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00:00The plane crash that stunned the world.
00:04The 22-year-old singer Aaliyah died last night.
00:07It happened so quick.
00:10Aaliyah, tragically killed in her prime.
00:13I'm just very happy, very blessed.
00:16I was in my hotel room, and I was completely in disbelief.
00:20I was hoping it wasn't true.
00:22I just looked up to her so much.
00:24She was such a positive person, and she was so young.
00:30Could her death have been prevented?
00:32There was all this talk about whether or not they fought with the pilot.
00:35Who was to blame?
00:36It was not hard to picture that scene.
00:38An entourage around a star on the tarmac of the end of the day.
00:43Did the pilot, due to poor judgment, allow that much weight to be on the plane?
00:46Were drugs involved?
00:48Just 12 days before the accident, he was convicted of possessing cocaine.
00:54Her final days revealed.
00:56Almost everybody I captured on camera perished with her.
00:59A love scandal that almost ended her career.
01:02Hearing about R. Kelly and her relationship with Aaliyah,
01:05I just said, well, I hope that's not true.
01:08Was there a marriage?
01:09They published what they said was a marriage certificate,
01:13and it was a big scandal.
01:15My line was, according to her father, they weren't married.
01:19Never was she mad at anybody for judging her.
01:21Never did she hang her head.
01:23With never-before-seen footage of Aaliyah and the last man she loved.
01:27It's almost as if Dame Dash and Aaliyah were in their own little worlds.
01:31And they became a kind of hip-hop royalty.
01:34His girlfriend ripped away.
01:36When you're enjoying your career, and then all of a sudden love finds you,
01:40there's no feeling that compares.
01:42A star gone too soon.
01:44But why?
01:45That's always going to be a part of the mystery.
01:48Tonight, an exclusive look at the life and death of Aaliyah.
01:52And the inside story from friends and colleagues who knew her.
01:57♪♪♪
02:04Beyond the Headlines, Aaliyah.
02:08Aaliyah Dana Houghton, a multi-platinum recording artist and movie star.
02:15I feel so blessed because everything that I've always wanted is happening to me.
02:19And I feel it's happening right on schedule.
02:21But her life would end in tragedy.
02:25On August 25th, 2001, disaster strikes.
02:30After shooting a music video, a plane carrying Aaliyah and her crew home
02:35crashes just after takeoff and explodes into a blazing inferno.
02:41All nine on board perish.
02:44The 22-year-old singer Aaliyah died last night.
02:48The twin-engine Cessna crashed shortly after takeoff.
02:51The music world has lost one of its brightest young stars.
02:55They just cannot come to terms with what has happened so suddenly.
03:01Her death at the age of 22 is overwhelming.
03:05It was shocking, confusing, devastating.
03:11After the crash, an outpouring of grief.
03:15First it was disbelief. I was hoping it wasn't true.
03:18And when I was watching the news, it just crushed me, man.
03:22Obviously the loss of a life is terrible, whoever it is.
03:25But there was also a loss here, and it was the loss of talent.
03:31I just feel like I have so many places to go and so many things to enjoy.
03:34I'm just very happy.
03:38Chris Connolly, a former MTV News reporter, recalls first hearing of the tragedy.
03:44A colleague of mine from New York called me and said that Aaliyah's plane had gone down and she was dead.
03:49And I went back to the office as soon as I heard that.
03:53We found somebody in New York to go on air and announce to the MTV audience that was a huge story.
03:58It was desperately sad. It was such a huge loss.
04:03The music industry is stunned by the death of one of the world's most talented stars.
04:08It's devastating. It is devastating.
04:12She was one of the people, I think, that did it right, you know, in the generation now.
04:16She really had it together because she had principles, and she had morality, and she had a grace.
04:23She had a lot of grace for her age, which always touched me.
04:26The singer Monica, known for 90s hits like For You I Will and The Boy Is Mine, is shocked by news of her friend's death.
04:35Yeah, I was in my hotel room, and I was completely in disbelief.
04:41I was hoping that at some point they were going to find out that that was not who was actually on the plane.
04:48I was hoping that there was something lost in translation that would still allow her to be here.
04:54The truth was too much to bear.
04:58But after a few hours, the more that you receive calls and the more you watch the news, I just finally shut it off.
05:06I just remember just saying, cut it all off. Too much.
