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31/07/2013

Rashad Haughton: One In A Billion


Here is a song done by Aaliyah's brother Rashad Haughton, sampling Babygirls One In A Million as a tribute to her memory. He came out with this three years ago during the devastating Haiti earthquakes. You can find the link on his site, supporting donations for the Haiti Charity here http://www.rad-6.com/rad If the link doesn't work, I have also uploaded the video which Rashad himself left a comment by saying...

"I wanna thank everyone for all your wonderful comments and showing love over the weekend and for the past 9 years. Let's take it to infinity! Art Eternal...RAD:6" 

Bless! How sweet of him. When I first heard this I was blown away not only by the production which has a sort of funky house element to it, but lyrically where he used Babygirls title tracks just to describe her. Very thoughtful and appropriate. You can read the whole lyrics just below here.

One in a Billion

They don't make angels everyday
God broke the mold when he made you
My heart aches every time you sang
Your voice is a perfect dream come true
Your style, so fly
The whole world knows you were one of a kind
My heart will wait til' once again I am by your side
Chorus
Your love is a one in a billion love
It goes on
Your love is a one in a billion love
It goes on

More than a woman but still my baby girl
You rocked more than a boat you rocked the whole wide world
I take a journey to the past everyday
I remember how we used to laugh and play
At your best you are love
The highest most exalted one
You live up to your name
You are my one in a billion lady
Chorus
Your love is a one in a billion love
It goes on
Your love is a one in a billion love
It goes on

Written by RAD:6



One In A Million: The Video Collection

Here is a collection of all the hit singles from One In A Million. Now obviously, when you have a producer like Timbaland you are bound to find remixes of the original. One in particular that you'll find below would be Hot Like Fire. I actually prefer both versions with the original being very jazzy and soulful in comparison to the remix, which is very edgy and Hip-Hop oriented. Although majority of the other songs were remixed too, I shall get back to you guys on the remix collections at a later date, since there are so many to list, I would rather have them all together in one post where it is easier for you to find. So stay tuned for that! :o) 

If you are a true Babygirl fan you will notice that Aaliyah had a lot of family and friends in the background of her videos with people such as Lil Kim, her brother Rashad Haughton and even her very own mother and father! Anyhoo, please feel free to share and enjoy all these forever classics, from a very classy woman. :o)










One In A Million


Released: August 27th 1996
Recorded: August 1995 – July 1996 
Label: Blackground/Atlantic

Here we have Aaliyah's second studio album release One In A Million. After facing allegations of her illegal marriage with R.Kelly, Babygirl publicly announced ending her contract with Jive Records. The album had a variety of producers including the likes of Timbaland, Missy Elliot and Jermaine Dupri. Personally this has to be one of my favorite albums of all time. Song after song, there is no need to skip a track, since each song delivers something unique in terms of the lyrics and the overall growth of Babygirls music. This album truly shows where she was finding herself both musically and as a person. As we can see, still staying true to her tom-boyish roots, she added a certain quirkiness of her feminine charm to the table, where we really see her maturing into the lovely woman that she always was.

The album produced six singles which were If Your Girl Only KnewOne In A Million, Got To Give It Up, 4 Page Letter, Hot Like Fire and The One I Gave My Heart To. The production process of it was mainly down to Missy Elliot and Timbaland who wrote and produced a majority amount of the album content. Fifty seven songs were recorded in total for the album, but most of them were cut from the final product. One of those tracks included one called Sugar & Spice, which was the very first track Aaliyah recorded with both Missy and Timbaland. However, due to label disagreements with the song it never made the final cut. Another track that was meant to be included on the album was I Care 4 U, which was never completed in time for mastering. It was however later included on Babygirls third studio album titled Aaliyah. 

All in all...this album is definitely 'One In A Million' which no one can compare to. Even the Intro and Outro on the album had a certain 'spark' where I could imagine it being longer in duration like a full track. Timbaland really worked his magic here, and in a sad way I feel as though since Aaliyah had passed away, his drive for music was never the same, almost as if something was missing. I have a lot of respect for the man, but I wish he could go back to the style which set him apart from everyone else out there in the first place, rather than opting for the current mainstream alternative, which quite frankly sounds too generic. Oh well...we can always have hope.

