My Top 110 Music Artists, #10

It’s taken me 100 posts and over five months, but I’ve finally reached my top 10 music artists. At #10 is a female R&B/hip-hop artist who died at the age of 22 ten years ago. It’s always tragic when any person dies that young, and it’s even more tragic when the person has shown so much talent and has a life full of promise ahead of them.

#10: Aaliyah

It feels somewhat fateful to be writing about Aaliyah now, what with the recent death of Amy Winehouse. Yet it’s not death this post will dwell on, but the music of one of R&B’s most talented artists, Aaliyah.

Aaliyah’s debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number, was released in 1994 when she was only 15 years old. Her age was something more than a number, making her a minor, which R. Kelly may have regretted. But her age didn’t diminish her talent. Aaliyah’s vocals are so smooth and liquid, like audible honey. No track demonstrates that better than my most played Aaliyah track, the title track from my most played Aaliyah album, Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number. The album is my overall #11 most played album of the past four years.

Video: Aaliyah – Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number

My second most played Aaliyah track is from her third studio album, the eponymous Aaliyah, which hit #1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. This track was not released as a single, and doesn’t have an official music video, but there’s a great tribute video of the song on YouTube. The track is to me the definition of hip-hop; I don’t see how anyone could ever do it better than this. (Maybe as good as, but not better.)

Video (Tribute): Aaliyah – U Got Nerve

For my third most played Aaliyah track, it’s back to Aaliyah’s first album. This track was also not released as a single, but it is such a smooth R&B/hip-hop groove, and she sings it so soulfully, listening to it I just want to curl up with my someone special and let the music flow over us (except that my someone special isn’t so much into hip-hop, but the sentiment is still the same for me).

Video (Tribute): Aaliyah – I’m So Into You

My fourth most played Aaliyah track, I’m Down, is also from Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number, and also was not released as a single. So many good songs are never released as singles, if you don’t listen to the whole album, you can miss some of an artist’s best music.

Aaliyah’s second album, One in a Million, produced six singles, all of which performed decently well on the UK charts, but only two of which charted on the US singles chart. One of those two singles is my fifth most played Aaliyah track, and there’s an official music video for it.

Can you feel me?

Video: Aaliyah – If Your Girl Only Knew

Another favorite Aaliyah track not released as a single, from her self-titled album, is a rhythmic hip-hop number that makes me want to shake all over. I wish I could dance. I used to do contra dancing, because it’s easy, but after I hurt my leg, even continuing with that was pretty much out of the question. If my leg were to ever heal enough, I would like to get back into contra dancing; it might help me lose some weight, and that would be good. But for now, I just wave my arms and tap my feet and maybe pump my leg up and down while I’m sitting in my chair. It sounds pathetic, but it’s all I got right now; don’t take it from me. But I can’t help but thinking, what if I hadn’t hurt my leg, what if… what if… what if…

Video (Tribute): Aaliyah – What If

Aaliyah’s biggest single hit was from the soundtrack of Romeo Must Die, in which she starred opposite Jet Li. The single was also on Aaliyah’s self-titled album. The song was the only Aaliyah single to reach #1 on the US Hot 100.

The advice in this song applies to everyone, so listen up.

Video: Aaliyah – Try Again

Aaliyah also acted in one of my favorite horror flicks, Queen of the Damned. She does an excellent acting job in the movie. She was both horrifying and sexy at the same time, like I can imagine a succubus would be. I understand she had been signed to star in some of the Matrix movies, too, but her untimely death prevented her appearance in them.

On August 25, 2011, it will be ten years since Aaliyah’s passing. That’s less than a month away at the time of this writing. If you enjoy R&B/hip-hop, join the movement to help make Aaliyah shine again on the charts—buy the track, Try Again, on that day, or at least during that week. It won’t cost you much for one track, and it would be a great tribute to a talented artist who left this world way too early. Some may say it was God’s will, and maybe it was or maybe it wasn’t, but I still think the world could have been a better place if Aaliyah had lived longer. Rest in paradise, Aaliyah.

Thanks for visiting.

More Aaliyah Info

Check out the Aaliyah store on Amazon!

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