05:11The search for answers begins with a look at the days before Aaliyah's death.
05:17Before the crash, Aaliyah flew to the beautiful Abaco Islands in the Bahamas to shoot what would be her last music video.
05:25The R&B star traveled with her tight-knit crew, who'd worked together for months.
05:30Aaliyah was close with her crew. She was someone who wasn't standoffish.
05:33She was someone people got to know and got to respect and had a lot of affection for.
05:38The people around her really formed a tight circle.
05:41Her last days were documented by Kevin E. Taylor, a former BET producer,
05:46who traveled with Aaliyah to film a behind-the-scenes documentary on the shooting of the video.
05:51I think we were on the beach at about 5.30 to catch these gorgeous shots of her coming out of the water
05:57in this very tropical, alluring attire, just crawling on the sands of the beach towards the camera just as the sun rose.
06:07You could just see it. Again, there was this Dorothy Dandridge, Marilyn Monroe, gorgeous grown woman allured to her.
06:16A makeup artist on the shoot, Stacey Mossop, recalls working with Aaliyah.
06:21She came into the dressing room and she'd hang out with the dancers.
06:24Just really fun and really easygoing, a real girly girl.
06:30No diva-isms, did not have a chip on her shoulder at all.
06:34Despite long hours of production, the Rock the Boat music video immersed Aaliyah and her crew in beautiful surroundings.
06:42They stayed in luxurious villas at the Treasure Cay Resort and spent a few carefree hours in the Caribbean sun.
06:49I remember laughing the whole time because, you know, she was acting crazy.
06:54I remember laughing the whole time because, you know, she was acting crazy.
06:58It was just fun, crazy, like, look at my yellow bikini, it matches my scooter.
07:14You got this really sweet, warm kind of side of these people, so you got to know them as a real family.
07:20Almost everybody I captured on camera perished with them.
07:23This footage ended up being the last recording of Aaliyah.
07:27When the shoot wrapped ahead of schedule, she wanted to head home.
07:31Aaliyah had an incredibly packed schedule, so any downtime that she had, she wanted to take advantage of that.
07:38A call is placed to charter company Black Hawk Airways.
07:42A flight is booked on a small twin-engine Cessna.
07:46Many have theorized that Aaliyah was in a hurry to get home to be with her love.
07:51What everyone knows about the Dash Aaliyah story, it was said after the fact that she was trying to rendezvous or meet up with him back in Miami.
08:03Aaliyah and her crew head straight to the airport from the catamaran where the video was shot.
08:09I remember hearing the 2nd AD call out, okay, the boat's here to pick everybody up to take you to the airport.
08:16Everybody started loading the little boat that had pulled up alongside the catamaran.
08:21People started going in, and I remember being there, saying goodbye to Aaliyah, and she got in the boat, waved goodbye, and that was it.
08:34It was the last I saw her.
08:37Witnesses report overhearing an argument between Aaliyah's entourage and the pilot moments before they boarded the plane.
08:45It was not hard to picture that scene, an entourage around a star at the end of the day, and the kind of get-there-itis that can take over a situation like that.
08:58On August 25th, 2001, Aaliyah and members of her crew board a twin-engine Cessna at the Marsh Harbor Airport in the Bahamas.
09:08Weather conditions are perfect. The plane taxis down the runway on a clear and beautiful afternoon.
09:15Aaliyah's life was about to take a tragic turn.
09:20Coming up, new details about an argument on the runway lead to shocking revelations about the pilot.
09:27He should have never been in a cockpit.
09:29And later, never-before-seen footage of Aaliyah in the months before she died.
09:38After wrapping production ahead of schedule on a music video for Rock the Boat, Aaliyah and her crew charter a plane to take them from the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas back to the U.S.
09:53Her days were tightly scheduled, shooting videos, making appearances, doing interviews, flying here and there.
09:59That's exactly the kind of track that Aaliyah was on.
10:02Many have speculated that because of Aaliyah's busy schedule, she jumped at the chance to get home early and spend some time with those she loved.
10:12On August 25th, 2001, the plane carrying Aaliyah and her crew climbs into the air.
10:20Less than a minute later, the plane banks left and then plummets towards the Earth, crashing into a nearby marsh with horrifying force.
10:32An explosion rockets through the aircraft.
10:35Aaliyah and five passengers are killed instantly.
10:39Eyewitnesses say that they saw the plane take off and immediately crash. It happened so quick.
