Aaliyah has been gone for nearly 12 years, but she left behind timeless music & a glimpse of her promising success in movies like; Romeo Must Die & Queen of The Damned. She not only had the title of being an accomplished Singer under her belt, but she also was cited for her original and effortless dance moves and being one of the first female R&B singers to land a modeling / endorsement deal with Tommy Hilfiger as a model. She was engaged to former Roc-A-Fella co-CEO Damon Dash, with plans to be married in the Spring of 2002. She had two of the most rightfully refreshing and eccentric producers behind her and in addition, a very strong bond with her family and close friends.
Aaliyah had rose to star status in 1994, at the young age of 15 and between the years of '98 & 2001 was THE "IT" girl. But in all of her praise, the beauty has been denied her rights to peace. Since her passing on August 25, 2001 there have not only been the continuous ( and freshly lit) rumors & discrediting of who she was as an artist and how good she genuinely was vocally, but the series of lawsuits; either already put to motion or currently pending over her music.
The first newly claimed lawsuit comes from Reservoir Media Management, who claims that another music company; Craze Productions have been illegally selling the singer's music from her double-platinum album 'One In A Million' and her self-titled 'Aaliyah' album. Reservoir obtained the music rights to the songs in question in 2012 and had never given Craze Productions the rights to reproduce and redistribute the music.
Reservoir Media wants a judge to block Craze Productions from peddling any more of Aaliyah's music and is requesting an undisclosed amount of money in the case.
Last month producer Jeffrey Walker II (who also goes by the pseudonym J-Dub) sued Blackground Records, Barry Hankerson and Jomo Hankerson and Black Fountain Music in Georgia, claiming that he is owned hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties for working on Aaliyah's music in 2000 and 2001. He claims to have never collected his royalties, because the Hankersons forged his signature and cashed the checks that were meant for him and deposited them in Blackground Records' account.
Barry Hankerson is Aaliyah's uncle and signed the singer to his label in 1993. She had been signed to the label for her entire career and it is the same label who releases posthumous (unreleased) music from her today. Jomo Hankerson is Barry's son and is not signed as an artist to Blackground but oversees certain aspects of the label with his father, Barry.
Both lawsuits are still pending...We just hope that the legal suits cease, out of respect for this woman. Rest peacefully, Aaliyah. God bless your beautiful soul.
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