"Babygirl"
Better known as Aaliyah
On the evening of August 25th, 2001 I was driving home from a date when I received a phone call from my best friend (back then, cell phone companies still charged ten cents a text when you went over your allotted number of messages so we were very stingy). She wanted to know if I was home or near a television where I could tune into Mtv or the news. I thought the request was strange and asked her why.
“Something happened to Aaliyah.”
I think its safe to say that everyone has a favorite musical act; an artist who spoke to you in your formative years and someone who, whenever you hear their songs, requires you to risk your future ear health by turning up the volume as loud as you can. For me, that was Aaliyah.
I was first introduced to the “street, but sweet” R&B star in 1996 - the same year she released her second album, One In a Million. I was hanging out with an older (and in my eyes, way cooler) friend of mine, watching music videos when I heard the distinctive beats of If Your Girl Only Knew. I immediately turned my head and started swaying to the music and asked my friend who the artist was. “Oh, that’s Aaliyah. She’s been around for a while.” I was just coming to the age where I stopped listening to everything my mom played (which was really great stuff and I remain grateful for her musical influence) and started finding my own sound. In the mid-nineties, you were either into grunge rock, country, or hip-hop and R&B. As my mom listened to a pretty heavy rotation of artists like Bob Seger, AC/DC, and Elton John, I of course gravitated toward hip hop.
Once I heard Aaliyah’s angelic soprano, I was hooked. I started saving money to buy her CD (there were no streaming services back then and this was in an age before Napster) and once in my possession, I played it non stop. I was obsessed. I loved everything about her: she was incredibly talented, beautiful, and most important of all - kind. Only 11 years old, I was completely unaware of Aaliyah’s prior history with the now convicted singer and producer R. Kelly; I just knew I thought she was the greatest artist alive and wanted to be part of everything she did.
Aaliyah was practically destined to be in the music industry. Her uncle, producer Barry Hankerson, was formerly married to R&B/Soul singer Gladys Knight who introduced Aaliyah to the business. Aaliyah traveled with her aunt and even sang on stage in a few shows. Aaliyah continued pursuing her dream, appearing on Star Search in 1989 (she lost). In the early nineties, her uncle was working with a then up and coming young singer, Robert Kelly, a.ka. R. Kelly. It was through her uncle that Aaliyah met Kelly and the two collaborated on Aaliyah’s debut album Age Aint Nothin’ but a Number. As we now know Kelly, who was 27 at the time, entered into a “relationship” with Aaliyah who was just 14. The two eventually married before filing for a quick annulment, likely at the behest of Aaliyah’s parents.1
Aaliyah parted ways with Kelly both personally and professionally and took some time to discover her new sound. In 1995, Aaliyah partnered with then-unknown producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott who offered some fresh new beats for her second album, One in a Million which was released on August 13, 1996. Between 1996 and 1998, it felt like Aaliyah was everywhere - Mtv, VH1 - she even performed at the Oscars - before she quietly disappeared, leaving fans like me yearning for more. Again, in an age before social media, there was no TikTok or Instagram account I could follow and learn what my favorite artist was up to (though I suspect Aaliyah would be very leery of social media had she survived).
Between One in a Million and her third, and what would become her last, self-titled album, Aaliyah graduated high school and explored becoming an actress, starring in two films before flying off to shoot a music video for her song Rock the Boat. Wrapping up her shoot in the Bahamas on that last weekend in August, Aaliyah and crew boarded a Cessna 402 aircraft and took off from Marsh Harbour Airport. As I would find out by watching the news, Aaliyah’s plane was severely overloaded, causing the aircraft to plummet shortly after take off, killing all nine individuals on board. Aaliyah was just 22 years old.
I was absolutely devastated by her loss. I listened to her last album end to end on a loop, a little in shock that in 2001 celebrities still died in plane crashes. I did not have much time to process her loss as just 17 days later, the world stood still as the World Trade Center Towers collapsed in a terrorist attack on September 11th. When people woke up on September 12th, the world was a much different, and darker, place.
Aaliyah’s influence remained visible long after death. Thanks to their collaboration on One in a Million, producers Missy Elliott and Timbaland were launched into superstardom and continued working in front of and behind the microphone. Both went on to release solo albums and continued producing hits through the early 2000’s for artists like Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, and Beyonce. Aaliyah died at the dawn of the digital music age and due to some legal controversy between her family and her label, much of Aaliyah’s catalogue remained unavailable to fans for two decades. Finally, in 2021, her uncle Barry Hankerson announced that Aaliyah’s music would finally be available for streaming online - and fans like me were overjoyed.
Too many stars have had their light dimmed in their prime or, as was the case with Aaliyah, just before they reach the top. I often wonder what life would have had in store for Aaliyah had she lived; what movies would she have made? Who else would she have collaborated with? How would she have redefined music and fashion? Of course, selfishly I wish we had just a bit more of her work to enjoy, and I join the thousands of fans who are patiently waiting for the long-promised posthumous album. But even if that never materializes, I am thankful that what she did leave behind is now available at the touch of a button.
In the news…
In 1955, James Baldwin wrote: “People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.” Never has a statement resonated more deeply than these last few months. The United States is preparing for a presidential election this November and that means the election season is in full swing. There have been so many twists and turns it is hard to keep it all straight: one candidate running as a convicted felon who also faced an assassination attempt; one candidate drops out just a few weeks before a convention; and now the potential to see a woman of color listed as a candidate for the highest office in the country? Historic indeed!
I have definitely felt trapped in history this year and I have been trying to wrap my brain around it all. I am still processing the historic moments peppering 2024, but when I feel overwhelmed with the realities of today, I always look to the past for solace. History provides context and I have thought of Joanne Freeman’s Field of Blood and Anastasia Curwood’s Shirley Chisholm a lot lately.2 They are both incredible books and help me ground our current moment. If you are feeling a little overstimulated by the constant newsfeed, I suggest picking up a book and giving yourself a little break. Speaking of books…
On my bookshelf…
I think I will forever be reading the Grant biography (it runs over 1,000 pages!). I have also been pretty busy reading a bunch of books for future historian interviews. I finished Anthony Gregory’s New Deal Law and Order as well as Witch Hunt: The Color War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare by Andrea Balis & Elizabeth Levy. I can’t wait for you to hear our conversations.
On the podcast…
In July, I released an episode about the first African American woman to become a licensed nurse, Mary Eliza Mahoney (you can check that out here) and I continued in my coverage of 16th President Abraham Lincoln. I also deviated a bit from my normal, U.S.-focused content to interview author and historian Kate Nicholson about her new book, Behind Everest. The book tells the story about Ruth Mallory, wife to famed British mountaineer George Mallory who died on Mount Everest in 1924 and spins a compelling narrative.
As I mentioned last month, August will mark the fourth anniversary of Civics & Coffee! I plan on celebrating with a bunch of extra content for you to enjoy. I am also launching what I hope will be a regular extra segment for the Civics and Coffee universe… Stay tuned to the social media spaces (and the newsletter) to see what’s in store for you this month!
Until then, I look forward to our weekly cups of coffee together.
All the best,
Alycia
There has been a lot of speculation and media attention around what exactly happened between R. Kelly and Aaliyah. Aaliyah passed away before the public became fully aware of the severity of the abuse Kelly was later convicted of and offered no public comment about her experience. As this is a post about my admiration for her, I’ve intentionally decided to minimize mention of the convicted former star.
Not affiliate links - just making it easy to add to your To Be Read piles!