10:46Aaliyah's bodyguard, Scott Gallen, along with two others, survived the crash, only to die hours later.
10:55Gallen reportedly spends his final moments worrying about Aaliyah and asking rescuers if she's safe.
11:03One of the most touching things in the aftermath of the crash is that her bodyguard, dying, was apparently asking for Aaliyah, asking if she was okay.
11:13And that although he was about to draw his last breath, even though he had been through this terrible crash himself, his primary concern was to find out, was Aaliyah okay?
11:25Days later, Aaliyah's friends, family, and colleagues mourn the passing of the Princess of R&B at a funeral fit for music royalty.
11:36She had the funeral mass at St. Ignatius Loyola. That's where Jacqueline Onassis had her funeral mass.
11:43Diddy was there, Jay-Z was there, Timbaland, Ginuwine, Maya, Monica, you know, Angie Stone was there.
11:51Beyonce reportedly takes Aaliyah's death as a real blow. Still singing with Destiny's Child at the time, the future superstar looked up to Aaliyah as a role model.
12:03After Aaliyah's passing, I talked to Beyonce. She was someone that Beyonce looked up to, and she considered her a pioneer.
12:10She's thought she was one of the first people around her generation who succeeded in that particular kind of way, and she saw her as someone she wanted to emulate.
12:20Fans lined the streets, lamenting the loss and celebrating the life of Aaliyah.
12:27The fans loved her. I mean, and it was evident in the processional going down, the people that lined the streets, so you knew that she was loved.
12:43I just looked up to her so much, and she was such a positive person, and she was so young.
12:51Even today, even years after it happening, this wound is still fresh for a lot of those fans, because it's like losing their first love, their first pop music love, and so you never forget that.
13:03And at the time that she came out, I was going through a lot of self-esteem issues, and I kind of looked up to her. You know, she was definitely an inspiration.
13:10I do recall lots of people being on the street. I remember lots of people crying.
13:15There were so many beautiful commemorative moments that were meaningful, that stood out to me, and I remember Casket was beautiful, but I remember the releasing of the Doves, too.
13:28That was just something that never left me.
13:32Aaliyah's mother, Diane Houghton, releases 22 Doves, one for each year of her daughter's life.
13:45During this time of grief, a whirlwind of conjecture.
13:50The National Transportation Safety Board will be in the Bahamas today.
13:54There are some new developments surrounding that tragic plane crash.
13:58Disturbing revelations about the pilot flying singer Aaliyah's plane.
14:02There's so much speculation as to what caused the crash.
14:06Initially, the speculation of why this plane went down was definitely confusion. No one really knew, to be honest with you.
14:18Eyewitnesses report seeing an engine falling off the plane after takeoff.
14:23Details emerge of the alleged altercation between the pilot and Aaliyah's crew.
14:28There was a report that a fellow pilot allegedly overheard an argument about how much they were supposed to bring at one time.
14:35It was said that not all these people were supposed to come, that the pilot, Luis Morales, thought it was going to be something like six people. Instead, it ended up being eight.
14:44That leads to the question, did the pilot, due to poor judgment, allow that much weight to be on the plane? Was there an argument about it?
14:50That's always going to be a part of the mystery, what was said on the ground.
14:54Many start asking the question, was Aaliyah's crew at fault for the crash?
15:00There was all this talk about whether or not they fought with the pilot, but if the pilot had said, you know, this is absolutely too heavy to fly, I can't see anybody saying, oh, I just want to get back to my life and I don't care what you say.
15:13Was there an argument on the ground? None of that matters. All that matters is the man flying that plane is the man who controls who is on that plane.
15:20It was his responsibility to make sure that plane wasn't too heavy.
15:24A responsibility that pilot Luis Morales failed to meet.
15:29In the aftermath, details about his dark and troubled past begin to emerge.
15:36This pilot, Luis Morales, he should have never been in a cockpit. Just 12 days before the accident, he was convicted of possessing cocaine.
15:45How did a convicted drug offender end up piloting a plane that carried one of the nation's biggest stars? He made a plea bargain.
15:54Then he got three years probation and he made a deal with the courts.
15:58Morales died instantly in the crash. His autopsy later revealed traces of both alcohol and cocaine.
16:07Adding to the mystery is the fate of the FAA inspector who okayed Morales to fly.
