Aaliyah (album)
Encyclopedia
Aaliyah is the self-titled third and final studio album
by American R&B
singer Aaliyah
, released by Blackground
and Virgin Records
on July 17, 2001, in the United States. The album has sometimes been referred to as "The Red Album." It was primarily produced by Keybeats, with additional production by Timbaland
, Bud'da
, Jeffrey "J-Dub" Walker and Static Major, with lyrics by Static Major
and Missy Elliott
. Aaliyah features soul
, pop
, and neo soul
styles in its sound, as well as elements of funk
, hip hop
and electronica
.
It was nominated for a 2002 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
, among other honors. In April 2001, Aaliyah spoke highly of the album saying, "It is my version of Control
." Recent reception has also been positive. The album was listed as one of the best releases of the 2000's by Slant Magazine.
(2000), Aaliyah postponed the recording of the album. Artists, Timbaland
and Missy Elliott
, both of whom were major contributors on previous album One in a Million, were having disagreements with Aaliyah's label Blackground Records
at the time and were unavailable to work on the project. Blackground owner Barry Hankerson
, envisioned another label similar to Bad Boy
on the West Coast of the United States
, and consulted lesser known writers and producers signed to his publishing company. These artists included Bud'da
, Jeffrey "J-Dub" Walker, and Rapture
, and E. Seats of Keybeats. Stephen "Static Major" Garrett
of the R&B trio Playa
, who had penned the singer's previous hit singles "Are You That Somebody? and "Try Again
," became involved in the project.
Much of the album was completed in various studios throughout New York City
, prior to Aaliyah's trip to Australia
for the filming of Queen of the Damned
(2002). While recording sessions lasted more than a year, most of the tracks were complete by late 1999/early 2000, when the production team and songwriters had secured recording time at New York Sound King Studios to work on the album together. In September 2000, Virgin Records
flew the camp out to Australia, where it spent a month recording the majority of the album at the Sing Sing Studio in Melbourne
with Aaliyah. With three recording studios going simultaneously, producers J-Dub, Bud’da and Keybeats each worked in separate rooms. During the sessions, Garrett and co-writer Digital Black
would move from studio to studio to check each producers' progress. At peak periods, they would work on 10 songs at the same time. With filming ending in Australia in December 2000, production of the album went into full-force in America and Europe.
The sixth track titled, "I Care 4 U," was initially recorded in 1996 for the album One in a Million, but had not been completed in time for mastering. Aaliyah approached Trent Reznor
to produce a song for the album.
on July 17, 2001. Aaliyah co-hosted MTV
’s Total Request Live in July 2001 to promote the album. She performed the expected second single "More Than a Woman
" on Live with Regis & Kelly, The View and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in July 2001. Aaliyah also went to France
to promote the single More Than a Woman
on GermanTV. She had more concerts scheduled in different countries such as Canada
, United Kingdom
, Australia
, Russia
, China
and the Middle East
, but her death intervened.
Other charted songs
s. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalised
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 76 based on 14 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Rolling Stone
s Ernest Hardy described it as a "near-flawless declaration of strength and independence" and noted Janet Jackson
and Alanis Morissette
as musical influences on the album. Chicago Tribune
writer Brad Cawn called it "cool and glittery neo-soul
music, equal parts attitude and harmony, and all urban music perfection". Simon Price
of The Independent
complimented Timbaland's production and stated "In many ways, this album is the true successor to Destiny's Child's Writing on the Wall
(rather than their own Survivor); so much so, in fact, that you could choose to hear it as an 'answer record'. Further evidence that black pop is the avant garde". Jam!
writer Darryl Sterdan commended Timbaland's "kinetic, high-tech slap 'n' bump soul-hop grooves" and called the songs "immaculately produced". The A.V. Club
s Nathan Rabin noted that the album "feels surprisingly cohesive" and viewed that it establishes Aaliyah as "a major artist in her own right". Joshua Clover of Spin
stated "Deeper than anything she's delivered before, Aaliyahs a hard record; almost never does a song roll over and beg to be loved". Slant Magazine
's Sal Cinquemani wrote that it "provides a missing link between hip-hop and electronica" and found Aaliyah's metaphors "more fully-developed and far sexier".
