inlivingcolor Posted June 5, 2005 Posted June 5, 2005 I didn't see a thread about her sooooo can I? Ain't gonna read all this but whatever.... Full Name: Aaliyah Dana Haughton Place of Birth: Beford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York Birthdate: January 16, 1979 - August 25, 2001 Musical Tastes: Listened to Alternative ie. Nine In Nails; and a lot of old school jams ie. Donny Hataway, Johny Mathis, Isley Brothers, etc. Favorite Artist(s): The Isley Brothers, Jodeci, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Sade, Stevie Wonder, and Barbara Streisand Favorite Music Video: Michael Jackson's "Thriller" Favorite Food(s): Pancakes, waffles, and any kind of breakfast food Favorite Author: Stephen King Dessert: Vanilla Ice-Cream topped with whipped cream, vanilla syrup, nuts, and cherries Favorite Basketball Team: Chicago Bulls Favorite Color: Black Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, and named after a Arabic word meaning "most exalted one." Her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was a manager and entertainment lawyer who was married to Gladys Knight for a time, and her mother, also a singer, enrolled Aaliyah in voice lessons before she'd even started school. Still very young, she moved with her family to Detroit, where she sang in several school plays. At age nine, she successfully auditioned for the TV show Star Search, where she performed "My Funny Valentine" (and lost). Two years later, thanks to her uncle Hankerson's connections, she spent five nights in Las Vegas performing as part of Gladys Knight's revue. In addition to his niece, Hankerson was also managing a rising R&B star named R. Kelly, and introduced the two in 1992. Kelly soon took Aaliyah under his wing and began writing and producing songs for her. Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was released in the summer of 1994 and quickly became a platinum-selling hit on the strength of two smash singles, "Back & Forth" and "At Your Best (You Are Love)" (the latter an Isley Brothers cover). Both songs hit the pop Top Ten and went gold, and "Back & Forth" went all the way to number one on the R&B charts, while "At Your Best" fell one spot short. Late in the year, Aaliyah found herself at the center of controversy when rumors spread that the 15-year-old singer had married Kelly, who was more than ten years her senior. Although both camps were resolutely tight-lipped, documents later confirmed that the two had wed in the state of Illinois that August and gotten an annulment shortly thereafter. By the time the media buzz died down, the two had parted ways both personally and creatively. In 1996, Aaliyah released her follow-up album, One in a Million, which signaled a newly emerging maturity. She worked with several different producers, most notably Timbaland, who co-wrote several tracks with his songwriting partner, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott (soon to become a solo star in her own right). Several of these -- "If Your Girl Only Knew," "One in a Million," "4 Page Letter" -- became hits, with "If Your Girl Only Knew" going all the way to the top of the R&B charts. The Diane Warren-penned ballad "The One I Gave My Heart To" was also a Top Ten R&B hit, and One in a Million wound up going double platinum. In the meantime, Aaliyah graduated from high school (in 1997) and contributed several songs to film soundtracks. "Journey to the Past," from Anastasia, was nominated for an Oscar, and in early 1998 she had a major hit with "Are You That Somebody?" from Eddie Murphy's Dr. Dolittle (in which she also made a cameo appearance). Aaliyah took her time recording a follow-up, and put the process completely on hold to start an acting career. She co-starred with martial-arts master Jet Li and rapper DMX in 2000's urban Shakespeare adaptation Romeo Must Die, and her accompanying soundtrack single, "Try Again," became her first number one hit on the pop charts that summer. Aaliyah subsequently completed filming on the Anne Rice vampire flick Queen of the Damned, playing the title role as a vampire queen, and was cast in a prominent role in the two sequels to The Matrix. Plus, she finally finished her long-awaited third album, with Timbaland again handling the most prominent tracks. Released in the summer of 2001, Aaliyah completed the singer's image overhaul into a sensual yet sensitive adult. The record received excellent reviews, and the first single, "We Need a Resolution," was a Top 20 R&B hit. About a month after the album's release, Aaliyah traveled to the Bahamas to film a video for its second single, "Rock the Boat." On August 25, she and several members of the crew boarded a small twin-engine Cessna plane returning to the mainland. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, exploding on impact; Aaliyah and seven other passengers were killed instantly, and the ninth later died at a Nassau hospital. Investigations into the crash showed that the plane had been loaded far past its weight capacity, and that pilot Luis Morales had recently been arrested for crack cocaine possession (traces of which, along with alcohol, were found in his system); furthermore, the charter company, Blackhawk International Airways, had not authorized him to pilot the craft in question. Naturally, the R&B community reacted with an outpouring of shock and sorrow, and Aaliyah became the singer's only chart-topping album, eventually going double platinum. "Rock the Boat" and "More Than a Woman" were both posthumous Top Ten hits on the R&B chart, and Queen of the Damned was a commercial success upon its release in early 2002, topping the box office in its first week. As details continued to emerge from the plane crash investigation, Aaliyah's parents filed suit against Blackhawk Airways, Virgin Records, and several other companies. At the end of 2002, the posthumous album I Care 4 U entered the charts at number three; it mixed some of the singer's biggest hits with a selection of unreleased material. The title track was a Top 20 pop hit, and "Miss You" topped the R&B charts early the next year. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide Some pics Quote
xotic_styla Posted June 5, 2005 Posted June 5, 2005 Good start (Y) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Indeed! More more pics Quote
Don Posted June 24, 2005 Posted June 24, 2005 I usually don't like modern R&B, but I like her stuff. Not to mention she seemed to be such a chill, modest girl. It's a shame.. R.I.P. Quote
inlivingcolor Posted July 13, 2005 Author Posted July 13, 2005 Really? That's cool.I agree, she did seem down to earth. Quote
SpanishEyes Posted August 11, 2005 Posted August 11, 2005 there have to be more pics of her..... Quote
inlivingcolor Posted August 25, 2005 Author Posted August 25, 2005 I got more I just didn't think anyone would care.August 25th (today) is the day she passed away. It's been four years! RIP! Quote
wow. Posted August 26, 2005 Posted August 26, 2005 She was truly a great entertainer and most definatly on the peak of emerging into a multi talented woman.She seemed to have been destined for super stardum and great success and i loved her individuality and dark - side cultivated mystique she carried. She accomplished alot for such a young woman at the age of 22, and i think its a great shame that such a young youthful beautiful and stylish artist has died so early in her rising career. I think Aaliyah certainly would have been an incredible performer to watch if she was still with us at present. It's nice to see that she's rememberd here. Quote
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