Aaliyah’s fans are flocking to social media to reflect on the 20-year-anniversary of the singer's self-titled album, also known as "The Red Album."
happy 20th anniversary to my favorite album of all time. words can't explain the genius that this project exudes with every listen. aaliyah, you changed the course of my life forever with this one. ???? #Aaliyah20
pic.twitter.com/m2nAtdvL3I— amorphous (@loneamorphous) July 17, 2021
The self-titled LP included hits such as "More Than a Woman," which is regarded by many fans as a song which defined the powerful spirit of women at the time.
More than a woman really showed the girls Aaliyah wasn’t playing during her red era pic.twitter.com/3cLAEqmhvy
— Malik ????™ (@Cashhleek) July 17, 2021
The album also featured "Rock the Boat," which was almost deleted by producer Eric Seats.
"I almost deleted ‘Rock The Boat’ because I'm the kind of guy that once I start producing a track and I don't feel it right away sometimes, I would delete it and just start something over fresh," Seats told Vibe in 2016.
Another of the hits, "I care 4 U", was written by Missy Elliott. But the song was initially intended to be included in 1996's One in a Million album, iHeart reported.
Seats said Aaliyah hand-selected all of the tracks on the 2001 LP.
"At the end of the day, she chose all of the records that are on that record. She had to give the okay," he said. "She had to like them. She was not a pushover to where an A&R was going to come and say, 'Baby Girl, you got to put this one on there.' She was running her stuff. Her ear, for her to hear those sounds and say, 'Aha!' That’s what I mean by that. Tim didn't do that. Static didn't do that. That's Aaliyah’s work."
Fans can clearly see how much work the singer put into the piece.
aaliyah really put her heart and soul into i care 4 u #Aaliyah20 ❤️✨ pic.twitter.com/8dHQq7yOzl
— ????. (@MJisAlwaysKing) July 17, 2021
According to We Miss Music, the Aaliyah album earned Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the American Music Awards in 2002, beating Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys. Fans also remember the album's many other accolades.
Aaliyah’s 3rd album ‘AALIYAH’ was released 20 years ago today in the U.S ✨ #Aaliyah20
• #2 debut on BB200 w/ 187k units
• 3x Grammy nominated
• Over 13M+ units sold WW
•34th best selling album in 2001.
•IFPI’s 9th best selling album of the 21st century pic.twitter.com/Gm3z8AZQdc— AALIYAH LEGION (@AaliyahLegion) July 17, 2021
While many fans wish that the singer was still alive to produce more hits, they're also happy to see that Aaliyah is still getting recognition for her work.
Babygirl trending like she should on her day. Miss this woman so much, her albums redefined the genre along the way but the self-titled truly did it all around. She knew what she wanted to do with her career. We love you #Aaliyah20 ???? pic.twitter.com/IADTb9v7MB
— Λ J Λ Y ♚ (@illest_sunO7) July 17, 2021
The "Rock the Boat" singer is clearly still inspiring people after her death.
There will always be time for Aaliyah #Aaliyah20
pic.twitter.com/FCr8ZyrF4m— good luck, brandy (@bookofjourdan) July 17, 2021
The artist's admirers plan to hold on to her classic album for as long as possible.
Happy 20th birthday to Aaliyah's final album. Beautiful masterpiece after all these years. ????????❤️ #Aaliyah20
pic.twitter.com/Zb2BVHcPhq— Alex Green (@AaliyahMKFan89) July 17, 2021
Aaliyah started working on the self-titled album, which would be her last, in 1998. The project, however, was delayed while the singer tried to launch her film career. Aaliyah worked on the album at Australia's Sing Sing Studios in 2000, filming 2002's Queen of the Damned during the day and recording her songs for the LP at night.
The singer died in 2001, when the plane carrying her and her crew went down in the Bahamas.