Craig Seymour of Entertainment Weekly
gave Aaliyah a B+, saying it "creates a largely, up-tempo thrillingly melodramatic set" that "takes a melancholy—at times sinister—view of matters of the heart". However, Seymour also stated that Aaliyah "missteps when she tries to stretch outside of her musical comfort zones", specifically mentioning the Latin pop "Read Between the Lines" and the nu metal "What If". Similarly, some critics have dismissed "What If" as being too technical, calling it the R&B version of King Crimson
. Los Angeles Times
writer Connie Johnson perceived a lack of songwriting depth, stating "everything is light, pleasing and image-conscious, but lacking the personal revelation that gives music some immediacy". John Mulvey of NME
gave the album a 7/10 rating and called it a "tasteful album fails to transcend 'satisfying'". Yahoo! Music
's Dan Leroy noted that its "mature, midtempo funk can't quite keep down Aaliyah's still-kittenish vocals". In his consumer guide for The Village Voice
, critic Robert Christgau
gave Aaliyah a rating of honorable mention, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure". Time
magazine named Aaliyah one of the ten best albums of 2001. The magazine wrote of the album, "A siren of subtlety, never wailing when a whisper would do, Aaliyah blended genres with alluring ease. For her, hip-hop/soul and muted alternative rock came together as easily as lovers interlocking fingers. A plane crash claimed Aaliyah's life in August, but on her last CD her soul is forever in flight."
In a retrospective review, Allmusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine
called it one of the "strongest urban soul records of its time". Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone gave the album 4 out of 5 stars in its 2004 The Rolling Stone Album Guide publication and viewed it as significant to her legacy, stating "Aaliyah had grown from studio puppet to a powerful R&B archetype—a more self-aware Ronnie Spector
for a time that requires more self-awareness of its young adults. Sure, Timbaland sculpted her sound throughout, but Aaliyah imprinted herself upon those beats—as a catalyst, she's equaled only by Missy Elliot herself".
and the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums at number two, with 190,000 copies sold in the first week. Within 5 weeks of the album release it was certified Gold
for sales/shipments 500,000 copies in the United States. In the week of her death (seventh week) the album rose to number one on the Billboard 200 and two on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 337,073 copies sold and more than 1,000,000 shipments in the total. As a percentage of sales increased 800%, making the biggest increase in sales in history. The album was certified double platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
, for shipments of 2,000,000 copies in the US. It also became the third album from Aaliyah to receive the award of multi-platinum. The album has sold more 2.95 million copies in the US. The album spent 188 weeks on the Billboard 200, making it one of the longest stays in the Billboard 200 albums chart. The record has since been surpassed by Taylor Swift
, whose self-titled first album stayed for 189 weeks. Physical copies of the album are out of print in the United States, but there have been rumors that the album is scheduled for a special edition tenth anniversary re-release in 2011. It is available for download in iTunes
.
The album debuted at number two on the charts worldwide, with more than 330,000 copies sold. In the week of her death the album rose from number 25 to number 1, with more than 888,000 copies sold. Until the release of I Care 4 U
(December 2002), the album had sold in excess of 9 million copies worldwide. As of December 2008, the album sold more than 13 million copies worldwide (12 million physical copies and 1 million downloads via the Internet
). The album is Aaliyah's highest-selling in the world.
nominations, including Best R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Rock the Boat" and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "More Than a Woman".
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
, released by Blackground
Blackground Records
Blackground Records is an American record label owned by entertainment attorney and artist manager Barry Hankerson and his son Jomo Hankerson.-History:...
and Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
on July 17, 2001, in the United States. The album has sometimes been referred to as "The Red Album." It was primarily produced by Keybeats, with additional production by Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, Bud'da
Bud'da
Bud'da is an American West Coast hip hop producer for artists such as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Xzibit and Aaliyah...
, Jeffrey "J-Dub" Walker and Static Major, with lyrics by Static Major
Static Major
Stephen Ellis Garrett also known as Static Major, was a Grammy Award-Winning American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was a member of the R&B trio Playa. Static Major gained posthumous fame for appearing on Lil Wayne's 2008 album Tha Carter III on the...
and Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
. Aaliyah features soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
styles in its sound, as well as elements of funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
.
It was nominated for a 2002 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre...
, among other honors. In April 2001, Aaliyah spoke highly of the album saying, "It is my version of Control
Control (Janet Jackson album)
Control is the third studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released on February 6, 1986 by A&M Records. Her collaborations with songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis resulted in an unconventional sound: a fusion of rhythm and blues, funk, disco, rap vocals,...