Reviews From Others:

Music critic Dream Hampton for Vibe Magazine said that Aaliyahs "deliciously feline" voice has the same "pop appeal" as Janet Jackson's and is complemented by the producers "funky, coherant" tracks.

Q magazine said that, with "her smooth, sweetly seductive vocal firmly to the fore, [Aaliyah] works through a set of predominantly slow and steamy swing-beat numbers, all clipped beats, luxurious melodies and dreamy harmonies".

Slant Magazine said that it is "undoubtedly one of the most influential R&B albums of the '90s," and credited it for establishing "Aaliyah and the Timbo family as undeniable Hip-Hop forces."



Age Ain't Nothing But A Number: The Video Collection

Here is a collection of all the hit singles from Age Ain't Nothing But a number. You'll notice that all the videos use the same footage, or have been edited slightly. This is how Blackground Records released it, especially the last video for The Thing I Like, as it was originally meant to be released for a 'radio only' single. 

It's crazy to think that this video was created during the 90's where movement of type, imagery and lyrics was such a new and innovative thing to do. Yet today, we see it in the majority of music videos that we encounter such as Kanye West's Good Life and Rihanna's You Da One. Definitely ahead of its time I must say! 

Anyways...sit back, relax and enjoy the old skool 90's vibes below! :o)









Age Ain't Nothing But A Number


Released: May 24th 1994
Recorded: September 1993 – April 1994
Label: Blackground/Jive/BMG Records

Here we have the very first album that jump started Aaliyah's career with her main hit singles Back & Fourth, At Your Best (You Are Love) and Age Ain't Nothing But A Number. Two more singles were also released internationally which were Down With The Clique and The Thing I like. When you listen to the album, you get a real feel good vibe for what the 90's was all about in terms of musicality, fashion and overall peoples outlook on life with the lyrical content. Personally, when I listen to this album it takes me back to that place of when I was younger, where life was simple and love was pure and honest. 

Now obviously as you guys all know, this was during her more tom-boyish days where she was still finding herself at such a young age. I have always admired this about Babygirl, as she never relied on her 'womanly assets' to gain attention, she let the music speak for itself. Even being fully clothed and covered, (minus her stomach, which to be honest...if I had abs like hers I would want to show them off too!) she still had that 90's swag which was classy and effortless. Her trademark look with her sultry eyes, half peaking through the shades was instant to catch on with others in no time. Above all else, she was naturally sexy in her own way, with her glowing sex-appeal of confidence! (Take note ladies!)

Now, there was however a lot of controversy within this album where a lot of speculation was spreading in regards to Babygirls relationship with R.Kelly. Since R.Kelly was one of the main producers of this album, including mentoring and being the lead song writer, he brought a lot of his 'New Jack Swing' sound during the production process. So throughout this time, there was obviously no doubt they had a close relationship, since they worked on a lot of songs together. Essentially, R.Kelly was showing Babygirl the ropes of what being a singer was all about, but at the same time I would not condemn the actions of someone older taking advantage of someone young and vulnerable, you're just asking for trouble... case closed. To Aaliyah's credit, she handled interviews very well when questioned on this, showing that if you smile and stay positive no one can really break you down, no matter how difficult the situation may be.


Aaliyah's description of the album:

She felt that the songs "Came at you kind of tough, a bit edgy, Hip-Hop, but the vocals can be very soothing". She also added that "Lyrically I want things to be different". 

28/07/2013

Welcome

(Gifs/imagery courtesy of http://dmentality.tumblr.com)

Welcome to the Aaliyah Archives official blog regarding everything Aaliyah related. If you are a true Babygirl fan then you've most definitely come to the right place! 😉 Here you will find a whole historic archive dedicated to the beautiful, talented, singer, actress and model. Our main goal will be to outline everything from live performances, interviews, rare footage/imagery, magazine articles, collaborations, albums, documentaries and much more!

Essentially this blog is for the loyal, TRUE Babygirl fans like ourselves, who would like to showcase their love and support, for a woman who inspired us all. So what are you waiting for? Take a trip down memory lane and explore the archives, and be sure to give credit if you use any images, posts from our site! If you would also like to support us for site maintenance, you can donate to us via the link below! One love! ❤︎