge success in the box office, grossing $91 million internationally. The 19-year-old also executive produced the motion picture’s soundtrack, which bred her biggest hit record “Try Again” and gave her two MTV Music Awards. It also houses my favorite record, “Back in One Piece” featuring DMX. She went on to become Akasha in Queen of the Damned in 2001. From there, Aaliyah landed numerous roles in films such as The Matrix, Honey, and Sparkle. Unfortunately, she was never able to finish production on those films, and the footage was ultimately cut.

Those close to her say she was a natural-born star. Barry Henderson described her as “[seeming] like she was living everything in rewind, like she’d already done all of this.” She was exceptional in everything she did, and with such ease that you could not help but fall in love with her. She had immense drive. She never took no for an answer.

Aaliyah at the Teen Choice Awards, 2000.

“The fact that some people weren’t sure or didn’t think I had what it took, of course it was painful. Rejection is painful,” said Aaliyah. “But I felt deep in my heart, and in my soul that I had it, and that I would do it, and that I could do it. And I honestly believed that no matter what anybody said. So I continued. I said, ‘fine, you don’t want me? Somebody else will. And I will prove it. I will get out there and I will be a star.’”

Aaliyah’s incredible work ethic is reflected in her work. In 2001, Aaliyah managed to release an album in between filming. Aaliyah debuted at No.2 on the US charts and sold over 2.4 million albums worldwide. With sultry favorites “More Than a Woman”, “Rock the Boat”, and “We Need a Resolution”, this is arguably her best album. This would be Aaliyah’s last living release – Her last imprint on the world.

Aaliyah and Damon Dash at the premiere of ‘Planet of the Apes’, 2001.

On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah was killed in a fatal plane crash coming from filming a video for “Rock the Boat” in the Bahamas. Over 800 people came to her funeral in New York City and another 3,000 attended her public memorial. Among them were a slew of celebrities who loved the late singer including her then boyfriend Damon Dash, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Mike Tyson, Mary J. Blige, Puff Daddy, Lil Kim, and Missy Elliot. A few of them also featured in the music video for Aaliyah’s “I Miss You”, released on her posthumous album I Care 4 U, in remembrance of their beloved baby girl in 2002.

Aaliyah has always been incredibly beautiful to me. She radiated bright, beautiful energy that I have not seen since. She was caring, compassionate, fun, loving, and every other adjective used to describe an angel on earth. From her fashion sense to her overall persona, she was unapologetically her. It is undeniable that Aaliyah would have been one of the greatest stars in music history. In her short career, she already had such great achievements under her belt in both music and film. She was on her way to becoming an even bigger star before her untimely death. We can only imagine what she would have done if she had more time on this earth. She will always be remembered as hip-hop’s princess, living in our hearts forever.