." Recent reception has also been positive. The album was listed as one of the best releases of the 2000's by Slant Magazine.
Background and development
Preparation for the album started in 1998, but with the filming of martial arts film Romeo Must DieRomeo Must Die
Romeo Must Die is a 2000 martial arts film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak. Starring Jet Li, Aaliyah, Anthony Anderson, Delroy Lindo, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong, and features action and fight choreography by Corey Yuen...
(2000), Aaliyah postponed the recording of the album. Artists, Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
and Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, both of whom were major contributors on previous album One in a Million, were having disagreements with Aaliyah's label Blackground Records
Blackground Records
Blackground Records is an American record label owned by entertainment attorney and artist manager Barry Hankerson and his son Jomo Hankerson.-History:...
at the time and were unavailable to work on the project. Blackground owner Barry Hankerson
Barry Hankerson
Barry Hankerson is an American record producer and manager who founded and runs Blackground Records. He was once a television producer and a politician in Detroit, Michigan. He managed and produced The Winans and produced Ron Milner's play Don't Get God Started in 1988.At one time Hankerson was...
, envisioned another label similar to Bad Boy
Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records is a record label founded in 1993 by producer/rapper/entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records.-Beginnings:...
on the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, and consulted lesser known writers and producers signed to his publishing company. These artists included Bud'da
Bud'da
Bud'da is an American West Coast hip hop producer for artists such as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Xzibit and Aaliyah...
, Jeffrey "J-Dub" Walker, and Rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
, and E. Seats of Keybeats. Stephen "Static Major" Garrett
Static Major
Stephen Ellis Garrett also known as Static Major, was a Grammy Award-Winning American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was a member of the R&B trio Playa. Static Major gained posthumous fame for appearing on Lil Wayne's 2008 album Tha Carter III on the...
of the R&B trio Playa
Playa (band)
Playa was an American R&B/hip-hop group. Composed of Smoke E. Digglera , Digital Black , and the late Static Major , Playa is best known for their 1998 hit album, "Cheers 2 U", produced by longtime collaborator Timbaland...
, who had penned the singer's previous hit singles "Are You That Somebody? and "Try Again
Try Again
"Try Again" is a Grammy nominated single by American recording artist Aaliyah. The song was written by Static Major and Timothy Mosley, and produced by Timbaland, for the soundtrack of the film Romeo Must Die . It was released on May 22, 2000 as the lead single of the soundtrack. The dance-pop and...
," became involved in the project.
Much of the album was completed in various studios throughout New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, prior to Aaliyah's trip to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for the filming of Queen of the Damned
Queen of the Damned (film)
Queen of the Damned is a 2002 film adaptation of the third novel of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles series, The Queen of the Damned, although the film contains many plot elements from the latter novel's predecessor, The Vampire Lestat. It stars Aaliyah as the vampire queen Akasha, and Stuart...
(2002). While recording sessions lasted more than a year, most of the tracks were complete by late 1999/early 2000, when the production team and songwriters had secured recording time at New York Sound King Studios to work on the album together. In September 2000, Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
flew the camp out to Australia, where it spent a month recording the majority of the album at the Sing Sing Studio in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
with Aaliyah. With three recording studios going simultaneously, producers J-Dub, Bud’da and Keybeats each worked in separate rooms. During the sessions, Garrett and co-writer Digital Black
Playa (band)
Playa was an American R&B/hip-hop group. Composed of Smoke E. Digglera , Digital Black , and the late Static Major , Playa is best known for their 1998 hit album, "Cheers 2 U", produced by longtime collaborator Timbaland...
would move from studio to studio to check each producers' progress. At peak periods, they would work on 10 songs at the same time. With filming ending in Australia in December 2000, production of the album went into full-force in America and Europe.
Content
The first single from the album was intended to be "Loose Rap," with a dance-oriented video to accompany. However, in the last week before picking songs, Timbaland started to work on material for the project. With Timbaland involved, the team decided the first single had to be a 'Timbaland record' and "We Need a Resolution" was released as the lead single.The sixth track titled, "I Care 4 U," was initially recorded in 1996 for the album One in a Million, but had not been completed in time for mastering. Aaliyah approached Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
to produce a song for the album.
