Remembering R&B Singer Aaliyah

On August 25, 2001, singer/actress Aaliyah was killed. She was leaving the Bahamas after filming the music video “Rock the Boat” when the plane took off and burst into flames.

Aaliyah’s career ended too soon, but she made a long lasting impact in the music world. Rolling Stone and Huffington Post give 7 ways she changed music:

1. She married hip-hop and R&B, effortlessly- Aaliyah was one of the first females to sing smooth R&B vocals over hip-hop beats. “One in a Million,” “4 Page Letter” and “We Need a Resolution” all had dope instrumentals produced by Timbaland

2. Aaliyah brought the teen girl’s voice back to R&B- Her style of her baggy jeans, oversized sports jerseys and lyrics about partying on Friday night and chilling with the homies, the high school-aged Aaliyah was a part of this era. This side of the singer intrigued younger fans.

3. She gave you real choreography in her music videos- Aaliyah was one of the entertainers who emerged from the 90’s that kept dance in music videos. She kept “dance breaks” alive in songs like “Are You That Somebody?” and “More Than A Woman.”

4. R&B’s golden era forever has an icon- The singer died at the young age of 22, but fans could think of her as an artist that would make an impact in pop music.

5. Her hit singles helped usher R&B into the mainstream- Her songs got noticed and reached big success. Grammy-nominated song, ”Try Again” was the first song to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart from only radio airplay. The number one hit single “Are You That Somebody?” from the “Dr. Dolittle” soundtrack has been regarded as the song that transitioned her to the pop world by Billboard.

6. Her voice is unlike anyone else’s- She could do deep gospel runs, too — check her deep-hued inflections on the Age Ain’t Nothin’ But a Number track “Street Thing.” But she’s rightly remembered as one of the most influential singers of the modern R&B era.

7. Her absence between albums only deepened her appeal- She only recorded three albums during her career. After the singer broke ties with R Kelly, Aaliyah got together with Timbaland and Missy Elliott created “One in a Million”. The sound of her second album was arguably more dynamic and groundbreaking than her debut. Her self-titled final album five years later had a mix of sun-kissed groove with “Rock the Boat” and coagulated electronic rock with “What If.”

TheBoomBox and CNN shares fans tribute to Aaliyah on the 15th anniversary of her death. Her physical appearance may no longer be around, but her spirit will live on in her music, the hearts of fans and friends. Below is a video remembering Detroit’s ‘Babygirl’. Aaliyah gone too soon, but never forgotten.