Aaliyah: The Red Album, A Live Instrumental Tribute

For anyone who missed the live tribute dedicated to Aaliyah on August 25th, 2020, from producer Eric Seats and Annie Jules you can watch the whole live show courtesy of Annie Jules YouTube page, who uploaded it. Thank you so much for doing such a wonderful tribute. Really enjoyed this! ❤️ Watch below to enjoy this full tribute! ✌🏽

Aaliyah: The Red Album, A Live Instrumental Tribute (August 25th, 2020)

🔁 via @annietheproducerjules: THE YEAR IS 2 0 2 0!

STAY TUNED FOR A VERY SPECIAL tribute happening for the great 👍🏾 ❤️🙌🏾🎼🎹🎧✊🏾👑
Legendary Singer/Actress/Dancer/Model Aaliyah! Tune in live on August 25th at 8 PM Eastern time and 5 PM Western time! The tribute will be simultaneously broadcast on both Facebook and Instagram, paying homage to a wonderful woman that was truly One in A Million!

Big ups to @thelogosmakers for animation design @ericseats for producing great 👍🏾 classics on this album! Flyer by @kalibtracks. Photography pic of me by @thierryedejean" 

So excited for this! Cannot wait! 😊🙌🏽❤ Be sure to tune in on August 25th for this live tribute dedicated to Aaliyah on both Facebook and Instagram! Key Beats producer Eric Seats who is known for his production on the Red Album for songs such as 'Rock The Boat' and 'Extra Smooth' will be a part of this exciting live dedication! You definitely don't want to miss out, so be sure to spread to all your friends, family and loved ones! ✌🏽❤️

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A post shared by Aaliyah Archives (@aaliyah_archives) on Aug 11, 2020 at 10:55am PDT

Aaliyah: 'I Can Be' Files & Loose Rap Remix from Bud'da

🔁 via @buddamann1: "#anniversary #Aaliyah
Remembering Babygirl wow 19 years ago today #rip we miss you #Aaliyah @buddamann1 #redalbum @therealtank"

OMG!! The original sound files from producer Bud'da from Aaliyah's 'I Can Be'. That guitar riff was always mad dope to me!! 😍😍😍❤🔥🔥🔥 I remember when my brother first heard me listening to Aaliyah's red album for the first time, he was like woahh.....what is this!??? 😱😱 Pure genius in the making right there!! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙏🏽❤

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A post shared by Aaliyah Archives (@aaliyah_archives) on Jul 17, 2020 at 3:36pm PDT

Bud'da also shared another snippet of his 19th anniversary tribute using an unheard mix of Loose Rap. Watch below and enjoy! 😊

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A post shared by Aaliyah Archives (@aaliyah_archives) on Jul 17, 2020 at 3:39pm PDT

Aaliyah: Rare Photos

🔁 via @ericseats: “#Aaliyah 

YOOO @raptracks @buddamann1 @dubzworld @timbaland @therealtank @blackplaya502 @staticmajor_ y’all remember the panel we had @ Jimmy’s Uptown NY when babygirl went down the line introducing us & talking about the records?

#memories

#ES3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣”

My heart!! 😭😭😭❤ Thank you so much for sharing Eric! 🙏🏽❤

Aaliyah: Signed Album Courtesy Of Eric Seats

🔁 via @ericseats: “#Aaliyah

When your cleaning & come across the autographed CD that babygirl signed for my daughter Erin…. I just chills! 

