The friendship involving Timbaland, Aaliyah, and Missy Elliott was tried and true, but many fans are more familiar with their collaborations than their personal relationship. The trio was of a select group of Hip Hop and R&B artists that dominated the 1990s music scene, but before Aaliyah was able to continue her goals into the 2000s, the 22-year-old songbird tragically died in a plane crash back in 2001.
Since her untimely passing, both Missy and Timbaland have not only honored her legacy, but they often pop up with memories unknown to the public. On Friday (May 14), Missy gave a “fun fact” about Aaliyah’s 1996 single “One in a Million,” a track that was written by both Tim and Missy.
“Funfact because I didn’t think I was a singer singer I would rap sing all the songs I did. If you listen to Aaliyah ‘One in A Million’ it was rap singing a bounce to the melody because that’s the only way I thought I sounded decent in the demos [shrrug emoji].” In today’s music scene, “rap-singing” is a norm and often, it’s difficult to determine if an artist that many consider a rapper should truly be classified as a singer.
Missy has been one of the leading innovators in the music industry, and whether one categorizes her as a singer or rapper, or overall entertainer, fans can’t get enough. Check out Missy’s tweets and take a trip down memory lane with Aaliyah’s “One in a Million” below and let us know if you can hear the “rap-singing” element of its production.