The late beloved Aaliyah left an undeniable stamp on R&B music. So much that some have been trying to recreate, or shall we say, continue her legacy. In 2012, hit-making producer Noah “40” Shebib and platinum-selling artist Drake released an ill-received Aaliyah record featuring the singer’s timeless vocals. It has been confirmed that the project has come to a foreseeable ending.
According to the new VIBE interview with Shebib, the producer calls it quits on the posthumous Aaliyah album. With pure good intentions, neither Shebib nor Drake knew the negative stigma that this posthumous album would create. The project originally began with Shebib’s obsession with the charismatic singer.
“I’ve been obsessed with Aaliyah forever and I know that Drake has his relationship with her,” says Shebib. “That opportunity was mine. Drake said, ‘Can I do it with you?’ and I was like, ‘Of course, we’ll do it together.’”
As soon as the first sounds of the project were released, rave criticism came from fans, family and those close to the late singer. Many fans did not see it fit for the project not to include Aaliyah’s long-time collaborators Timbaland and Missy Elliott.
Shebib laments over the negative reaction from the public:
That was a very sad experience for me. I was naive to the politics surrounding Aaliyah’s legacy and a bit ignorant to Timbaland’s relationship and everybody else involved and how they’d feel. Tim said to me, ‘Don’t stop, make the album.’ I think that was Tim taking the position of, ‘I’m not going to stop you. If you’re not going to do it, that’s your decision.’ But ultimately, I wasn’t comfortable and didn’t like the stigma.
The project was well underway, seven tracks to be exact, before the decision was made to bring the album to a halt. Shebib’s decision was made easy, when he got confirmed word that Aaliyah’s mother was opposed to the project.
Ironically, the cancellation news comes just after a recent post on Instagram from Drake previewing one of the tracks.
(Source: Billboard)