Compared to most artists, Aaliyah’s catalog has remained scarce on streaming platforms. But things will change this fall when Spotify officially adds several of her albums. Reportedly, the singer’s uncle and former manager/label head Barry Hankerson inked a deal with Empire to finally release her work across the board.
Videos by American Songwriter
Spotify revealed on Thursday afternoon (August 5) the first of several releases will begin August 20 with the One In A Million, a double-platinum record initially released in 1996. The Romeo Must Die soundtrack (2000) will follow on September 3, and her 2001 self-titled arrives a week later, on September 10. The I Care 4 U compilation album and an Ultimate Aaliyah drops on October 8.
Up until now, with the 20th anniversary of her tragic death looming, pressure was certainly rising to get the late singer/songwriter’s work to major streaming platforms. Currently, Aaliyah’s 1994 debut, Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number, is the only full-length record on Spotify, alongside such EP collections as Back & Forth, The Thing I Like, and Down with the Clique.
This news comes on the heels of the Aaliyah Estate issuing a statement, seemingly lobbied against former record label Blackground Records, regarding the release of any of Aaliyah’s music, much less anything “new.” “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 statement read, in part. “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.”
Aaliyah died in a plane crash on August 25, 2001. Blackground Records, which had signed her as their first artist, shuttered soon after. However, Hankerson had maintained ownership over her masters.