16:12There was an FAA inspector who was in charge of inspecting pilots like Luis Morales. Not long after the crash, that FAA inspector committed suicide.
16:21Upon investigation, the account of an engine falling off the plane turns out to be false.
16:27The NTSB report concludes the crash was caused by the plane's weight limit being substantially exceeded.
16:35In retrospect, there would be a lot of focus on the condition of the pilot.
16:38His lack of experience, his arrest for cocaine possession.
16:42But when the National Transportation Safety Board reviewed the crash, they would say that the reason for the crash was that the plane was over 700 pounds too heavy.
16:53Coming up, a look back at Aaliyah's path to stardom.
16:58It wasn't enough for her to win and afterwards she cried.
17:02She knew at 10 years old exactly what she wanted to do.
17:05And later...
17:07Was Aaliyah and R. Kelly's relationship purely professional or was there a little bit more going on?
17:18On January 16th, 1979, the Houghton family welcomed Aaliyah into the world.
17:25Her name would prove to be prophetic.
17:28Aaliyah, Aaliyah, it's not Aaliyah, it's not Aaliyah, it's Aaliyah.
17:31And she was always very strong about that because Aaliyah is the feminine derivative of Ali, which is the exalted one.
17:39Though she was born in Brooklyn, her parents put down roots in Detroit, a place where many legends got their start when Aaliyah was four years old.
17:48Imagine her mama saying to her every day before she took this, Aaliyah, you're special, Aaliyah, you're here for a purpose.
17:56If you know Miss Diane and you know her personality, everything is about love and support and sticking together and being there for one another.
18:03Aaliyah has an extremely close bond with her older brother, Rashad.
18:08Aaliyah's relationship with Rashad was so loving, so admiring of each other.
18:17Anybody that knows her knows that she adores her brother.
18:20Aaliyah even takes Rashad as her date to the 2000 Video Music Awards.
18:25My brother Rashad, I love you, you're my everything.
18:29She was so sweet and so funny and just the most wonderful little girl you could imagine.
18:36Motown is the perfect environment for Aaliyah to flourish.
18:40Just five blocks down the street lives Gladys Knight.
18:43Aaliyah came from a musical family.
18:45Gladys Knight was someone who actually gave some inspiration and advice.
18:49It really helped inspire Aaliyah to get more involved in music, to see that superstardom is something that could be attained.
18:56Growing up for me, everything was based on entertainment.
18:59I come from a family that's always been involved in this business.
19:03She could see firsthand, this is something that's related to me.
19:06Somebody's getting it done.
19:08Like her aunt, Aaliyah shows she has stage presence.
19:11She did stage shows back in school.
19:13My first school play, I did Annie, and that was in first grade.
19:16I was six years old.
19:18And that's really when I realized this was something I wanted to do.
19:20I wanted to entertain people.
19:22I had one mind, it was one goal.
19:24I was an orphan.
19:26But that's when I really realized that this was something I wanted to make a career.
19:28And I know this sounds young, but I got into it professionally at nine.
19:30So it's something I've been doing for a long time.
19:32At 10 years old, Aaliyah wins a spot on the TV talent show Star Search.
19:37She sang the song My Funny Valentine.
19:40Again, a jazzy kind of subtle number.
19:43And even though it was a terrific performance,
19:46she didn't feel like she was a kid who couldn't handle it.
19:50She made the song come to her voice.
20:05There were so many stars on Star Search, like Christina Aguilera,
20:09Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, but they actually lost.
20:11And so does Aaliyah.
20:14Losing Star Search only amplifies her ambition.
20:17Her parents are determined to make sure Aaliyah reaches her goals
20:21and hire a vocal coach, Wendelin Petty, who becomes a lifelong mentor.
20:26I kind of think the disappointment of Star Search
20:29made them want to make sure that anything she did going forward,
20:34she would be ready for.
20:36And Aaliyah makes her goals crystal clear during their first meeting.
20:39The first thing she said is, I want to be a performer.
20:43And I want to be a singer, an actor and a dancer.
20:48And so she knew at 10 years old exactly what she wanted to do
20:53and what she wanted to be.
20:55When her first big break comes, Aaliyah is ready.
20:59Gladys Knight invites the 11-year-old to join her on stage
21:03at Bally's Casino in Las Vegas.
21:06Getting to be on stage with Gladys Knight
21:09really gave Aaliyah a taste of what her future could be.
