It’s no secret that Drake has a thing for Aaliyah. His shameless adoration and tattoo of her on his back speak to that fact.
But when word got back that the “Started From The Bottom” rapper had a collaborative album with the late songstress in the works with little to no participation from her core group of collaborators including Timbaland and Missy, Aaliyah’s fans and peers alike cried foul.
Well fear no more, Aaliyah fans. The album has been been scrapped.
Recently, frequent Drake producer, Noah “40” Shebib sat down and explained to Vibe Magazine that although given the green light by Barry & Jomo Hankerson (head of Aaliyah’s label, Blackground Records), the fan backlash and Aaliyah’s mom’s disapproval pretty much sealed the deal on the ill-fated album:
“The world reacting to Drake’s involvement so negatively, I just wanted nothing to do with it. That was a very sad experience for me. I was naïve 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. We released [‘Enough Said’], but I was seven songs deep. [Aaliyah’s] mother saying, ‘I don’t want this out’ was enough for me. I walked away very quickly.”
