aaliyah

Aaliyah’s Record Label Drops Merch To Commemorate ‘One In A Million’ Streaming

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Blackground 2.0, the record label responsible for bringing Aaliyah‘s classic 1996 album One In A Million to streaming, has now commemorated the release with new merch. The collection includes a baseball jersey, sweatpants, and even a sports bra, evoking Aaliyah’s iconic uniform. You can check out the items on the Blackground Records website.

Aaliyah’s uncle Barry Hankerson is the Blackground co-founder and has stated his plans to release the rest of the late singer’s catalog to streaming in the near future. While he said he wanted “to keep her legacy alive,” Aaliyah’s mother and brother, who operate Aaliyah’s estate, have criticized his moves, writing in a statement:

“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. 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.”

That hasn’t stopped fans from enjoying One In A Million on services like Apple Music and Spotify. Meanwhile, the estate has claimed control of Aaliyah’s YouTube channel.

Aalyah’s Uncle And Founder Of Blackground Records Thanks Fans For Supporting ‘One In A Million’

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Nearly 25 years after its release, fans of Aaliyah are finally able to listen to her 1996 sophomore album One In A Million on digital platforms. The move came after years filled with her biggest supporters begging for her music to be made available on streaming services, as only her debut Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number could be heard.

One In A Million was re-uploaded following a deal between Blackground Records and EMPIRE Records, with the former being the label the project was released on. After the early success of One In A Million on streaming charts, Blackground’s founder Barry Hankerson released a statement that thanked fans for their support.

“As the owner of Aaliyah’s catalog and label Blackground Records, I want to thank you all for allowing One In A Million, to chart #3 in the world,” he wrote in the caption of an Instagram post. “I cannot take the credit for managing Aaliyah as that was never a title I held. That title belonged to Diane Haughton and her husband who managed Aaliyah from the start of her career until her passing. I want to thank Diane, Aaliyah’s manager, for allowing and choosing Blackground Records to become her label.”

Hankerson went on to thanks Jomo Hankerson for their contributions to the Blackground company during its music industry heights before he shifted his attention to the fans.

“Thank you to all of her many fans for keeping her music alive,” he added. “I’m sorry it took so long, but when you lose a family member so unexpectedly, it takes time to deal with that type of grief. I decided to release Aaliyah’s music in order to keep her legacy alive.”

You can view his message in the post above. Get it here.

One In A Million is out now via Blackground 2.0/EMPIRE. Get it here.

Aaliyah’s ‘One In A Million’ Album Hits Streaming Services + Fans Are Overjoyed

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Aaliyah's Estate Gets Rights To Official YouTube Channel

Earlier this month it was reported that legendary R&B singer #Aaliyah’s music would be coming to streaming services. Now that promise is finally coming to fruition. On the morning of August 5th, Blackground Records announced that Aaliyah’s entire discography, alongside albums from #ToniBraxton, Jojo, and Tank, will finally be available on streaming services. While fans […]

R. Kelly Allegedly Married An Underage Aaliyah So She Couldn’t Testify About Her Pregnancy

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During R. Kelly’s racketeering and sex trafficking trial in Brooklyn, his former tour manager dropped a bombshell regarding Aaliyah. Billboard reports that Demetrius Smith, who served as Kelly’s tour manager for twelve years, from 1984 until 1996, testified Friday that Kelly married Aaliyah while she was underage because she was pregnant. Smith reportedly testified that Kelly “told me that Aaliyah was ‘in trouble,” and added “‘Don’t call Barry [Kelly’s manager and Aaliyah’s uncle, Barry Hankerson], it’s deeper than you think.’”

Smith’s testimony further incriminates Kelly and his business manager and accountant Daryl McDavid, who allegedly helped make plans for Kelly and Aaliyah to be married, so she couldn’t testify about the pregnancy if it came to that. “R. Kelly said, ‘Aaliyah, man. She thinks she’s pregnant,’” Smith stated in his testimony “It was a shock.” The pair were married in Cook County, Illinois in 1996 — Aaliyah had turned 15 six days before, though the marriage certificate was falsified to state she was 18 at the time. Their marriage was later annulled.

Kelly is charged with racketeering and 14 other underlying acts, which includes kidnapping, sex trafficking and forced labor, as well as eight counts of violating the federal Mann Act, an act that outlaws sex trafficking across state lines. He will face ten years to life in prison if convicted on all counts. After her tragic death, fans have been disappointed that her iconic album One In A Million wasn’t on streaming services, but it officially hit streaming today.

