Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
In a definitive and “excellent homage to a star who left this planet too soon” (Questlove), the life, career, tragic death, and evolution of Aaliyah into a music legend are explored—now updated with new material featuring in-depth research and exclusive interviews.
By twenty-two years old, Aaliyah had already accomplished a staggering amount: hit records, acclaimed acting roles, and fame that was just about to cross over into superstardom. Like her song, she was already “more than a woman” but her shocking death in a plane crash prevented her from fully growing into one.
Now, two decades later, the full story of Aaliyah’s life and cultural impact is finally and lovingly revealed. Baby Girl features never-before-told stories, including studio anecdotes, personal tales, and eyewitness accounts on the events leading up to her untimely passing. Her enduring influence on today’s artists—such as Rihanna, Drake, Normani, and many more—is also celebrated, providing Aaliyah’s discography a cultural critique that is long overdue.
“There’s no better way to pay your respect to R&B’s true angel than to lose yourself in the pages” (Kim Osorio, journalist and author of Straight from the Source) of this “dazzling biography” (Publishers Weekly) that is as unforgettable as its subject.
This book was written without the participation of Aaliyah’s family/estate.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The short yet remarkable life of "R&B princess" Aaliyah is paid a moving tribute in this dazzling biography from journalist Iandoli (God Save the Queens). "Unlike other tragic deaths of young stars," she writes, "we haven't been given a clear, linear story about who Aaliyah was... and why she was so special." Weaving together exclusive interviews and in-depth research, Iandoli succeeds in vividly capturing the artist whose work became a "fantastical silhouette that hangs over music." Raised in Detroit, Aaliyah performed in concerts with her "Auntie," singer Gladys Knight, before overcoming scandal and a sham marriage with musician R. Kelly, who produced her Double-Platinum album Age Ain't Nothing but a Number in 1994. Though she was reluctant to include Kelly, Iandoli explains that disregarding him would rob Aaliyah of "another title she so greatly deserved: ‘survivor.' " After "elevat the entire genre" with her "airy vocals" alongside Timbaland and Missy Elliott on her second album, One in a Million, Aaliyah continued to impact pop culture, serving as a muse to designer Tommy Hilfiger, costarring in the 2000 film Romeo Must Die, and releasing her critically acclaimed third album, Aaliyah, all before dying in a plane crash at 22. Still, a decade later, Iandoli writes how fans "new and old... are keeping her legacy alive." In highlighting her influential career, this promises to do the same.