#ES3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣”

How precious is this!! 😭Definitely an angel sign, seeing how it’s her 40th birthday tomorrow! 😩😭❤

Aaliyah: Rock The Boat (Early Demo Version)

🔁 via @staticmajor_: “#aaliyah n #staticmajor Rock the boat EARRRLYYY Version @ericseats @raptracks #keybeats” | Those vocals though! 😍😍😍❤ 

Aaliyah: 'Those Were The Days' Official Bud'da Remix (17th Anniversary, Red Album)

🔁 via @buddamann1 “#Aaliyah #RedAlbum 🎶
Happy 17th anniversary Red Album! #RIPAaliyah&Static @timbaland @raptracks @buddamann1 @segalmixmaster @missymisdemeanorelliott @blackplaya502 @staticmajor502 @staticmajor_ @therealtank @dubzworld @ericseats @zenmix @hispeedhorns #KeyBeats #Classic #anniversary” | OMG!!! 😭😭😭 Thank you so much for sharing! We definitely need a full version of this #ThoseWereTheDays remix! And can I add that the bass on this is 🔥🔥🔥🔥😍😍😍😍👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 

A post shared by Aaliyah Archives (@aaliyah_archives) on Jul 17, 2018 at 8:08am PDT

Playa: Unreleased Track Courtesy Of Eric Seats (Video Snippet)

🔁 via @ericseats: “#Playa #NeverHeardMusic
RIP Static.
Back in these old cassette tapes, Playa was teaching on this record "Someones tryna use you” was about the “industry" @smokedigglera @blackplaya502 @staticmajor502 @staticmajor_ @raptracks
In 2000 they were putting yall up on game!
#KeyBeats #RapAndSeats #Producers
#Digitablack #Smokey #StaticMajor#ES3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣” | Omg this sounds sooo hot!! 🔥🔥🔥Thank you for sharing Eric! 😩😍❤ I need to hear this in full! I’m literally gonna have this snippet on repeat now! 😂 As always, we like to look out for our Static Major fans too! Happy listening! 😇🎵🎶

A post shared by Eric Seats #3⃣3⃣3⃣ #Sidiooo (@ericseats) on Apr 13, 2017 at 8:35pm PDT

Aaliyah Archives: Eric Seats Tape Cassette Throwbacks

Hey Aaliyah fam! Sorry I've not been posting as much! 🙈 As you all know I've been going through some personal issues, so just wanted you guys to know that I've not gone anywhere! 😉

From the picture above, about exactly a week ago 'Key Beats' producer Eric Seats happened to share some of his own personal archives with us all. Here's his caption for all those who missed out...

@ericseats: "#Aaliyah #4/2/99 #KeyBeatsInc 

Y'all didn't hear these HITS until 2001! #Music #ForwardThinking #Rap&Seats #ES3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣".

Now talk about a throwback! 😩 Making hits since 1999! Woww…😮 ❤ A sound like no other back then! It truly amazes me how far ahead of time Aaliyah was, be it in the fashion industry as well as music. If this isn't enough proof to show how far ahead of the game she was, I don't know what is! 💁 Both Eric Seats and Rapture Stewart clearly did their thing back then and it shows. 👏 

Anyone who knows me well enough, will know that my all time favourite song off the red album is 'Extra Smooth' produced by none other than Key Beats! I love it so much that I even made my first video edit to the song which you can check out below ☺️ (Be sure to subscribe to my youtube page if you haven't already. 😎)

But I digress...Did anyone notice anything else on the tape? 😏 Well you'd be correct if you said yes! Just when you think you've come across every and any possible unreleased title regarding Aaliyah, we have yet another one to add to the bucket list titled... 'No More'. We can only hope and pray that one day we'll be able to hear such a hidden gem.

Mr. Seats did however share another demo snippet a few days after, which was of Aaliyah's 'Erica Kane' sung by none other than Static Major which you can listen to below! Enjoy! 😄

#Aaliyah #Playa #EricaCane #KeyBeatsInc #99 🎼 So before Baby-girl recorded "Erica Cane", Playa recorded it..🎙 Their version bangs too! S/O @smokedigglera & @blackplaya502 #RipStatic #RipAaliyah #Music #GoingThroughTheVault #Rap&Seats #Classic #ES3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣

A post shared by Eric Seats #3⃣3⃣3⃣ #Sidiooo (@ericseats) on Feb 22, 2017 at 8:42am PST

Woww...talk about smooth! I love this version too! 😩😍❤ Playa sure did their thang on this joint! Musical harmony to my ears! Thank you so much for sharing these gems with us all Eric! 🙏💚