Releases and promotion
Aaliyah was released through BlackgroundBlackground Records
Blackground Records is an American record label owned by entertainment attorney and artist manager Barry Hankerson and his son Jomo Hankerson.-History:...
on July 17, 2001. Aaliyah co-hosted MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
’s Total Request Live in July 2001 to promote the album. She performed the expected second single "More Than a Woman
More than a Woman (Aaliyah song)
"More Than a Woman" is a contemporary R&B/dance-pop song, written by Static Major and Timbaland for Aaliyah's self-titled third studio album, Aaliyah...
" on Live with Regis & Kelly, The View and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in July 2001. Aaliyah also went to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to promote the single More Than a Woman
More than a Woman (Aaliyah song)
"More Than a Woman" is a contemporary R&B/dance-pop song, written by Static Major and Timbaland for Aaliyah's self-titled third studio album, Aaliyah...
on GermanTV. She had more concerts scheduled in different countries such as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, but her death intervened.
Singles
- The first single, "We Need a ResolutionWe Need a Resolution"We Need a Resolution" is an R&B/electro hop song written by Steve "Static" Garrett and Tim "Timbaland" Mosley for Aaliyah's self-titled third studio album, Aaliyah...
," (featuring TimbalandTimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
) was released in late April in the United States. "We Need a Resolution" reached number fifty nine on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in the issue dated June 9, 2001, and remained on the chart for sixteen weeks. The song received moderate success internationally. "We Need a Resolution" reached the top 20 of the UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and the top 30 in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The music video was premiered on Much More Music, BET'sBlack Entertainment TelevisionBlack Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
106 & Park106 & Park106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
and MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's TRLTotal Request LiveTotal Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
on April 26, 2001.
- "Rock the BoatRock the Boat (Aaliyah song)"Rock the Boat" is an R&B song written by Static Major, Eric Seats and Rapture Stewart for Aaliyah's third studio album, Aaliyah . It was produced by Keybeats and released as the album's second single in North America in August 2001 and as the 3rd international single during the first quarter of...
", the second single, was released in early August. Aaliyah started promotion for the expected second single "More Than a Woman", but the single was pushed back because her label felt "Rock the Boat" was a summer single that needed to be released. "Rock the Boat" was the second single in America while and the third single internationally. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song entered the chart September 8, 2001, at number fifty-seven and peaked at number 14 in its twelfth week. The song stayed on the chart for twenty-five weeks.
- The third single, "More Than a WomanMore than a Woman (Aaliyah song)"More Than a Woman" is a contemporary R&B/dance-pop song, written by Static Major and Timbaland for Aaliyah's self-titled third studio album, Aaliyah...
," was released in November 2001. Promotion for the single started in July 2001 but was pushed back. In the Billboard Hot 100, the song entered the chart dated issue February 2, 2002, at number seventy-one and peaked at number twenty-five in its ninth week. The song stayed in the chart for twenty-four weeks. The song ranked fifty-eighth on the 2002 year-end chart. On January 13, 2002, the song became Aaliyah's only number one hit in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, selling 32,081 copies for that week. It became the first time in UK chart history that a posthumous release had taken over from another posthumous release when the song was replaced by George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
's "My Sweet LordMy Sweet Lord"My Sweet Lord" is a song by former Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison from his UK number one hit triple album All Things Must Pass. The song was written in praise of the Hindu god Krishna...
", and the first time that a woman had a posthumous number one single. All together, the single has sold 347,563 copies in the United Kingdom. The song reached the top twenty in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
- "I RefuseI Refuse"I Refuse" is a song by Aaliyah, which was released as a double A-side single along with "More Than a Woman" in France only. France is the only country where this song was used for radio airplay. "I Refuse", along with "More Than a Woman", were moderate hits peaking in the top 30 in France at #25....
", the fourth single (France only), was released as a double A-side single along with "More Than a Woman". "I Refuse" was a moderate hit, peaking in at 12 it's first week in the top 30 in France.
- "I Care 4 U", the fifth single (US only), was released on Mother's DayMother's DayMother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
2002. It managed to reach number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number three on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. Although the single was only released in the U.S., the song achieved minor airplay on R&B stations in Europe.
Other charted songs
- "I Can Be" charted at #102 on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart without promotion alongside has reached over 2 million views on YouTube.
