Drizzy’s infatuation with the late star is deeper than you think.
Image via Getty/Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Drake loves Aaliyah. Period. Ever since he dropped out of the sky and into a swirling storm of fame, Drake has made it abundantly clear that he will admire the late Aaliyah Dana Haughton until the day he himself leaves this earth. While she passed at the age of 22 in 2001, that hasn’t stopped Drake from keeping her memory alive, via constant reminders of his undying love for her. He’s shouted her out on wax; he’s gotten her actual face tattooed on his actual back; and he’s honored her via various interpolations and musical homages. There’s so much more—but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Over the past near decade, Drake has managed to diversify his love for Aaliyah in creative ways that seem impossible until he’s already done it. If that’s not commitment, I don’t know what is. And in some cases, one miiiight even call it obsession. But that’s neither here nor there. Read on to find out all of the ways Drake has pledged his allegiance to the Princess of R&B.
November 2009: Drake References “Are U That Somebody” On “BedRock”
Smack dab in the middle of his verse on Young Money’s “BedRock” single, Drizzy drops the following line with smooth bravado: “Girl, I gotta watch my back, ’cause I’m not just anybody.” Sound familiar?
June 2010: 40 and Boi-1da Sample Aaliyah for “Unforgettable”
In addition to boasting a collaboration with Young Jeezy, Thank Me Later‘s ninth track samples portions of Aaliyah’s cover of the Isley Brothers’ “At Your Best.” The production came courtesy of Drake’s longtime collaborator, Noah “40” Shebib, and Boi-1da.
August 2010: Drake Pens a Letter to Aaliyah
Aaliyah in a Tommy Jeans campaign (Image via WikiCommons).
On the ninth anniversary of her death (Aug. 25, 2001), Drake took to Rap Radar to pen a letter to Aaliyah and addressed her by her middle name.
Dear Dana,
I’ve never lost a parent, a friend, or a lover but I will never forget this day for the rest of my life. I remember getting the news that you had passed and it connected with my heart like a clean shot from Muhammad Ali. I was crushed. Not only was I one of your biggest fans but I was truly in love with you. I loved the way you carried yourself, the way you dressed, the confidence with which you addressed passion and relationships in your music. I said to myself that even if we never met, I wanted a woman in my life just like you. I am pained that we will never get to connect now that music ended up being my career path. But you should know, we all listen to you everyday and we remain inspired and moved by all that you’ve given the world. I hope I make the right life choices so I can end up in heaven where I know you rest your head. I’ll continue to make music in your honor until the day we finally meet. Dinner’s on me!
Love you always and forever,
Drake
January 2011: Drake Talks Aaliyah’s Influence on His Life and Musicyoutu.be
In the above interview with Soul Culture, Drake expresses a deep love for pretty much everything Aaliyah represented. Here’s just a snippet of what he says: “I just found comfort in all of Aaliyah’s music and her melody choices and the things that she talks about and sort of how she always conveyed these amazing emotions but never got too sappy. She always kept it G.”
November 2011: Drake Shouts Out Aaliyah on “We’ll Be Fine”youtube.com
In the first verse of the Take Care track, Drake spits the following bars: “Since I saw Aaliyah’s precious life go too soon/She deserve the credit for how I’m about to get it.”
November 2011: Drake Cops an Aaliyah In-Ear Monitor
Image via Getty/David Livingston
When Drake tweeted about having Aaliyah in his ear at every show, it wasn’t 100 percent clear what he meant.
RIP Baby Girl…in my ear at every show letting me know the next move I should make. Love you.
— Drizzy (@Drake) August 25, 2011
That was, of course, until photos like the one above surfaced, showcasing what appears to be an in-ear monitor with Aaliyah’s face on it.
November 2011: Drake Interpolates Aaliyah’s Flow on “The Real Her”youtube.com
Listen (like, really listen) to Drizzy’s delivery on Take Care‘s “The Real Her,” cue up Aaliyah’s “I Don’t Wanna,” and you’ll hear it: he’s interpolating her flow.
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Perhaps as a means of showing that we know it’s real, Drizzy got a tattoo of Aaliyah on his back.
March 2012: Drake Hints at Aaliyah Projectyoutu.be
After noting that he has her tatted on his back, Drake tells Tim Westwood that he has some “great Aaliyah news coming soon.” When Westwood asks, “Some lost tapes?” Drake responds coyly: “Some special things…”
August 2012: Drake Drops “Enough Said” Featuring Aaliyahyoutube.com
Just hours before he was set to hit the stage at his own festival, OVO Fest, Drake unleashed a single featuring Aaliyah, called “Enough Said.” Produced by 40, the song weaved the late singer’s previously unreleased vocals in with Drake’s rhymes about women, balling, and other things rappers love.
August 2012: Drake and 40 Named As Executive Producers of Posthumous Aaliyah Album
Image via Getty/Kevin Mazur
Blackground Records, the infamous label that controls Aaliyah’s discography, confirmed to Billboard in August 2012 that Drake was set to co-executive produce Aaliyah’s posthumous album alongside his right-hand producer, 40. The project was intended to feature 16 unreleased tracks.
January 2014: Drake and 40 Call Off Posthumous Aaliyah Album
Image via Getty/Noel Vasquez/GC Images
Two years after it was revealed that Drake and 40 would be executive producing Aaliyah’s unnamed posthumous album, the two called it off. “The world reacting to Drake’s involvement so negatively, I just wanted nothing to do with it,” 40 said in an interview with Vibe. “Ultimately, I wasn’t comfortable and didn’t like the stigma.”
In addition to Timbaland’s vocal objection to the project, Aaliyah’s family wasn’t supportive either. “[Aaliyah’s] mother saying, ‘I don’t want this out,’ was enough for me,” 40 said. “I walked away very quickly.”
December 2016: “Talk Is Cheap” Featuring Drake, Aaliyah and Static Major Leaksyoutube.com
In December 2016, a Drake song featuring unreleased vocals from Aaliyah and Static Major, “Talk Is Cheap,” leaked. Drake both raps and sings alongside the late vocalists, but the song was never officially claimed by Drake’s camp.
June 2018: Flip of Aaliyah’s “More Than a Woman” Appears on Drake’s ‘Scorpion’youtube.com
Drake dropped his highly anticipated album Scorpion in late June 2018. The project is a double album, and the final song on Side A, “Is There More,” ends with an unexpected flip of Aaliyah’s Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 single from 2001, “More Than a Woman.” Sung a cappella by Hiatus Kaiyote frontwoman Nai Palm, the Aaliyah tribute transitions Drake’s album from hype, club-ready tracks to strictly-for-the-ladies slow cuts.
