Word: aaliyah
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...ultimate offense to the memories of the recently deceased is the complementary video. Director Dave Meyers opens the clip with a grainy black-and-white intro that has Missy yet again mourning the loss of Aaliyah, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez and the other usual suspects. “Aaliyah, baby girl, I’ve learned to love those while they still awake,” she raps as the ghostly image of her close friend floats in a nearby picture frame. Elliott then asserts, “I know Lisa...
...sight of Elliott decked out in Aaliyah-imprinted clothing of late is not in and of itself unusual, but its continued presence two years after the singer’s untimely demise demands justification. The initial deluge of mourning should surely have passed by now, no matter how close a bond the two shared. The unflattering context of the recognition is also fairly confused; the image is used in a video whose chorus includes the lines “Pop that, pop that, jiggle that fat / Don’t stop, get it till ya clothes...
Another, more logical explanation is a wish to commemorate the late R&B singer’s body of work. Aaliyah had a beautiful voice, as any sane person, or ex-husband R. Kelly, could tell you. But no one would argue that she was a particularly significant or innovative artist of her time. Her songs were no more extraordinary than those of any number of inspirational, vocally gifted artists working in the genre at the time. Though Elliott likely realizes this on some level, she may have a stronger impression of Aaliyah’s potential than the average...
...final rationalization to be offered for Elliott’s constant barrage of Aaliyah imagery and shout-outs is to recognize any social injustice that may have led to the loss. But the circumstances of Aaliyah’s death, unlike those of Biggie or Kurt Cobain, can hardly be regarded as a teachable moment. The singer was aboard a Cessna passenger plane in the course of a Bahamas music video shoot, when the plane crashed into the ocean, killing all of its passengers. No grand social force appears to have contributed to the death of Aaliyah, and the only...
Meanwhile, at the Kong’s upper levels, clusters of grad students and Cambridge locals share Scorpion Bowls and draft beer. A few grind to the rhythms of Ashanti and Aaliyah on the small square parquet dance floor, while others take aim at the dart boards hung beside a framed Playboy cover from 1982 announcing steamy images from “The Harvard Scene...