BABY GIRL

A posthumous biography of a young musical powerhouse.

Aaliyah’s rapid ascension in the contemporary R&B ranks ended tragically at age 22 when an overloaded Cessna crash-landed in the Bahamas in 2001. Music journalist Iandoli, a professor-in-residence of music business at NYU, culls together archival material and interviews with music industry insiders to re-create her dramatic life story. Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in Brooklyn in 1979; after her family relocated to Detroit, she began dominating talent shows and musical productions by the age of 10. A few years later, her uncle and producer, Barry Hankerson, introduced her to R. Kelly, and together they produced Aaliyah’s first album, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number, which has sold more than 3 million copies. Her agile sound was considered a fusion of hip-hop and “R&B without being too niche.” She recorded two more studio albums and received acting roles and awards alongside Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Lil’ Kim, and others. Just like God Save the Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop (2019), this book amply displays the author’s impressive knowledge of her subject and ability to capture telling details. This unauthorized chronicle is richly detailed and thoroughly researched but also carefully edited to avoid tarnishing her subject’s reputation and enduring legacy, particularly concerning the “shockingly palpable” romantic chemistry between Aaliyah and R. Kelly, who is currently on trial for sex trafficking. Iandoli writes about why she chose to chronicle Kelly’s abusive role in Aaliyah’s life: not to give him any credit but to show Aaliyah as a “survivor.” Readers unfamiliar with the R&B industry—or Aaliyah’s impact on it—are in for an immersive read as the author covers all the insider particulars of her red-hot career. Iandoli dutifully honors the life and the indelible imprint and influence Aaliyah left on the music industry.

A fond tribute to the enduring legacy of R&B’s greatly missed “Queen of Urban Pop.”