Critical response
The album received generally positive reviews from music criticMusic criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
s. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalised
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 76 based on 14 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s Ernest Hardy described it as a "near-flawless declaration of strength and independence" and noted Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
and Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
as musical influences on the album. Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
writer Brad Cawn called it "cool and glittery neo-soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
music, equal parts attitude and harmony, and all urban music perfection". Simon Price
Simon Price
Simon Price is a British music journalist and club promoter, born on 25 September 1967 in the Welsh town of Barry. He is now best known for his weekly review section in The Independent on Sunday and his book on Manic Street Preachers.-Career:...
of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
complimented Timbaland's production and stated "In many ways, this album is the true successor to Destiny's Child's Writing on the Wall
The Writing's on the Wall
-Credits and personnel:*Bill Ortiz – trumpet*Daryl Simmons – drum programming, keyboard programming*D'Wayne Wiggins – guitar, producer*Rodney Jerkins – producer*Claudine Pontier – assistant engineer*James Hoover – engineer...
(rather than their own Survivor); so much so, in fact, that you could choose to hear it as an 'answer record'. Further evidence that black pop is the avant garde". Jam!
Jam!
Jam! is a Canadian website, which covers entertainment news. It is part of the CANOE online portal, owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division....
writer Darryl Sterdan commended Timbaland's "kinetic, high-tech slap 'n' bump soul-hop grooves" and called the songs "immaculately produced". The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s Nathan Rabin noted that the album "feels surprisingly cohesive" and viewed that it establishes Aaliyah as "a major artist in her own right". Joshua Clover of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
stated "Deeper than anything she's delivered before, Aaliyahs a hard record; almost never does a song roll over and beg to be loved". Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's Sal Cinquemani wrote that it "provides a missing link between hip-hop and electronica" and found Aaliyah's metaphors "more fully-developed and far sexier".
Craig Seymour of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave Aaliyah a B+, saying it "creates a largely, up-tempo thrillingly melodramatic set" that "takes a melancholy—at times sinister—view of matters of the heart". However, Seymour also stated that Aaliyah "missteps when she tries to stretch outside of her musical comfort zones", specifically mentioning the Latin pop "Read Between the Lines" and the nu metal "What If". Similarly, some critics have dismissed "What If" as being too technical, calling it the R&B version of King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
. Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer Connie Johnson perceived a lack of songwriting depth, stating "everything is light, pleasing and image-conscious, but lacking the personal revelation that gives music some immediacy". John Mulvey of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
gave the album a 7/10 rating and called it a "tasteful album fails to transcend 'satisfying'". Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
's Dan Leroy noted that its "mature, midtempo funk can't quite keep down Aaliyah's still-kittenish vocals". In his consumer guide for The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave Aaliyah a rating of honorable mention, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure". Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine named Aaliyah one of the ten best albums of 2001. The magazine wrote of the album, "A siren of subtlety, never wailing when a whisper would do, Aaliyah blended genres with alluring ease. For her, hip-hop/soul and muted alternative rock came together as easily as lovers interlocking fingers. A plane crash claimed Aaliyah's life in August, but on her last CD her soul is forever in flight."
In a retrospective review, Allmusic writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
called it one of the "strongest urban soul records of its time". Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone gave the album 4 out of 5 stars in its 2004 The Rolling Stone Album Guide publication and viewed it as significant to her legacy, stating "Aaliyah had grown from studio puppet to a powerful R&B archetype—a more self-aware Ronnie Spector
Ronnie Spector
Veronica Yvette "Ronnie" Spector is an American rock and roll and popular music vocalist, and was the lead singer of the 1960s hit-making girl group, The Ronettes, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. She is known as the "original bad girl of rock and roll."-Personal...
for a time that requires more self-awareness of its young adults. Sure, Timbaland sculpted her sound throughout, but Aaliyah imprinted herself upon those beats—as a catalyst, she's equaled only by Missy Elliot herself".
