Music of late American singer, Aaliyah will finally make streaming platforms.
Gatekeepers News reports that the biggest albums of late R&B star which have been out of circulation for most of the last two decades are to be made available on streaming services.
Aaliyah’s final two records, ‘One in a Million’ and ‘Aaliyah’ have been in oblivion for years as a result of legal issues and uneasiness in her family.
Just as the 20th anniversary of her death approaches, a deal was struck to reissue the records.
Aaliyah’s uncle and former manager Barry Hankerson, whose Blackground Records owned the rights to the star’s back catalogue made this known.
Hankerson has an exception to her debut album, ‘Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number’, that made the album her only album available on streaming services.
He explained that he had entered a new partnership with music distribution company Empire, “to introduce Aaliyah and Blackground’s legacy to a new audience”.
According to him, the rollout will begin on 20 August with the release of One in a Million.
New titles will be released throughout the rest of the year, including the soundtracks to the film Romeo Must Die, in which Aaliyah co-starred, as well as the compilations Ultimate Aaliyah and I Care 4 U.
Meanwhile, the long out-of-print CD and vinyl versions of the albums, which currently fetch hundreds of dollars on the second-hand market, will also be reissued.
Aaliyah’s Estate Protecting Her Legacy
As part of an effort to protect the legacy of the late singer, Aaliyah’s Estate has addressed “unauthorized projects” in a statement.
The statement noted that “unauthorized projects” have appeared to pop up during the landmark moment and to “preempt the inevitable attacks on our character by all the individuals who have emerged from the shadows to leech off of Aaliyah’s life’s work.
“Protecting Aaliyah’s legacy is, and will always be our focus. For 20 years we have battled behind the scenes, enduring shadowy tactics of deception with unauthorized projects targeted to tarnish.
“We have always been confused as to why there is such a tenacity in causing more pain alongside what we already have to cope with for the rest of our lives.
“Now, in this 20th year, this unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah’s music without any transparency or full accounting to the estate compels our hearts to express a word — forgiveness.”
The estate continued in its statement, “Although we will continue to defend ourselves and her legacy lawfully and justly, we want to preempt the inevitable attacks on our character by all the individuals who have emerged from the shadows to leech off of Aaliyah’s life’s work.
“Ultimately, we desire closure and a modicum of peace so we can facilitate the growth of the Aaliyah Memorial Fund and other creative projects that embody Aaliyah’s true essence, which is to inspire strength and positivity for people of all creeds, races, and cultures around the world.”