21:12And Gladys Knight, she thought she saw star quality in her.
21:15She thought she saw a bright future in this young star she's performing with.
21:19And of course, it all turned out to be true.
21:21In addition to private training,
21:23Aaliyah's parents continue to nurture her creativity
21:26by enrolling her in the Detroit School for the Arts.
21:29I went to Catholic school, went to Performing Arts High School
21:32where I majored in dance, but took drama and music.
21:37But I was always grounded.
21:40My parents made sure I had everything that a child has.
21:42To her uncle, Barry Hankerson, and so many who encountered her,
21:46Aaliyah had it all.
21:48And so when she was just 12 years old,
21:50he signed her to his label, Black Ground Records.
21:53Her uncle Barry Hankerson, somebody that we all love and respect,
21:56had been respected in the music industry for many years.
21:59Bill Carpenter comes on board as her publicist.
22:02She had an incredible dedication to work.
22:06She was a workaholic.
22:08Here's somebody who was going to school full time.
22:11I used to set up interviews for her during school.
22:15I had to deal with the principal's office.
22:18Certain days of the week,
22:20they would set aside for her to leave a class,
22:23go to the principal's office, and do interviews.
22:26She had a 4.0 in school and was super disciplined at such a young age.
22:30I feel like all the hard work paid off.
22:33Coming up, an alleged underage romance
22:36turns Aaliyah's record debut into a tabloid tailspin.
22:41R. Kelly was a guy known for doing very raunchy, sexually-fueled music.
22:46And later, Aaliyah takes a career risk.
22:49The movie opens up the door
22:52to solidify this young artist's transition from star to superstar.
23:01GLADYS
23:08While Aaliyah's aunt, Gladys Knight,
23:11gave the young singer her first taste of fame,
23:14it was her uncle, record producer Barry Hankerson,
23:17who knew Aaliyah had the potential for superstardom.
23:21Her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was her mother's brother.
23:24And he took an interest in her.
23:28Barry Hankerson had a long history
23:30in the music business.
23:32Very reputable.
23:34He really saw something in her for him to invest in her.
23:38It was Hankerson who introduced Aaliyah to an R&B superstar
23:42sometimes referred to as the Prince of Pillow Talk, R. Kelly.
23:46Hankerson hoped collaboration with Kelly
23:48would get his young artist some attention.
23:51The way that Aaliyah and R. Kelly met
23:53was through Barry Hankerson, her uncle.
23:55He was managing R. Kelly.
23:57So it was his idea for R. Kelly to produce Aaliyah's debut album.
24:02At that time, R. Kelly was a successful, established artist.
24:06He was recording his own music and writing for others.
24:08So when he started working with Aaliyah,
24:10it was more of a push for her towards success.
24:13R. Kelly was already a brand name.
24:15He was already someone that people who followed R&B knew and loved.
24:20And so that marked Aaliyah from stardom right out of the gate.
24:23In 1994, Kelly introduces Aaliyah to the public.
24:28R. Kelly comes onto Video Soul,
24:30comes before BET's 40 million households
24:33to present the world to Aaliyah.
24:35On BET's Video Soul,
24:37Aaliyah describes working with the king of R&B.
24:40It's great to work with,
24:42because really it's not like we work
24:44because we're like really close,
24:46so it's like just fun really.
24:48We just hang out, sing.
24:50I will never remember working.
24:52R. Kelly was a lead producer on Aaliyah's first album,
24:55Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number.
24:57The pair recorded the album at the Chicago Recording Company
25:00in Kelly's hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
25:03I don't think people even realize that
25:05Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number
25:07generally goes in the reverse direction.
25:09That's generally like a 50, 60 year old person
25:11who's still got spry
25:13and can still get down on the dance floor.
25:15So to be able to give that to a young person
25:17and work it in the reverse direction
25:18was really a brilliant kind of soul music moment
25:21to give her that kind of a, again, stamp of approval,
25:24but stamp of maturity.
25:26But some saw another, more provocative meaning
25:29in the album's title.
25:31You started to hear speculation
25:33that something wasn't quite right
25:35between the two of them.
25:37I mean, they were seen out in public
25:39wearing the same outfits.
25:41That's weird.
25:43First of all, he's a grown man, she's a child.
25:45And then they're spending a lot of time together.