Commercial performance
Aaliyah entered the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums at number two, with 190,000 copies sold in the first week. Within 5 weeks of the album release it was certified Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
for sales/shipments 500,000 copies in the United States. In the week of her death (seventh week) the album rose to number one on the Billboard 200 and two on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with 337,073 copies sold and more than 1,000,000 shipments in the total. As a percentage of sales increased 800%, making the biggest increase in sales in history. The album was certified double platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, for shipments of 2,000,000 copies in the US. It also became the third album from Aaliyah to receive the award of multi-platinum. The album has sold more 2.95 million copies in the US. The album spent 188 weeks on the Billboard 200, making it one of the longest stays in the Billboard 200 albums chart. The record has since been surpassed by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
, whose self-titled first album stayed for 189 weeks. Physical copies of the album are out of print in the United States, but there have been rumors that the album is scheduled for a special edition tenth anniversary re-release in 2011. It is available for download in iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
The album debuted at number two on the charts worldwide, with more than 330,000 copies sold. In the week of her death the album rose from number 25 to number 1, with more than 888,000 copies sold. Until the release of I Care 4 U
I Care 4 U
I Care 4 U is the fourth album and first compilation album by the American singer Aaliyah, released posthumously by Blackground Records on December 10, 2002, in the United States. Along with her hit singles, a number of shelved tracks were included on the album, including the singles "Miss You",...
(December 2002), the album had sold in excess of 9 million copies worldwide. As of December 2008, the album sold more than 13 million copies worldwide (12 million physical copies and 1 million downloads via the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
). The album is Aaliyah's highest-selling in the world.
Track listing
U.S. Special Edition bonus DVD
- AaliyahAaliyahAaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
introduction - "One in a MillionOne in a Million (Aaliyah song)"One in a Million" is an R&B song by American recording artist Aaliyah from her second studio album, One in a Million . The song was the third main single from One in a Million following "Got to Give It Up", but in North America the song was the second single, because "Got to Give It Up" was not...
" (video) - "Are You That Somebody?" (video)
- "Try AgainTry Again"Try Again" is a Grammy nominated single by American recording artist Aaliyah. The song was written by Static Major and Timothy Mosley, and produced by Timbaland, for the soundtrack of the film Romeo Must Die . It was released on May 22, 2000 as the lead single of the soundtrack. The dance-pop and...
" (video) - "We Need a ResolutionWe Need a Resolution"We Need a Resolution" is an R&B/electro hop song written by Steve "Static" Garrett and Tim "Timbaland" Mosley for Aaliyah's self-titled third studio album, Aaliyah...
" (video) - Behind the Scenes
Re-release
In 2004, a special edition called "Aaliyah: Edition 2004" was released in Germany. It featured a slightly altered cover, replacing the red background with brown or gold, and the liner notes were in sepia rather than in color. Its track listing added "Try Again" and three bonus tracks. In 2005, the same version was released in Japan under the title "Aaliyah: Limited Edition" and kept the red cover. In 2007, it was released again in Germany with a white cover instead of red or gold, and it also dropped the "2004 Edition" subtitle. It will be released again in 2011 as new editions.- "Try AgainTry Again"Try Again" is a Grammy nominated single by American recording artist Aaliyah. The song was written by Static Major and Timothy Mosley, and produced by Timbaland, for the soundtrack of the film Romeo Must Die . It was released on May 22, 2000 as the lead single of the soundtrack. The dance-pop and...
" (Tim MosleyTimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, Steve "Static" Garrett) — 4:44 - "Miss YouMiss You (Aaliyah song)"Miss You" is an R&B ballad written by Teddy Bishop. It was a previously unreleased song on Aaliyah's first posthumously released compilation album, I Care 4 U and released as its lead single during the first quarter of 2003 . The song reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and entered...
" (Johnta Austin, Teddy Bishop, GinuwineGinuwineElgin Baylor Lumpkin , better known by his stage name Ginuwine is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Signed to Epic Records since the mid-1990s, Ginuwine had released a number of multi-platinum and platinum-selling albums and singles, becoming one of R&B's top artists during the late 1990's...
) — 4:05 - "Don't Know What to Tell YaDon't Know What to Tell Ya"Don't Know What to Tell Ya" is a contemporary R&B song with Egyptian influences recorded by Aaliyah, written by Timbaland and Static Major, and produced by Timbaland. Released in mid-2003 in European and Asian market, the song was the second and final single from Aaliyah's first posthumous...
" (Salah El Sharnobi, Omar Batiesha, Tim Mosley, Steve "Static" Garrett) — 5:02 - "Erica KaneErica KaneErica Kane is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children.The character has been portrayed by actress Susan Lucci since the show first aired in January 1970, until the last broadcast television episode aired in September 2011. Erica is considered to be the most popular...