Aaliyah: 15th Anniversary Of The Red Album (Producers Look Back On A Masterpiece)

Happy 15th Anniversary to Aaliyah’s self titled #RedAlbum which was released on 17th July 2001! 🎉👑 To me this album was way ahead of it’s time. You could truly see Aaliyah’s growth into womanhood, and how she was not afraid to experiment with different types of music genres/productions. This explains why to this very day, how this #masterpiece holds a lot of longevity. The fushions from Arabic, salsa, rock, classical, soul to name a few really pushed the boundaries for the R&B genre as a whole, bringing a whole new moden twist to the term ‘neo-soul’. A lot of which paved the way for other female R&B artists to take notes and be inspired by our Queen. Aaliyah was never afraid to try something different and to her, (as well as all those who worked on this album) I thank you for all the hardwork and effort you put into your craft. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what direction she would of possibly taken her music. All I do know is that her sound would of definitely been striving to achieve originality! 🙏💚

I was very busy on the day, so I was unable to post anything on my main blog , however...as a special treat, I happen to come across a lovely article courtesy of fuse.tv, who had the pleasure of interviewing the producers of this timeless masterpiece. So for anyone who missed it, you can read the full article below here...

Fuse spoke with J. Dub, Bud'da, Eric Seats and Rapture Stewart about the red LP, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this month.

Aaliyah flawlessly transitioned from tomboy teenager to confident woman with the release of her third and final studio album, released on July 17, 2001. While her previous LPs (Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number and One in a Million) leaned more toward R&B and soul, on Aaliyah she steered away from predictability and put forth a fresh sound with the help of a new production team. Along with longtime producer and friend Timbaland, Jeffrey “J. Dub” Walker, Stephen “Bud’da” Anderson and Key Beats (comprised of Eric Seats and Rapture Stewart) were the masterminds behind a record that has remained timeless. 

The album was recorded in New York, Los Angeles and Australia, where Aaliyah was filming Queen of the Damned. Along with writers Stephen “Static Major” Garrett and Benjamin “Black” Bush of R&B/hip-hop group Playa, the team shut out the outside world and worked on the LP for about two years.

“She was very sweet, very giving and open to suggestions. There was a lot of stuff that didn’t make the record, but she wasn’t scared to try new things,” Bud’da tells Fuse. Seats also reflected on Aaliyah’s personality in the studio, saying, "She’s low-key and not really animated. She’d just be in a corner pacing, popping that gum. Her and Static would talk about how a track made them feel, and they would go from there."

The LP found Aaliyah stepping far out of her sonic comfort zone. As she says in the second track, “Loose Rap,” “It ain’t just rhythm & blues.” The murky downtempo, produced by Key Beats, experimented with late-night underwater vibes before the sound was made popular by Drake’s right-hand man Noah “40” Shebib. It still remains a favorite for Key Beats and J. Dub. The song's title came from a slang term used by the producers and Static. 

"The saying 'loose rap' was something we always used to say in our regular talk," Stewart says. "We were joking around in the studio that day and that track was on, and Static just said it on the hook. A lot of the songs happened like that."

He also reveals that “Loose Rap” was almost going to be the album’s first single, and that the popularity of “Rock the Boat” called for a change of plans, and for a video. 

"The only reason they shot 'Rock the Boat' was because the radio was already playing it, so that kind of forced it to be the second single [instead of 'More Than a Woman']," Stewart says. "They went with Timbaland’s song for the first single because that was her sound at the time, but he was actually the last person to work on that album."

It turns out it was Aaliyah’s favorite song to record. “'Rock the Boat' hit her real hard," Stewart recalls. 

"She was the one advocating to make that a single, because [the label] was trying to make sure whatever Timbaland produced were up to be singles. But she gave them hell and refused to let them do things. Even Timbaland loved it."

