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: 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)

Aaliyah Archives News: J-Dub Shares His Memories of Aaliyah & the Making of 'Steady Ground' ft. Static Major

 

A huge thank you to J-Dub, one of the producers on the red album who posted this beautiful throwback memory for all of #TeamAaliyah via his Instagram page. This is much appreciated beyond words. I love hearing about these personal, fond memories since they give us more of a deeper connection towards the song and the artist. Enjoy! :o)

J-Dub: "We recorded this song in LA at Enterprise Studios. My engineer at the time lost Aaliyah's background vocals. Back then we cut on 2 inch reels no protools. This song was suppose to be her single. Aaliyah was so disappointed that she couldn't cut the vocals over. This is a big song vocally to sing and it was some challenging vocal sessions. Back then no auto tune either so you had to be on point. In hindsight I believe everything happens for a reason. Now the song is a duet featuring Static Major (RIH) who wrote the song and demoed it. I remixed it a little and it still sounds fresh. Music allows you to live forever long after you're gone. Thankful and so blessed I had the chance to produce one of the sweetest spirits and artists ever to do it in my generation. And to work with one of the most talented writers I've ever worked with Static Major. May they both RIH and I know they're smiling down on me about this one. It was never released commercially, but since I still have the files I'll share it with the world. Enjoy!!! & this is my #TBT #Aaliyah #StaticMajor #SteadyGround #LA #EnterpriseStudios #EpicSession #Legends #MusicHistory #ItsAllGod #ThankfulForTheGift #DUBZWORLD #DubzworldProductionz #GodIsTheGreatest"

A video posted by J Dub (@dubzworld) on Jun 11, 2015 at 4:34am PDT

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

Happy 13th Anniversary to Aaliyah's Self Titled Red Album!

Jamming the 'old skool' way! :o)

My personal collection.

Drawing I made especially for the 13th Anniversary.

The whole album artwork! (My Edit)

So today marks the 13th Anniversary of Aaliyah's self titled red album! So as a special tribute today, I have showcased some of my personal collection, along with a drawing I did. Something which I am starting to get back into again, since I have always been quite a creative person! :o) Now...I have been showing love everywhere else, but my blog is the main spot where I should be showing majority of my love. I did have a few issues before, but hopefully they should be ok now, so I do apologise if I have replied back late to emails, and not posted as much, so just letting you all know that I am alive and not just a ghost page! lol!

It's hard to believe that it's already been 13 years since Aaliyah's 'baby' as she called it, came out, and after all these years her music still continues to sound so fresh to this very day. I can honestly say that this album was way ahead of its time both musically and lyrically, with the likes of Timbaland, Missy, Static Major, J-Dub, Bud'da, Black etc... It's no surprise why this albums longevity has still remained over these past years and counting.

I can only wonder if she were still around today, what kind of music she would be coming out with, since Aaliyah was always a trendsetter and one step ahead of the game. You can definitely see her growth from her tomboy 'street yet sweet' days to the beautiful woman she had become, and it's sad to know that her life got cut so short in such a tragic way. I always felt that it was never her time to go, since she had only reached her peak and had so much more to offer to the world. No words can fathom or comprehend the day she went away, but I shall forever and always be a fan. A huge thank you to all those who contributed to this album, it truly is a classical masterpiece within it's own right. One love. <3

The Aaliyah Archives: News

Shout out to @YoungNation92 for this feedback from our man J-Dub. We are so blessed to hear such great music which lives on forever through us, as her fans. This honestly means so much to us, so thank you J-Dub! I simply cannot wait to hear what you have in store for us. :o) A quote from J-Dub himself, which you can find via his Tumblr page saying...

J-Dub: "Blessed to have worked with and Produced an angel… #Aaliyah her music will live forever. Mine will too! #GodISTheGreatest #DubzworldProductionz #MD2G (My Diary To God) #Aaliyah #WhatIf #IRefuse unreleased #SteadyGround #CatalogGotHitsRecordz #LOVE" 

The Aaliyah Archives: News

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long, but I have some great news for you all out there. Now many of us Aaliyah fans out there have been waiting on a different version of Steady Ground for quite some time now, since You Know I Got Soul confirmed awhile ago last year of different arrangements/vocals without Static Major. However here is the official J-Dub remix of Babygirl's Steady Ground, who was also responsible for the production of the original version. I'm guessing J-Dub decided to keep Static Major's parts after all, which I'm kind of happy about since Static Major was responsible for a lot of Aaliyah's lyrical content. Above you can see that J-Dub describes the new remix as "different arrangement. Different mix. Longer then original ". 

Simple yet effective! I love it! All I can say is thank you so much for this remix. It has truly made my day and I hope it does for all of you folks out there too! The intro alone has already got me hooked. Anyone who would like me to send them this remix personally, or for any questions/queries you may have, please do not hesitate to contact me via theaaliyaharchives@gmail.com Happy Listening everyone! :o)

Aaliyah ft. Static Major: Steady Ground

Released: 2005

Recorded: Unknown

Label: Blackground Records

Here is a track which some of you may not have heard before. Steady Ground which features the likes of Playa's – Static Major and producer J-Dub  is one of the left over tracks which was originally going to be put on Aaliyah's third studio album, self titled AALIYAH. Below I have a mini interview where J-Dub himself talks about the making of this track and why it never made the cut on the album. Now again, I was going to share the audio content via youtube, but youtube likes to be annoying by deleting the audio content, so luckily I have the audio content myself which I will share with you via my Tumblr blog. :o) I remember when I first came across this track, I was like wow, how have I not heard this before. I always make it part of my duty to know everything and anything about Babygirl, so if I come across something new I have to share it! :o) Production wise, I like the use of beats as it's not something you hear everyday. Very innovative both musically and lyrically. Anyways, please listen and enjoy this lovely track! :o) 

Listen here for Aaliyah ft. Static Major – Steady Ground

http://sanchinitodiego.tumblr.com/post/63169083082

J-Dub: “It was really the first single after “Rock The Boat”, but my engineer was mixing the record and somehow lost the vocals. So the vocals that you hear are really just the demo vocals. The final vocals got erased, so yeah. So that’s why it didn’t make the album.”