Lifetime’s poorly-received Aaliyah biopic “The Princess of R&B,” has been the subject of controversy even before it aired. With Wendy Williams overseeing the TV movie, there were casting changes, problems with the family and the film’s inability to secure the rights to the late singer’s songs. It all set the stage for a disastrous final product — which aired this past weekend on Lifetime. In an interview with Ebro of Hot 97, former Aaliyah collaborator Timbaland expressed his frustration with the entire project — but stopped short of totally blasting Williams, who executive produced it.
“Everybody keeps telling me stop blaming Lifetime but blame Wendy and I’m like well…” Timbaland says. “I didn’t follow the story, so I have to believe the fans. It’s just hard for me to believe.”
“I don’t want to diss this lady like that,” Timbaland says. “I want to know the full details before going in. I always thought it was a rumor … I thought it was a joke. Evidently it wasn’t.”
“I’m very upset about it,” Timbaland says. “Fans kept sending me great pictures and posts. I got like 100 every hour. My Instagram turned into all Baby Girl, but I said that she is all worth what it is. It brought me tears … how they supported her after her death.”
“Out of all the people, Aaliyah had a special anointing in the air,” Timbaland says. “When you talk about Aaliyah, everybody wakes up.”