“Loose Rap” was quickly programmed by Seats (in five minutes, to be exact), but his fast-work mentality almost got “Rock the Boat” deleted. He tells us, 

“Static heard it through my headphones. I took a break and went to the rest room, and by the time I got back he had already written a hook." Stewart continues, “I wouldn’t say it was an accident, but we weren’t vibing with it as much. It was one of those things like if he had came 10 minutes later, he probably would’ve never heard it."

Aaliyah’s strength is its diversity, as the album counteracted vibrant uptempos like “More Than a Woman” with the heart-wrenching “Never No More." Produced by Bud’da, it found the singer flexing her tender upper register over a beat that mixed old-school soul and hip hop.

"I wanted to create something that had a soulful feel with the classic instruments. After she laid the vocals, I had the idea to add the live strings and other elements around her voice to emphasize the words," Bud'da explains. "With the topic of the song being about abuse, I wanted you to feel that musically and hear the emotions. I wish everybody could’ve seen the emotions as well."

“Never No More” is his favorite track, due to the lyrical theme of domestic violence. 

"There's so many people quietly dealing with abuse and it’s just an unheard thing. I thought it was pretty upfront for that song and it was bold on her part to do it knowing that she has a great influence," he says.

Listeners were already familiar with Aaliyah’s delicate vocals, but the red album found her digging deeper into a low register that was grumbling, fierce and downright sexy. It can be heard on songs like the bass-heavy “Extra Smooth” and “Read Between the Lines.”

From the brass instrumentation to the chopped vocals, the Latin-influenced song is one of the highlights of Aaliyah. Bud’da recalls the fun recording experience:

"[There was] not only live horns, but I used a midi grand piano. Since I gave it a Latin feel, I decided to add the horns to go with it as an accent. Another thing I had done that I hadn’t heard before was adding certain stutters and echoes [to her voice]. There weren’t too many people doing it back then. Initially I had a longer version with more cool stuff, but for the sake of radio we decided to chop it down some."

While it wasn't planned to be a concept album, Aaliyah touched on different phases of a long-term relationship. Tracks like “U Got Nerve” are filled with aggression, where a fed-up Aaliyah sings to a no-good lover. “I Refuse,” one of the more experimental moments, builds on that frustration over a haunting cinematic beat. J. Dub, who loves film soundtracks, reveals he wanted to make the song big and orchestrated. 

“I started off with a basic piano and everything else I just built off of that. When she finished the vocals, I went back in and added the orchestra,” he says. 

The album continues to flip into different sounds, as breezy track 11 (the Key Beats–produced “It’s Whatever”) crashes into one of the LP’s most daring songs, “I Can Be.” It finds Aaliyah singing about infidelity and being the other woman. The risky move was made more in-your-face with the song’s intense rock and hip-hop influence. 

"It had such a great melody and I wanted to add something dark to go with it," Bud'da remembers. "So you’ve got your sweetness on the top but down below you just have this menacing thing that’s just pounding your speakers."

What most didn’t know was that Aaliyah was a fan of rock music, and Nine Inch Nails was one of her favourite acts. “I Can Be” was inspired by the genre, but it was the album’s closing track, “What If,” that ripped her familiar R&B sound to shreds. J. Dub says he never thought she would pick it, but it became one of the album’s defining moments with its menacing industrial production.

Aaliyah met her untimely death on Aug. 25, 2001 at the age of 22. She was gearing up to write for the first time and there are still five completed songs remaining in her vault. 

"I was her music director, so we were talking about doing a big tour and the whole nine. It was sad none of that ever happened. Even as big as that album is, to me her live performances were crazy," Stewart says.

Aaliyah went on to be certified double platinum and has influenced artists like The Weeknd, Tinashe, Rihanna and FKA Twigs. The producers agree that without the album, most singers won’t be as relevant to this day. 

Stewart points to one of the biggest performers of our time: 

"Say how Beyoncé is very innovative in her thinking now, to me that was Aaliyah. It’s absolutely no shade to her because we’ve worked with Destiny’s Child on Romeo Must Die [the soundtrack] and 'Survivor.' But her lane opened up so wide because there was a void left from Aaliyah. When we were in the studio with Beyoncé, she would praise her and the stuff we did with her. I wouldn’t say she looked up to her or anything like that, but she was definitely paying attention to Aaliyah’s growth."