Aaliyah’s ‘One In A Million’ Is Finally Streaming And Fans Are Expressing Their Relief And Gratitude

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For nearly the entire decade or so that music streaming platforms have been a thing, there’s been one artist’s catalog more elusive than any other — that of late R&B singer Aaliyah Houghton, known mononymously as Aaliyah. Known for breaking boundaries and elevating the style in the late ’90s and early-2000s, as well as pioneering the first big breakthrough to Hollywood for hip-hop-generation R&B singers with hit films like Romeo Must Die and Queen Of The Damned, Aaliyah’s catalog has been subject to a legal dispute sparked by her death in 2001 that prevented her music from ever being provided to streamers.

That is, until recently. Today, for the first time, Aaliyah’s music became available on streaming via a partnership between her original label Blackground and Empire, the independent distributor, as One In A Million, her second album and first produced by Timbaland, hit streaming services. Technically, the label is now called Blackground Records 2.0 but it’s still under the ownership of Aaliyah’s uncle and former manager Barry Hankerson. Within hours, it had reached the top spots on nearly every service, to the joy of fans. Meanwhile, Aaliyah’s estate recently released a statement condemning the release, calling it an “unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah’s music without any transparency or full accounting to the estate.”

That hasn’t stopped fans from rejoicing in the music’s availability, as multiple generations informed and influenced by such hits as “One In A Million,” “Try Again,” “Are You That Somebody?” and “Rock The Boat” re-discover her groundbreaking oeuvre. Blackground 2.0 intends to continue rolling out the remainder of Aaliyah’s catalog in the comings weeks, so don’t be surprised to see more of the same for a while. Check out the responses below.

Aaliyah’s Music Is Hitting Streaming Services..Despite Her Family’s Wishes

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Legendary R&B singer Aaliyah‘s music has been withheld from streaming services for decades and now that’s all about to change. Blackground Records has announced a plan for a rollout of the late singer’s, along with several other musicians’ albums in the coming months. Aaliyah Is Coming To Streaming Services Against Her Estate’s Wishes In the […]

Blackground Records Make Aaliyah And JoJo’s Music Available To Stream — But The Artists Won’t See Profits

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For years, fans have been begging for Aaliyah’s music to be released on streaming services. The late singer’s label, Blackground Records, finally announced that many of their artists’ music, including Aaliyah’s, will be made available to stream. While fans may be rejoicing about their ability to rock out to their favorite Aaliyah classics, not everyone can share the same excitement as several of the artists won’t see the profits.

Blackground Records announced on Thursday that they have officially inked a new deal with Empire, per a report from Billboard. The deal allows their artists’ music to hit streaming services for the first time ever. Aaliyah’s Estate, however, wasn’t happy with the decision. Hours before the news was announced, Aaliyah’s Estate issued a lengthy statement criticizing unnamed executives for coming forward to “leech off” the singer’s career. They called the deal an “unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah’s music” without transparency or their approval.

R&B singer JoJo now finds herself in a similar position. The singer signed to Blackground Records when she was still a preteen. As explained in a recent Honda Backstage interview, JoJo says the label refused to release her music for years. Because of that, JoJo’s career fell off and she ended up taking matters into her own hands by suing Blackground Records and eventually re-recording her early albums.

JoJo reacted to the Blackground Records news shortly after it was announced. The singer took to social media to express her surprise about new deal. “Who would’ve thought…,” she tweeted.

Replying to a fans’ tweet, JoJo claimed she will not be awarded any profits from the streaming sales of her early albums. “never telling you what to do, but just so you know – a stream of the re-recorded 2018 version supports me and helps me continue to do what I love,” she wrote. “streaming the original unfortunately does not.”

JoJo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Aaliyah’s Estate Says Executives Are ‘Leeching Off’ Her Music As Her Former Label Teases A Release

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Aaliyah’s music influenced an entire generation of R&B music lovers before her tragic death nearly two decades ago. Despite her popularity, much of her music isn’t available on streaming services, a fact her estate has been working hard to change. But shortly after her former record label teased an announcement, the singer’s estate accused executives of “leeching off” her life’s work.

Late last year, Aaliyah’s Estate won control of her YouTube channel and shortly thereafter promised fans they were making headway on an agreement to get her music on widely available streaming services. Things were looking up when a social media account for her former record label, Blackground Records 2.0, popped up with an exciting teaser in the form of a website promising #AaliyahIsComing. Many assumed this to mean word of her music on streaming services, but apparently it was a move made without the authorization of her estate.

Aaliyah’s Estate issued a statement Wednesday making it clear they did not authorize her former label’s announcement. “For 20 years we have battled behind the scenes, enduring shadowy tactics of deception with unauthorized projects targeted to tarnish,” they wrote. The estate continued to say it is an “unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah’s music” without transparency or their approval:

“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. 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’s Estate goes on to say they are continuing to manage her memorial fund and “other creative projects that embody Aaliyah’s true essence.”

See the full announcement made by Aaliyah’s Estate above.