Earlier this week, a posthumous Aaliyah track called "Enough Said" surfaced. The song featured a verse from Drake and production from Noah "40" Shebib, and was rumoured to be the first leak from an upcoming new album of unreleased tracks from the late R&B star who passed away in 2001 at the age of 22.
Speaking with Billboard, Aaliyah's cousin and Blackground Records owner Barry Hankerson confirmed that the album is indeed a go, issuing the following statement:
We really felt like it was time. There's a real new generation that doesn't know her necessarily, and we wanted to continue her musical legacy with this new generation. That's one of the reasons why we wanted to do very contemporary music. We didn't want to make it a nostalgic project; we already did that with the I Care 4 U album. The idea was to release new music for her diehard fans, and also reintroduce her music to a new generation that doesn't really understand how much influence she has in the music that they're listening to today.
In addition to Drake and Shebib's appearance on "Enough Said," Hankerson confirmed that the Canadian duo will surface on more of the project's records. In addition, Missy Elliott and Timbaland will also be getting involved.
For now, that's as much as we can report from the upcoming Aaliyah album, though it is expected to surface before the end of 2012.
UPDATE: Contrary to reports, Missy Elliott and Timbaland are not involved in the upcoming Aaliyah album. Missy's team issued a statement Monday (August 13) via Billboard, stating, "Although Missy and Timbaland always strive to keep the memory of their close friend alive, we have not been contacted about the project nor are there any plans at this time to participate."
Speaking with Billboard, Aaliyah's cousin and Blackground Records owner Barry Hankerson confirmed that the album is indeed a go, issuing the following statement:
We really felt like it was time. There's a real new generation that doesn't know her necessarily, and we wanted to continue her musical legacy with this new generation. That's one of the reasons why we wanted to do very contemporary music. We didn't want to make it a nostalgic project; we already did that with the I Care 4 U album. The idea was to release new music for her diehard fans, and also reintroduce her music to a new generation that doesn't really understand how much influence she has in the music that they're listening to today.
In addition to Drake and Shebib's appearance on "Enough Said," Hankerson confirmed that the Canadian duo will surface on more of the project's records. In addition, Missy Elliott and Timbaland will also be getting involved.
For now, that's as much as we can report from the upcoming Aaliyah album, though it is expected to surface before the end of 2012.
UPDATE: Contrary to reports, Missy Elliott and Timbaland are not involved in the upcoming Aaliyah album. Missy's team issued a statement Monday (August 13) via Billboard, stating, "Although Missy and Timbaland always strive to keep the memory of their close friend alive, we have not been contacted about the project nor are there any plans at this time to participate."
