As fans of R&B chanteuse Aaliyah celebrate her life and mourn the 10-year anniversary of her death (Aug. 25, 2001), several of the singer’s peers and admirers, including DMX, Monica and Keyshia Cole, recently spoke with Billboard’s The Juice to share their memories and thoughts on the R&B princess and her impact on music.
For R&B singer Keyshia Cole, the news of Aaliyah’s passing served as devastating blow. And although she never met the singer, she explains that her “soul” and presence made her connection to fans as well as her death that much more impactful.
“When I found out that she [had] passed that night, I just cried [while] on the tour bus. That’s amazing for someone to have that affect on other people’s lives,” said Cole. “I think why it affected me so much without me knowing her is because she seemed to have a beautiful soul. [There was] something about her spirit. She connected before reality TV, before any of that happened in our era. It was something about her that made you connect to her. She seemed like she had a beautiful soul.”
Monica, who ascended the R&B ranks alongside Aaliyah back in the ’90s, recalls, “The first time I met her, she was extremely quiet. You [weren’t] going to get a lot of words out of Aaliyah in a first meeting. It takes a lot of time for her to warm up to people overall because she had this shyness. I remember her being shocked at things I would say out loud, whether it was in interviews or when we were hanging out. She would always be gasping for air at some of the things that I would say out loud. Whenever I was around, if I saw something, whatever it was, she would just be in shock like, ‘I can’t believe you just said that out loud.’ ”
For DMX, who who strengthened his friendship with Aaliyah while working on the film Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah was more than a music and film companion, but a friend whose presence left an indelible mark on the performer.
“She was easy to talk to and down to earth. Aaliyah made you feel comfortable, with her and with yourself. That’s one hell of a combination,” said DMX, who believes that if Aaliyah were still around today, she’d still be at the top of music’s hierarchy. “Half these chicks that are doing it right now wouldn’t be doing it. Aaliyah would be on top. As far as I’m concerned she’s still on top.”
DMX notably recited a heartfelt goodbye poem for Aaliyah at the beginning of her posthumous “I Miss You” video and if he could say one last goodbye to the singer, he says that he would simply tell her thanks.
“Thank you,” DMX said. “Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for memories. They’re all priceless.”
Read more artist’s stories and thoughts on Aaliyah here. –nicholas robinson