" (Stephen Garrett, Eric L. Seats, Rapture D. Stewart) — 4:39
Leftover tracks
- "CEO" (Demo Sung by Static)2
- "Danc'n" (featuring Selfish and Digital Black)2
- "Don’t Know What to Tell Ya"3
- "Erica Kane"3
- "Girlfriends" (featuring Yaushameen Michael)1
- "Giving Up"6
- "Questions"2
- "Steady Ground"(featuring Static of PlayaStatic MajorStephen Ellis Garrett also known as Static Major, was a Grammy Award-Winning American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Louisville, Kentucky. He was a member of the R&B trio Playa. Static Major gained posthumous fame for appearing on Lil Wayne's 2008 album Tha Carter III on the...
)1 - "Time"5
- "True Entertainer"2
- "Where Could He BeWhere Could He Be"Where Could He Be?" is a song performed by late American R&B singer Aaliyah. The song also features Missy Elliott, who performs the spoken intro and Tweet who sings the background as well as the outro. Both Elliott and Tweet provide background vocals throughout the song...
?" (featuring Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
and TweetTweet (singer)Tweet is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter.-Early years:The youngest child of Tom and Shirley Keys, Tweet was born in Rochester, New York on January 21, 1972, and grew up singing in the church along with her parents and her four older siblings...
)4
Credits and personnel
- Stevie Blacke – stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
- Ron Blake – hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- Sean Cruse – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Paulinho da CostaPaulinho Da CostaPaulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times. Playing over two hundred percussion instruments, he has participated in thousands of recording sessions, Grammy Award-winning albums, hit songs, soundtracks, radio...
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Production
- Executive producers: Aaliyah, Barry HankersonBarry HankersonBarry Hankerson is an American record producer and manager who founded and runs Blackground Records. He was once a television producer and a politician in Detroit, Michigan. He managed and produced The Winans and produced Ron Milner's play Don't Get God Started in 1988.At one time Hankerson was...
- Engineers: Michael Conrader, Jimmy Douglass, Rockstar, Scott Wolfe
- Assistant engineers: Chandler Bridges, Tim Olmstead, Steve Penny
- Mixing: Bud'da, Jimmy Douglass, Ben Garrison, TimbalandTimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, Scott Wolfe - Mastering: Bernie Grundman
- A&R: Gemma Corfield
- Photography: Jonathan Mannion, Albert Watson
- Labels: Blackground RecordsBlackground RecordsBlackground Records is an American record label owned by entertainment attorney and artist manager Barry Hankerson and his son Jomo Hankerson.-History:...
and Virgin RecordsVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny... - Aaliyah's manager: Barry HankersonBarry HankersonBarry Hankerson is an American record producer and manager who founded and runs Blackground Records. He was once a television producer and a politician in Detroit, Michigan. He managed and produced The Winans and produced Ron Milner's play Don't Get God Started in 1988.At one time Hankerson was...
for Aaliyah Entertainment (AE)
Chart positions
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
Year-end 2001 |
Year-end 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 2 | 10 | |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 21 | ||
| Belgium Albums Chart | 11 | ||
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
6 | ||
| Danish Albums Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
34 | ||
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
1 | ||
| Finnish Albums Chart | 33 | ||
| French Albums Chart | 9 | ||
| German Albums Chart | 9 | ||
| Italy Albums Chart | 14 | ||
| Netherlands Albums Chart | 9 | ||
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 25 | ||
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
30 | ||
| Swedish Albums Chart | 23 | ||
| Swiss Albums Chart | 6 | 10 | 6 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
5 | ||
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 | 4 | 57 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
2 | 2 | 15 |
| US Top Internet Albums | 2 | ||
End of decade charts
| End of decade chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | 181 |
| Swiss 100 | 6 |
| Belgium 100 | 100 |
| French 150 | 76 |
| UK 200 | 98 |
Certifications
| Territory | Certifier | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
3x Platinum |
| Belgium | Ultratop Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
2xPlatinum |
| Brazil | ABPD | Gold |
| Canada | CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
Platinum |
| Denmark | IFPI | 2xPlatinum |
| Europe | IFPI | 2x Platinum |
| Finland | CAPIF Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a nonprofit organization integrated by multinational and independent record labels.... |
Platinum |
| France | SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
3x Platinum |
| Germany | IFPI | Gold |
| Japan | RIAJ Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
2x Platinum |
| New Zealand | RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
Gold |
| Switzerland | IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
9xPlatinum |
| United States | RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Platinum |
| Pakistan | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Gold |
Sales
| Country | Sales |
|---|---|
| USA (Nielsen SoundScan Nielsen SoundScan Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada... ) |
2,600,000 |
| USA (BMG BMG Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann... Music Music Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture... Clubs [2001-2003]) |
350,000 |
| USA (Total Sales) | 2,950,000 |
| UK | 516,180 |
| Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
2,000,000 |
| Latin America Latin America Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area... |
1,610,000 |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... (BMG BMG Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann... Music Music Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture... Clubs [2001-2003]) |
162,000 |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
100,000 |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... (Total Sales) |
262,000 |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
150,000 |
| World World World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth.... |
13,000,000 |
Awards
The album received numerous nominations and awards, mostly contributing to the single "More Than a Woman". The album also received three Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations, including Best R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Rock the Boat" and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "More Than a Woman".