25:46Was Aaliyah and R. Kelly's relationship
25:48clearly professional,
25:50or was there a little bit more going on?
25:52Almost immediately after the album's release,
25:55there were rumors of a relationship
25:57between the 27-year-old Kelly
25:59and 15-year-old Aaliyah.
26:02Hearing about R. Kelly
26:04and a relationship with Aaliyah,
26:06I just said, well, I hope that's not true.
26:08And, you know, I know the media
26:10can blow things out of proportion at times
26:12and concentrate on things sometimes
26:14that should not be concentrated on
26:16so I took it with a grain of salt
26:18and moved on.
26:20In 1995, Vibe magazine
26:22publishes an article claiming
26:24that R. Kelly has married
26:26the underage Aaliyah.
26:28Media scrutiny of their relationship
26:30skyrockets.
26:32They published what they said
26:34was the marriage certificate
26:36and it was a big scandal.
26:38The alleged marriage certificate
26:40dated August 31, 1994
26:42lists Aaliyah's age as 18,
26:44though at the time,
26:46she was only 15.
26:48This is pre-internet.
26:50In some ways,
26:52scandals were bigger then.
26:54You only had a few news sources.
26:56Later interviews,
26:58both of them have denied
27:00that they got married.
27:02Sometimes in cagey ways,
27:04R. Kelly is denied it in the present tense
27:06saying I'm not married to Aaliyah
27:08so it leaves open whether he was married
27:10to her in the past.
27:12Aaliyah's publicist recalls
27:14that he wanted to keep it
27:16from growing any hotter
27:18so my line was
27:21according to her father,
27:23they weren't married.
27:25The idea was to ignore
27:27this elephant in the room
27:29and just move on.
27:31But after a while,
27:33it just became too overwhelming
27:35and people wouldn't move on.
27:37Interviewing Aaliyah
27:39on Video Music Box,
27:41Ralph McDaniels asks Aaliyah
27:42a question that was on everyone's mind.
27:44Was she or wasn't she
27:46married to R. Kelly?
27:48I want to let everybody know
27:50that it's not true.
27:52I'm Aaliyah, not Aaliyah Kelly
27:54and it's just, you know,
27:56it's not true.
27:58Following the rumors,
28:00it appeared Aaliyah and R. Kelly
28:02broke ties.
28:04We don't know if there was
28:06a marriage or even a relationship
28:08between R. Kelly and Aaliyah
28:10or if there was,
28:12or if Aaliyah Fury
28:14took a toll on Aaliyah.
28:16I remember us being
28:18at the Soul Train Awards
28:20and, you know,
28:22she was really in a place
28:24where she was trying to figure out
28:26why she was being judged.
28:28She was a true person
28:30that thought and moved with her heart.
28:32Never was she mad at anybody
28:34for judging her.
28:36Never did she hang her head
28:38and she was able to come back
28:40from all of it.
28:42She acquitted of all charges.
28:44He addresses these allegations
28:46in a 2004 primetime live interview
28:48with ABC's Jay Shadler.
28:51I'm a good person, man.
28:53I love people.
28:55People need to understand
28:57that R. Kelly
28:59is not who they think,
29:01but it's who I know.
29:03You know, I'm not perfect.
29:05I'm not some Jesus
29:07that people should worship,
29:09but I am not no demon.
29:10I'm no devil.
29:12I'm no criminal.
29:14Coming up,
29:16Aaliyah goes public
29:18with a new romantic interest.
29:20Aaliyah finding love,
29:22I would like to look at it
29:24like love found her.
29:29R. Kelly helped launch
29:31Aaliyah's career,
29:33but it's hip-hop power duo
29:35Timbaland and Missy Elliott
29:37who helped transform her
29:38into an industry game changer.
29:40Aaliyah was someone
29:42who was always looking
29:44for something new,
29:46something fresh,
29:48a sound that nobody else had.
29:50That's one reason why
29:52she's attracted to Timbaland,
29:54Missy Elliott.
29:56Though Timbaland would come
29:58to dominate the hip-hop scene
30:00of the late 90s and early 2000s,
30:02and Missy misdemeanor Elliott
30:04would eventually amass
30:06five platinum hits in a row,
30:08they were the cutting edge,
30:10and that's where she wanted to be.
30:12Started a career off
30:14working with R. Kelly,
30:16someone who's already a superstar.
