It is a great day for Aaliyah’s loyal fans worldwide.

After twenty years of not listening to Aaliyah’s music the way we do everyone else’s now, finally, we can stream her self-titled album: Aaliyah.

I am thirty-five years old. Aaliyah’s music was out when I was coming of age, and today, I can finally listen to the songs that helped mould me as a young lady. Every song on the album meant something to me when it came out, and it is still the soundtrack for my teenage memories. I haven’t heard most of the album in a long time, but the records sound good as they did back then and stood the test of time.

It, and other albums from the time, can be counted as the genesis of when R&B/Soul started to shift into what it is today. At the time and now, my favourite songs are ‘We Need a Resolution’, ‘Loose Rap’ featuring Static Major, ‘Rock the Boat’, ‘More Than a Woman’, and ‘I Care 4 U’.

It is bittersweet, but I am happy to have seen the day it occurred. Aaliyah passed away in a plane crash on August 25, 2001. Soon after, the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened in New York City. My heart, mind, and soul are with fellow Aaliyah fans, her family, the 9/11 survivors and their families, as some people are still getting closure.