- Grammy Awards
- 2002, Best R&B Album: Aaliyah; Nominated
- 2002, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Rock The Boat"; Nominated
- 2003, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "More Than A Woman"; Nominated
- MTV Video Music AwardsMTV Video Music AwardsAn MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
- 2002, Best R&B Video: "Rock The Boat"; Nominated
- MOBO AwardsMOBO AwardsThe Music of Black Origin Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music....
- 2002, Best Video: "More Than a Woman"; Winner
- 2002, Best Dance Video: "More Than a Woman"; Winner
- BET AwardsBET AwardsThe BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
- 2002, Video of The Year: "Rock The Boat"; Nominated
- Soul Train Awards
- 2002, Female R&B/Soul Single: "Rock The Boat"; Winner
- 2002, Best R&B/Soul Solo Single: "Rock the Boat"; Winner
- 2002, Best R&B/Soul or Rap Song of the Year: "Rock the Boat"; Winner
- American Music AwardsAmerican Music Awards-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
- 2002, Favorite R&B/Soul Album: Aaliyah; Winner
- New Musical Express, UK (NME)
- 2002, Record of The Year: "More Than a Woman"; Winner
- International Dance Music Awards, World
- 2002, Record Of The Year "More Than a Woman"; Winner
- Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
(Title)- 2001, Best R&B Album, Aaliyah for "Aaliyah"
2001
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
June 15, 2001 | Standard edition |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
June 18, 2001 | Standard edition |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
June 19, 2001 | Standard edition |
| South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
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| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
July 7, 2001 | Standard edition |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
July 16, 2001 | Standard edition, Bonus track edition |
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
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| Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
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| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
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| Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
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| India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... |
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| Indonesia Indonesia Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an... |
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| Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
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| Maylasia | ||
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
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| Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
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| Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... |
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| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
July 17, 2001 | Standard edition |
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
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| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
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| South Korea South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south... |
July 19, 2001 | Standard edition, Bonus track edition |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
July 21, 2001 | Standard edition, Bonus track edition |
| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
July 23, 2001 | Standard edition, Bonus track edition |
| Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
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| Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
July 27, 2001 | Standard edition, Bonus track edition, DVD edition |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
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| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
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| Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
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| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
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| Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe... |
August 6, 2001 | Standard edition, Bonus track edition, DVD edition |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
August 21, 2001 | Standard edition, Bonus track edition, DVD edition |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
August 25, 2001 | Standard edition, Bonus track edition, DVD edition |
| South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
2002–2009
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | August 25, 2002 | Standard edition, Bonus track edition, DVD edition, CD-ROM |
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
March 16, 2004 | Aaliyah 2004: Standard edition, Bonus track edition, DVD edition, CD-ROM |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
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| United Kingdom | ||
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
January 16, 2005 | Aaliyah: Platinum edition: Standard edition, Bonus track edition, DVD edition, CD-ROM |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
July 17, 2006 | Aaliyah: 5 years: Standard edition, Bonus track edition, DVD edition, CD-ROM |
| Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
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| Latin America | ||
| Oceania Oceania Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago... |
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| USA | April 26, 2009 | iTunes ITunes iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.... : Standard edition (download) |
| USA | June 23, 2009 | Amazon Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and... :Standard edition (download) |