30:18The chemistry between the three
30:20is undeniable.
30:22You recognize that this business
30:24that you love so much
30:26can be so cold,
30:28and then you start to create
30:30allies and relationships
30:32that are more meaningful.
30:34Timbaland and Aaliyah
30:36were a match made in musical heaven.
30:38In the music video,
30:40Aaliyah emerges
30:42with a breakthrough hit.
30:44You can see the maturity
30:46from A.J. Nothing but a Number
30:48where she's a 14-year-old
30:50to a young woman
30:52who's got her own sound
30:54and her own sense of herself.
30:56Aaliyah discovered
30:58something new in hip-hop.
31:00Hip-hop was seen
31:02as a very masculine,
31:04she saw a place
31:06that women could prosper.
31:08Hip-hop in a brand new context.
31:10One in a million
31:12goes double platinum.
31:14It's 1996,
31:16only a year after
31:18her first album debuted.
31:20Aaliyah is just 17 years old.
31:22It skyrocketed up the charts.
31:24Everybody bought it,
31:26everybody owned it,
31:28and everybody knew her name.
31:30Aaliyah had arrived.
31:32Your love is one in a million.
31:34It goes on and on and on.
31:38Her newfound sense of self
31:40is also reflected
31:42in her unique trendsetting style.
31:44She was wearing glasses,
31:46headband, you know,
31:48sometimes the hair was always
31:50over one eye,
31:52she could have on a little bra
31:54but she'd have on an XL jacket
31:56over it and baggy pants.
31:58Having established herself
32:00as a celebrity,
32:02Aaliyah's style shifts
32:04from girl next door
32:06to sexy tomboy
32:08where there was no shades.
32:10And that was the real Aaliyah
32:12because she was very much
32:14a warm spirit.
32:16You know,
32:18she wasn't the person
32:20hiding behind shades.
32:22She kind of became more
32:24comfortable in her own skin
32:26and you never forgot
32:28that she had the best abs
32:30around in the 90s.
32:32She always had on a midriff.
32:34In 2000,
32:36Aaliyah makes her childhood
32:38alongside Jet Li.
32:40It's a box office success.
32:42She wanted to be on screen.
32:44Her videos were always
32:46big productions,
32:48they were always sort of cinematic.
32:50When I went to shoot the film,
32:52I was very nervous.
32:54I kept telling myself,
32:56this is it, this is what you've wanted,
32:58this is the real deal now,
33:00you've got to do your thing,
33:02you've got to put all of you in this.
33:04This was her ultimate
33:06crossover moment.
33:08Wow, she's got more edge
33:10than I thought.
33:12I don't know how it is in China,
33:14but in America,
33:16for girls kicking your ass,
33:18you do not have to be a gentleman.
33:20The single for it,
33:22with Try Again,
33:24at first you don't succeed,
33:26Dust Yourself Off and Try Again,
33:28with Jet Li carrying her around
33:30as you're walking up these walls,
33:32that's who you saw her becoming.
33:34For people to say
33:36it's impressive
33:38and you're so natural,
33:40it's the best feeling in the world.
33:42Her performance grabs the attention
33:44of Michael Reimer,
33:46who quickly casts her
33:48in the vampire thriller
33:50Queen of the Damned.
33:52Michael Reimer,
33:54the director of Queen of the Damned,
33:56explained to me that he had
33:58this terrifically gifted musical star
34:00who had done one film,
34:02Romeo Must Die,
34:04and that she was going to have
34:06an extremely challenging role
34:08and it's the side of yourself
34:10that you keep hidden
34:12in your everyday life,
34:14because you know you're not
34:16supposed to go there
34:18unless it's absolutely necessary.
34:20And yeah, it's fun to just be
34:22that mean, evil person.
34:24See how far you can really go.
34:26I like it.
34:28She stood solid as an actress.
34:30You could just see her acting
34:32and not think, you know,
34:34oh, you know,
34:36this is the singer
34:38or this is the singer.
34:40There's some similarities,
34:42but yet there are a lot of differences as well
34:44and I like doing both.
34:46And the fact that I get to explore
34:48a different side of myself
34:50can be very cathartic in a lot of ways.
34:52Same with music,
34:54so I don't want to abandon one for the other.
34:56I want to try to do both as long as I can.
34:58Coming up,
35:00Aaliyah brings out the best
35:02in one of hip-hop's biggest moguls.
