Aaliyah: 'Are You That Nobody' DJ Lonnie B Shares His Memories

Beautiful post from @djlonnieb Thank you for sharing your memories with us! :o)

@djlonnieb: "40 to 40 #Day8 "Are You That Nobody" My brother Danja Mowf wrote a verse for DJ Reese's mixtape [50 Tongues 100 Lungs]. 49 MCs rapped over hard core NYC hip hop instrumentals. Being a creative genius, Danja chose to do something different. He rapped over the Aaliyah "Are you that somebody instrumental". The verse was so dope that he attached it to the beginning of the song to get it on the radio. Skillz heard it before Mowf sent it in and wrote a verse as well. At that time Skillz was signed to Timbaland so everyone thought it was an official remix. That Friday, Mike Street played it on the radio and the phone lines went crazy. That Sunday, I wrote my verse and Danja added me to the song. Our song was playing in Richmond & Norfolk but when DJ Enuff started playing it in New York on HOT 97, I KNEW IT WAS ABOUT TO GET REAL. Clue put it on his mixtape and that's where Missy Elliot heard it. All three of us were on cloud 9! Missy called Danja at 4am because she was interested in signing him after hearing his verses. Wait wait wait ....Danja only had one verse?? What did she mean verses?? Apparently, Missy thought Danja Mowf was the first and last guy. That's when I realized that I never said my name in my verse so everyone thought it was just Danja Mowf & Skillz on the song. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for Danja because he deserved it but I was heart broken because NO ONE KNEW I EXISTED. I am not saying if I said my name it would have been different but I didn't even put my name out there. I hated not being recognized for something as epic as the Aaliyah remix. Truthfully, I hated myself until the Supafriendz got a chance to perform the song with Aaliyah. I remember stepping on stage to start my verse. When I looked to my left, I noticed Aaliyah was saying my verse with me!!!! So, I may not have said my name on the track but at least for that moment she knew it was me. #ilovehersmile #RIPAaliyah #LB40to40 #Supafriendz #RIPJusto"

As long as Aaliyah knew who you were, that's all that matters! It can be quite tough within the music industry to be recognised, especially for something as iconic as this. Here at the The Aaliyah Archives we speak your name, and always give credit, where credit is due. :o)

Happy 18th Anniversary to Aaliyah's One In A Million Album

My personal collection :o)

Happy 18th Anniversary to one of my fav albums 'One In A Million'. This album is true to its name, and one which paved its way during the mid 90's era. Such a timeless classic, and simply just one of those albums you never have to skip a track on. To me personally, this really made Aaliyah transition musically from her 'Age Ain't Nothing But A Number' era into something special and magical. Aaliyah was never afraid to experiment with her sound, such examples are Timbalands cricket noises you hear in the background off the song OIAM. R&B was at its peak during this time, with many other artists offering many classic 90's vibes. But the sound that Missy and Timbaland brought to the table, no one was ready for! So ahead of its time! I thank you @timbaland and @missyelliottofficial for your hard work, craft and most importantly...offering something unique to the R&B genre.

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 As Featured Cameo in Timbaland feat. Playa, Magoo & Missy Elliott's: Here We Come

Released: November 1998

Recorded: 1997/1998

Label: Blackground/Atlantic/Virgin

First and foremost I would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter! :o) I hope you are all in good spirits. Now I know I have not been posting much, but for those who are wondering I am well and alive! ;) I have a lot of drafts that I have yet to post, so lets get down to business shall we? lol Now awhile ago, I posted a lot of cameo appearances where our beloved Babygirl happened to feature in, so I would like to continue posting the rest of her cameo appearances so that we have a complete archive. 

Now here's a classic joint which takes me wayyy back! Here We Come featuring the likes of Timbaland, Magoo, Missy and backing vocals from R&B group Playa, was the lead single from Timbaland's solo debut album – 'Tim's Bio: Life From Da Bassment'. The music video itself was premiered in mid October 1998, on music channel MTV2 (that channel definitely takes me back!). Now, although the song charted and was released via radio airplay in November 1998, it did not gain any 'physical release' in the US until March 2nd 1999 and October 5th 1999 for Germany (shows how much patience people had back then!).

Personally, as I do with any video/track from the Timbo Fam, since Ginuwine also features as a guest cameo, these guys were so ahead of their time it's unreal. The whole idea of transforming a music video into a moving graphic novel was just original for it's time. If we look back at other music videos during the early 2000's, we have also encountered this with other artists too, such as Mariah Carey and Eminem. If you listen to the track carefully, you can hear the songs concept and interpolation based on the early Spider-Man comic series, showing that playful, childish superhero/heroin side in us all. And as always, our beloved Babygirl is looking extra fly with the highlights in her hair! Love it! :D Anyhoo, peep the videos below to compare and contrast the musicality! The bottom video can only be viewed via youtube, so click on the link and it should direct you. Enjoy everyone! :o)

The Aaliyah Archives: News

This alone just makes me smile! :o)

Aaliyah: Vibe Magazine, December 2008

As promised, I'm also looking out for all you Static Major/Playa fans too! Happy reading everyone! :o)

Aaliyah: An R&B Princess in Words and Pictures By Kelly Kenyatta

For those who enjoy a good read now and then, here are a few snippet pages from author Kelly Kenyatta's – Aaliyah: An R&B Princess in Words And Pictures. Obviously for legal reasons, certain parts of the book are not allowed to be displayed, but for the parts which you are able to read, please enjoy throughly! :o)

Rare Photo: Aaliyah, Lil' Kim, Da Brat & Missy Elliot

Here's another one to add to the mix. Another small but rare photo of Aaliyah with female rappers Lil' Kim, Da Brat and Missy Elliot. I personally have not come across this image until now, so that is why I am sharing it with you all! :o)

Aaliyah Dana Haughton 1979 – 2001: Vibe Magazine November 2001

Hey guys! Hope you're all well. I'm back with some more written articles. :o) Here's the November 2001 Vibe Magazine showcasing our beloved Babygirl's legacy, who look through her discography of music and written interviews/quotes from the likes of Q-Tip, Damon Dash, Jermaine Dupri, DMX, Missy Elliot, Gladys Knight (Aaliyah's Aunt) and more. Enjoy! :o)

Aaliyah As Featured Cameo In Nicole Wray ft. Missy Elliot's: Make It Hot

Released: August 20th 1998

Recorded: 1997 – 1998

Label: The Goldmind/Elektra

Here's another classic 90's joint from Nicole Wray and Missy Elliot's – 'Make It Hot'. As you can see from the above images, Aaliyah is also featured in this video, amongst her fellow Timbaland crew members, showing us how it was done back in the day. Production wise, Timbaland was solely responsible for this track. Now originally, when I first watched the video, I noticed how Nicole Wray looked very similar to Babygirl with her outfit and styling. The hat, long hair, baggy clothes, I almost thought it was Aaliyah at one point, but it's not. Anyways, watch and enjoy! :o)

Aaliyah: Rare Photos

Some not so familiar images of Aaliyah, showcasing her wild party side with Rashad Haughton, Missy Elliot, Kidada Jones, Malik (Missy's cousin) and P.Diddy. Plenty more to come, so stay tuned everyone! :o)

 

Aaliyah: Fader Magazine, The Icon Issue 54 (May/June 2008)

Hey guys! Here are all the full page spread articles from Fader Magazine (in order of appearance) from front cover, contents, editors letter, illustrations, appendix page and detailed written interviews from Missy Elliot, Timbaland, Kidada Jones (Aaliyah's best friend), Ciara, Cassie, Damon Dash and more! I hope you enjoy this read as much as I did! :o)