AALIYAH’S DISCOGRAPHY RELEASED AFTER 20 YEARS
After decades of waiting, Aaliyah’s 1996 double-platinum sophomore album, “One in a Million,” appeared on streaming platforms for the first time last Friday. Its debut on streaming services comes nearly 20 years after the singer’s death.
Aaliyah’s legacy is always being celebrated. She is a legendary icon, and fans have kept her relevant through generations. So the question is, why right now? Why release her music 20 years after her death? Why the wait?
As far as we know, the reason Aaliyah’s music was withheld from streaming platforms isn’t entirely clear. Aaliyah’s uncle Barry Hankerson has controlled her masters for all of these years. It was noted in a recent interview that between grieving and Aliyah’s estate, which is run by her mother Diane and brother Rashad held up the process.
“As the owner of Aaliyah’s catalog and label Blackground Records, I want to thank you all for allowing One In A Million to chart #3 in the world,” he captioned an Instagram post. “I can not take the credit for managing Aaliyah as that was never a title I held. That title belonged to Diane Haughton and her husband who managed Aaliyah from the start of her career until her passing.”
“I want to thank Diane, Aaliyah’s manager, for allowing and choosing Blackground Records to become her label,” he continued. “I want to thank Jomo Hankerson for being an integral part of the whole process. We created a signature sound, images and visuals that will live forever. After 25 years, we are still charting high numbers.”
However, this is a celebration for the r&b/hip-hop community and we should treat it as such. Here is a rundown on what has been released. Thus far, “One in a Million” and “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number” are the only new album available to stream. Barry Hankerson noted that her final and high anticipated album, “Aaliyah,” which topped the Billboard charts after her death with be released in September. He will also release “Are You That Somebody?” and two posthumous compilation albums, “I Care 4 You” and “Ultimate Aaliyah,” will be released in October.