35:04And later,
35:06exclusive footage.
35:08There's no feeling that compares.
35:11♪♪♪♪
35:14♪♪♪♪
35:18After spending her teens
35:20keeping her romantic life in the shadows,
35:22Aaliyah finds love
35:24with hip-hop mogul Damon Dash.
35:26Aaliyah finding love,
35:28I would like to look at it
35:30like love found her.
35:32Damon Dash at the time
35:34was a record producer,
35:36hip-hop entrepreneur,
35:38So he was a very big name and hip-hop still is there's so many hip-hop entrepreneurs out there
35:44But Damon Dash was really there and the red-hot
35:47Center at the beginning of really the hip-hop explosion when these young
35:52urban
35:53entrepreneurs realized you know what we can make real money at this, but we can be the center of empires and
36:00Franchise ourselves and brand ourselves and make a lot of money
36:04From this music this never-before-seen footage captures the playful couple at a
36:102001 party together
36:12Aaliyah and Damon Dash met through
36:14Damon Dash's accountant and kind of sprung a friendship from that and it kind of escalated into something very
36:22Fun and passionate very quickly they were running around at movie premieres
36:28The Hampton and spending a whole lot of time together with a cascade of roles in films
36:33Honey, Whitney Houston Sparkle and the Matrix sequels on the horizon
36:38Aaliyah's career was blowing up when you're enjoying your career and you're in a good space and then all of a sudden love finds you
36:46There's nothing better than that. There's no feeling for a woman. I can tell you firsthand
36:52There's no feeling that compares because every facet of your life is coming together
36:57When you'd see Aaliyah and Damon Dash together, they looked so happy
37:01They would literally be smiling from ear to ear you could see that she was totally in love and it became a kind of hip-hop
37:07royalty
37:09Everyone knew who they were
37:10Who wanted to know them?
37:13It was very very
37:15Sincere as to how in love they were
37:17I remember him saying how they had obligations to go out and they still kind of wanted to stay in
37:24And kind of eat Chinese food and just watch movies
37:27It's almost as if Dame Dash and Aaliyah were in their own little world. Dash never forgot Aaliyah
37:33In a recent interview with Kenyatta Khari of hip-hop motivation
37:38Dash recalls how the relationship changed his life. Did you say that was one of the worst pains you ever felt?
37:43No, I would have to say was the worst pain I ever felt
37:46You never get over it, but you live with it and it defines you it makes you it makes you strong
37:51It's like it involves you on another level like to experience that kind of pain made me
37:57Very focused. Obviously, it's always tragic when someone with that much talent dies
38:03But it's always more tragic when that person is not recognized after death for the impact they had. With Aaliyah
38:10That that that celebration continues, that recognition continues through movies, through books
38:17It's beautiful to see. A lot of artists to date have
38:21Openly shown their praise and affection and love for Aaliyah
38:26I love it. In a recent Instagram post Beyonce wore a shirt emblazoned with Aaliyah's image
38:34Drake has an Aaliyah tattoo and Chris Brown sang a duet with previously recorded Aaliyah vocals in
38:422013's Don't Think They Know
38:44The music video features projections of a dancing Aaliyah
38:51While Aaliyah may be gone, her influence on music remains. Aaliyah in life really kind of helped make hip-hop culture
38:59Mainstream, and it's almost hard to think back on those days
39:03You know in the 90s when hip-hop was dangerous and threatening and not something that
39:09Respectable businesses had relationships with. And because she was such a friendly
39:14Face, because she was obviously so sophisticated and smart, the fact that she was associated with this kind of music gave people
39:22Mainstream folks an entree point to say you know what this place for me in this culture, too. Aaliyah's impact on the industry is
39:30Something that really isn't just about an industry. It's about a generation
39:34Google how many young girls have named their daughters Aaliyah. The nature of her loss
39:39Is just too hard to shake
39:41It's just too upsetting to contemplate. This young girl with everything to live for
39:46Should die in this manner
39:49You know, it's still upsetting all these years afterwards. It'll never stop being upsetting
39:55I rejoice in the idea that she was still shared with us for quite some time
39:59And she left behind things that we could never forget. I just feel like I have so many memories of her
40:05And she left behind things that we could never forget. I just feel like I have so many places to go and so many things to enjoy
40:11I'm just very happy
40:13Very blessed