I remember when Aaliyah's album "Aaliyah" came out in 2001. Me being a true hip hop head, I wasn't checking for this cd by any stretch. I liked alot of her work, but I never bought her albums or intended to get one. However, after a trip to a record store in 2001, I remember picking it up on a whim and enjoying it quite a bit upon first listen. I started telling other people about how the production really beat in the car and bragging about "It's Whatever" and the first single "We Need a Resolution". Very shortly after my purchase and my new found admiration for her work, we lost Aaliyah in a horrible accident. Reflecting on my purchase of her album, I tend to think it wasn't a whim on which I bought it, but on some level it was a must that I have it, if for no other reason than to give her respect before her untimely passing. RIP Aaliyah Houton.
