November 1, 2016 | Alfonso Gonzalez-Francois

Immortalizing Aaliyah

I may be biased on this, but there is no decade like the 1990s. The good, the bad, and the ugly times all served as significant notches on our golden timeline. I was born in 1993, early enough to gauge the intensity of the influence of Hip-Hop and R&B. It shaped speech, fashion, and lives so effortlessly. It was music turned into movements, and the mouthpieces from which came iconic albums like The Miseducation, Illmatic, My Life, Reasonable Doubt, CrazySexyCool, and so much more served as beacons of hope–be it for a moment or for a lifetime–from the hardships of daily life. For so many of us, we didn’t really understand in the very moment the magnitude of which the power of music really shook us. That’s not really until our stars began to fall. When Biggie died, it was felt all over Brooklyn. The music industry wasn’t the same after that. And every year since March 9, 1997, the music industry stops in its tracks to reflect on the life and times of Christopher Wallace.

A A L I Y A H

Artists of varying calibers die every day, and that’s just the way life goes. But there is something significant about the death of Aaliyah that keeps her presence in music at the forefront, and even when it seems as though the world has forgotten that she is gone, we’re pleasantly reminded that her effect is as present as ever.

Perhaps it’s the nature in which she passed. In August of 2001, after filming her video for “Rock the Boat” in the Bahamas, Aaliyah lost her life in a plane crash shortly after takeoff. She was one of nine passengers and only 22 years old. Being at the height of her career, only a month into the release of her self-titled album Aaliyah, her death was both untimely and unbelievable. I, myself, remember crying at the tragic news, along with my older sister. “Gone too soon” was the general consensus, excluding any and all rumors and conspiracies. Aaliyah was a gem. She was a drama-free pop star with talent, beauty and a personality worth fawning over. And we did. She went by the coveted aka “Baby Girl” – reflecting her soft spoken and delicate demeanor. Much like other celebrity funerals, hers was publicized. One thing I remember was the releasing of twenty-two white doves to signify her age. She was cool enough to idolize without the envy. Aaliyah definitely exuded the “homegirl” vibe, in both fashion and character. You wanted to kick it with her. You related to her.

Maybe it was her music. aaliyah2To this day, one of my top 5 Aaliyah songs is “If Your Girl Only Knew”. The whole vibe of this song is an outpour of 90s aesthetic. Upbeat and catchy, a simple snap-head bop-sway combo was just enough to get down to it. She was a songbird, with a subtle voice that was always glazed perfectly on top of a well-produced track. Her hits were bountiful. Another one of my top 5 is without a doubt, “4 Page Letter”. Her music became timeless because of how undeniable her talent was. Even now, in 2016, the entire Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number album is considered a classic. It was also her style. She stayed at the top of her fashion game by pulling off the whole tomboy look, and in the 90s, this was a huge trend. She was branded as the girl next door with no limits to her success. And of course, an Aaliyah video was almost never complete without some smooth choreography. In speaking of all the things that helped to iconize her career and image, if you’re a true fan, you become wrapped up in a lot of the things contemporary to the era she shined in. Immortalizing Aaliyah brings on a sense of nostalgia.

We do this with all fallen stars. We hold their images up every chance we get because it reminds us of fragments of our lives, portions of our time spent here, when we could escape. What Aaliyah is to a slew of fans who group up on her music, another artist passed is to a different community of fans who will cherish the ways in which they’ve been able to connect to their idol. And even though there are no chances for live entertainment left, or no new material being put out.. we can always time travel with a good throwback. And on that note, I leave you with my absolute favorite Aaliyah song I’ve ever heard. Press play.

RIP

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