(Source: http://www.fuse.tv/2016/07/aaliyah-self-titled-final-album-15th-anniversary-producers-interview)

The Balance Room Interview with Eric Seats: The Making Of 'Rock The Boat'

As you all know, Aaliyah's birthday is approaching in the next few days, where we normally come across some amazing rare images, tribute mixes, videos, artwork etc... All of which I always look forward to seeing! :o) So I was merely just browsing away, and happened to come across a post Eric Seats posted via his Instagram page. Soon as I found out it was Aaliyah related, y'all know I was mad hype! lol :D And of course, I wanted to share this with you all!

I have to say...whilst listening to this interview I did get rather emotional when he talked about his memories on Aaliyah and Static Major. However, it was also quite refreshing to learn more about Mr. Seats as an individual alone, who I can honestly say is the most nicest, most humblest person I have come to know. I can definitely see why Aaliyah wanted to work with you! A big thank you for sharing your memories with us all and The Balance Room podcast for having the pleasure of interviewing Mr.Seats. You can listen to the full interview below here!  ;)

Also since this is podcast related, some of you may be aware of this, but for those who are not, I would like to give a special out to my boy @AlmuqicmanLeon and my girl @ChocolateLatina for all their continued love and support. They both run a podcast called 'Your Best Friend On The Mic' touching on a wide range of interesting topics and of course, repping our Babygirl to the fullest! ;) You can check out all their latest podcast episodes via the link here. You definitely won't be disappointed! ;)

Aaliyah Archives News: Timbaland's 'King Stays King' Mixtape & The Origins Of 'He Keeps Me Shakin'

First and foremost, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday! I hope everyone has been in good spirits as 2015 comes to a close end. As some of you may be aware, I was away on holiday last week, so hence why I was unable to post anything until now! ;)

Yesterday, our man Timbaland finally released his mixtape 'King Stays King' featuring the highly anticipated, unreleased song by our beloved Babygirl. Some of you may remember me mentioning this particular track before, but for those of you who don't, you can check out my previous post via the link here.  On Tim's mixtape it's titled 'Shakin' but just to let it be known, the original is actually called 'He Keeps Me Shakin' which was originally written by Digital Black (from the group Playa) and produced by Eric Seats & Rapture Stewart (a.k.a- KeyBeats). 

Unfortunately this particular track did not get around to being completed in time, with only the hook/chorus sung by Aaliyah. According to YouKnowIGotSoul the original version of this track, was presumably recorded around 1999–2000. All I can say is wow....to this day I have always shown my love and appreciation to all the producers that worked with Aaliyah, especially on the red album, since her music still sounds fresh and current to this very day, so thank you! To listen you can do so via the link here where you can also download the app MyMixtapez via the apple or google play store free of charge! For anyone else who just wants to skip straight to the Aaliyah track, you can listen right here below! Be sure to comment below your feedback on this new joint, since I am very curious to hear peoples opinions! :o) One love!

Aaliyah Archives: News

Just to confirm with everyone that the Aaliyah Birthday tribute/surprise that I mentioned awhile ago (if you are unaware of this tribute, click here for more information) is still in the works. I personally reached out to a few people, and thanks to @missaaliyahdana from Instagram and @surferguy01 from Twitter, they managed to get an answer from Eric Seats. As they say, you can't rush perfection, especially when it comes to anything Aaliyah related ;) We appreciate all that you are doing Mr. Seats! Keep up the hard work! One love ♥   

Aaliyah: Official Unreleased Tracks From Eric Seats

Edit made by yours truly! ;)

So I've been meaning to post this for awhile now, but as you all know Aaliyah left us with an amazing body of work throughout her musical career. Like every other artist, Aaliyah recorded a lot of tracks, some of which were not complete in time for her to sing, and others which were only rough drafts or 'demos' as we call them. Now if you all remember, I posted something awhile back in regards to some unreleased tracks that Static Major's personal assistant (and close friend) Tim Barnett kindly shared with us in 2010. Just to refresh your memories, you can read it again via the link here. 

