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! ✌🏽❤️

View this post on Instagram

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

Aaliyah: Rock The Boat (Early Demo Version)

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

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: 'It's Whatever' Files From Eric Seats

A video posted by Eric Seats (@ericseats) on Nov 11, 2014 at 8:55am PST

Eric Seats: #Aaliyah #OGFiles #ItsWhatever #KeyBeats #ES333 

Aaliyah: 'Rock The Boat' Files From Eric Seats

A video posted by Eric Seats (@ericseats) on Nov 11, 2014 at 8:47am PST

Eric Seats: "#Aaliyah #THE files! #MPC2000 #RockTheBoat #KeyBeats #ES333" 

This was the first video Seats posted via Instagram. I love him for this! It's nice to know and see what he actually used whilst creating such a beautiful, musical masterpiece! For all those who are into making their own beats, Eric Seats is using a MPC2000XL :o) 

Aaliyah: Rare Photo Courtesy of Eric Seats

Happy Monday everyone! How are you all doing? :o) To brighten up your day even more, here is a rare photo of our Beloved Babygirl courtesy of Eric Seats who was one of the writers and producers on Aaliyah's self titled red album A A L I Y A H. Along with sharing the photo, he left a caption below saying...  

Eric Seats: #TBT #2000 #Aaliyah My homegirl Aaliyah chill'n at the apt before hitting The Pottery Barn with me. Rest in paradise Lil Dana, we miss you!!! #CollestEver #NY #Keybeats ES

Thank you so much for sharing this rare gem with us all, no matter how many pictures I see of Babygirl, she was always smiling, and that is truly the best way to be remembered. We will always love you no matter what Babygirl. ♥

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

Aaliyah: Danc'n ft. E.T. Selfish (Unreleased Track)

Released: 2010

Recorded: Unknown

Label: Blackground Records

Happy Saturday everyone! :o) To make your saturday even more special, here's another unreleased track by Babygirl called Danc'n featuring E.T. Selfish, and production by Digital Black from Playa. Now here's something which makes you wanna just jam all over the dance floor! I gotta say that when I first heard this, it was love at first listen. The hook that Aaliyah sings is so catchy that by the time you have listened to it, you'll keep hitting that replay button! Now that's not all I've got for you folks. To really understand about the whole process of the track, here's a little interview from Digital Black and E.T. Selfish themselves who talk about Danc'n in more depth which you can find below. Enjoy guys! :o)

Digital Black: “That’s the hook I wrote. That was a group signed to Keybeats and again, this is how Aaliyah was. If she messed with you, she messed with you. She didn’t really mess with anybody else out of the circle, so if you were part of the circle, she didn’t only want to see herself blow up. She was trying to do as much as she could for everyone in the camp. That’s how “I Don’t Think They Know” came about.”

E.T. Selfish: “When the family got back from Australia, everybody set up shop in LA to mix the Aaliyah album. We were in the studio one day (Digital Black, KeyBeats & Selfish). Black & E. Seats pulled up the track and told us to go to work on it. The song already had Aaliyah’s vocals on it from when Digital Black wrote the song in Australia. So of course when KeyBeats & Black offered it to us, we wanted to kill it. We wanted everybody to hear it and relate. We wanted to make you feel like you were in the club, on the dance floor, getting it in till they turn on the lights.”