What is there to be said about late R&B legend Aaliyah Dana Haughton that hasn’t already been eulogized in the many years since her untimely passing?
Strikingly beautiful? Check. Voice of an angel? Listen to her cover of The Isley Brothers’ “At Your Best” and get back to us. Unmatched fashion icon? The archives of Tommy Hilfiger and Robert Cavalli say it all. However, at the core of her eternal Black girl magic is a timeless music catalog, which finally made it to streaming platforms back in 2021 after being off the market for well over a decade.
Out of the three studio albums she was able to release in her short-yet-impactful career, the 2001 self-titled masterpiece, Aaliyah, truly reigns supreme even 25 years after its release here in the U.S.
“I decided to self-title this album, Aaliyah, and I wanted to do that because my name is Arabic and it has beautiful meaning; it means ‘the highest, most exalted one, the best,’ and I wanted the name to really carry the project,” she said in a behind-the-scenes DVD featurette (seen above) that fans who bought the deluxe DVD edition were treated to 25 years ago today (July 17). Exalted it most definitely was!
Singles “We Need A Resolution,” “More Than a Woman,” “Rock The Boat” and “I Care 4 U” were the hits that helped the late music icon achieve major success with the project. However, Aaliyah from start to finish is a sonically next level record for its time that serenades you with a genre-bending combination of soul, jazz, rock, dance-pop, funk, heavy metal and even salsa just to name a few.
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Although the still-proclaimed Princess Of R&B never got a chance herself to fully see how influential this album became, selling over 13 million globally and inspiring multiple generations of successors, her musical legacy has proven to stand the test of time. One of the primary reasons for that is due to the unwavering appeal of the Aaliyah album, and we’ll always cherish this amazing body of work right along with the rest of the world as her legacy continues to push on….and on and on and on.
Celebrate the 25th anniversary of Aaliyah’s iconic self-titled album by taking a track-by-track listen below. R.I.P. forever Baby Girl, and thanks for blessing us with a timeless R&B classic:
The lead single that started it all. Timbaland’s production work still sounds fresh, and Aaliyah keeps it cool as always while getting to the core of a relationship on the rocks.
2. “Loose Rap” (feat. Static Major)
Many fans consider this one to be a favorite deep cut, and funny enough it was originally pegged as the album’s lead single. A video for this banger would’ve been aah-mazing!
3. “Rock The Boat”
As this video captures some of Aaliyah’s last moments on Earth, “Rock The Boat” will always hold a special place in the hearts of many even though she’s singing about, well, grown folks things.
4. “More Than A Woman”
This energetic Top 40 smash hit that went #1 in the UK could’ve definitely achieved the same stateside success of her 2000 chart-topper, “Try Again,” had Aaliyah been around to properly promote the eye-grabbing video. Still, we’re just glad she was able to complete it roughly two weeks before making a heavenly transition.
5. “Never No More”
Talking about the topic of abuse wasn’t the most glamorous thing for a pop star back in 2001, so seeing a sweet-as-tea singer like Aaliyah go there emotionally was powerful to say the least.
6. “I Care 4 U”
Combine Timbaland beatboxing over a sample of The Newcomers’ 1974 hidden gem “(Too Little in Common to Be Lovers) Too Much Going to Say Goodbye,” Missy Elliott’s pen game going completely insane and Baby Girl giving one of the most beautiful vocal performances in her seven-year career, and you’ve got a modern classic soul record.
Props to Director X, who spearheaded her “Come Back in One Piece” video with another late music icon DMX, for cooking up this anime-inspired video for the posthumous release of “I Care 4 U.”
7. “Extra Smooth”
No song title has ever proved to be more true than this one. Aaliyah is literally floating on “Extra Smooth.”
8. “Read Between The Lines”
Before Cardi B had the salsa steez on lock with “I Like It,” Aaliyah was on the verge of crushing flamenco with this funk-driven album cut.
9. “U Got Nerve”
Core album producers Eric Seats and Rapture Stewart really got a chance to flex with this one, and Aaliyah complimented their string-heavy instrumental with unmatched smoothness.
10. “I Refuse”
The cinematic drama of “I Refuse” just makes you wish with every listen that a video was made for the track, and Aaliyah’s stance as a budding Hollywood star would’ve easily made it an experience to see both visually and live on tour.
11. “It’s Whatever”
While the rest of the album saw Aaliyah reaching far and wide to pull from other genres, “It’s Whatever” stands as the LP’s sweet spot in terms of hip-hop soul. You’ll never get tired of listening to her serenade on this breezy tune.
12. “I Can Be”
As a vocal fan of Nine Inch Nails and the band’s lead singer, Trent Reznor — they reportedly had talks of even working together — Aaliyah proved she could rock out with the best of them on this guitar-blaring album highlight. Now, if only it wasn’t a pro-cheating anthem!
13. “Those Were The Days”
Another cool contemporary R&B cut, “Those Were The Days” plays it safe to prepare you for the big finishing number that closes the project out.
14. “What If”
Is it heavy metal? Is it acid rock? Is there a King Crimson sample thrown in there? However you look at it, “What If” showcases a darker side of Aaliyah that we unfortunately never got to see come to full fruition.
15. “Messed Up” (Limited Edition Hidden Track)
A special treat on first pressings and the aforementioned deluxe edition that came with a cool anime album cover, “Messed Up” showed off Aaliyah’s experimental side with a sonic mix of ska, electronica and her signature sound.