We've already had the tracks CEO and Danc'n come to surface, and seeing as how we have a special Birthday tribute next year in the works from the original red album producers, maybe it's long over due for us fans to finally hear these rare gems. I for one, would most definitely love to hear them! :o) 

So a couple months back I actually came across some posts via Eric Seats who happened to share some screenshots from his phone's playlist, and to my surprise, I was delighted to see some of those Aaliyah tracks that we have always heard about, but never actually heard! Lol! Here are the main ones he shared, along with his captions :o) ... 

Eric Seats: #Memories Another #unreleased #Aaliyah #HIT #StaticMajorIsGenius #DontLetMeFoolYou #KeyBeats #ES333

Eric Seats: #Memories #Aaliyah OMG ANOTHER #unreleased #HIT! @DigitalBlack wrote this one.. #KeepsMeShaking #KeyBeats #ES333

Eric Seats: This One Too... #Aaliyah #unreleased #Dancin #Playa @DigitalBlack #KeyBeats #ES333

Do any of these titles ring any bells? They should do! If not, lets do a brief summary of each track :o) The first track, is the one which Drake sampled vocals from. The second track is the one where they actually mixed it for the song Quit Hatin'. And the third track, yes you are probably saying "hey we have already heard this version!" but NOT with just Aaliyah and Digital Black on their own, without E.T. Selfish. Seats said this was a rough version, so it would be interesting to hear and compare to the one that we already know and love. Who knows, maybe one day we may finally get to hear ALL of them, once the family agree to it. :o)

Aaliyah Archives: News (EXCLUSIVE)

So as you guys know, I recently shared with you all some video snippets from producer Eric Seats who worked with the red album crew. He was kind enough to share his original working files from Aaliyah's Rock The Boat and It's Whatever, plus and added bonus of a never before heard official remix of Rock The Boat, which was created back in 2001! Wow! All I can say is that this sounds really current! Hardly surprising considering how Aaliyah's last album still sounds fresh to this day. All the producers on this album really knew what they were doing, and it shows since they have created longevity within their body of work. 

Now we all know that this year has been a tough one for all TRUE Aaliyah fans out there, with everything that has been going on with this 'film drama'. I refuse to even acknowledge this ignorance on my blog anymore, since I just wanna keep it drama and negative free. I began this journey of blogging through positivity and it shall remain that way! :o) 

With every bad moment, some good always tends to prevail over, and I am so excited to announce that all the producers from Aaliyah's self titled red album, will be uniting to make a special tribute on her 36th Birthday next year! How dope is that right? :D I have already shared with you a couple remixes which have come to surface already, so my guesses are that a remix album might be in the works. Ok, so I am not one for blowing my own trumpet, as I am humble as they can get, but I remember ages ago speaking to Eric Seats and mentioned the idea of a remix album and how all the producers from that album should come together. Here is the conversation we had which you can view below...

As you can see Eric agreed :o) I was also being a little cheeky towards the end! Lol! Can't blame a girl for trying though! ;) To hear Aaliyah's accapella on her red album would be amazing though! :D With that being said, I am glad the man has stuck by his word, because now, he's putting everything into action! Woooo! :D Seats also mentioned that he is planning to put the Rock The Boat (remix) version on his Sidooo Vol 2 album. So be sure to peep that out in the near future. If you still need more convincing, here's another conversation with the likes of J-Dub, Bud'da and Smoke E. Digglera talking about this special Birthday tribute :o)

And here's another one where Eric Seats himself, confirms this with one of my favorite Aaliyah fan pages Maximum Aaliyah ;) 2015 definitely plans on being a good year for all Aaliyah fans! Are you ready? #TeamAaliyah ;) :D