5 Reasons Why Timbaland and Missy Elliott Would Make Aaliyah's Album A Classic
In case you haven't heard by now, it sounds like Drake is going to serve as the executive producer of Aaliyah's forthcoming posthumous album. Using previously-unreleased Baby Girl vocals, Drizzy has quite the task ahead of him. He needs to do everything he can to honor the legacy of Aaliyah and create an album that's worthy of being placed next to the stuff she put out before her untimely death in 2001.
But, that's not all. He also needs to do it while many of Aaliyah's biggest fans criticize the fact that Timbaland and Missy Elliott aren't the executive producers on the project. After all, they were largely responsible for much of her success, so why weren't they picked to produce her posthumous album? That's what they're both wondering—and what we're sure many of you are wondering, too.
We happen to think that Drake will do just fine as the executive producer of the album, though. He obviously never worked with Aaliyah, but we think he'll be able to add a fresh twist to her music that'll make it relevant and timely in the year 2012. But, we also wouldn't mind having Timbo and Missy play a big part in the album, either, because we think they'd really make it something special. To prove why, we put together a list of the 5 Reasons Why Timbaland and Missy Elliott Would Make Aaliyah's Posthumous Album A Classic. Let's hope they're able to do their part and contribute to the project.
Reason #1: There's a good chance Timbaland and Missy Elliott are already both familiar with most of Aaliyah's unreleased material.
Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like Aaliyah has a ton of unreleased material lying around. But, because her material is limited, we're sure that either Timbo or Missy—or, hopefully, both—are familiar with most of it and can shed some light on exactly where she was going with it. If they can do that, they obviously have an advantage over Drake and anyone else out there who wants to work on the project.
Reason #2: Timbo and Missy both worked with Aaliyah extensively and understand what she would have wanted to do with her unreleased music.
Outside of just being familiar with Aaliyah's unreleased music, Timbo and Missy also know and understand her sound like no one else. Part of that is because they both helped shape her sound. But, part of that is also because they spent so much time around her. So, they'd know best what she was trying to do on certain songs and how she wanted things to turn out on individual tracks. It'd be difficult for them to complete those recordings. But, at the very least, they'd have a blueprint for how to do it in their minds based off what they know about Aaliyah.
Reason #3: Both artists would have something to prove if they were given the chance to work extensively on Aaliyah's posthumous project.
Let's face it: Timbaland isn't considered the hottest producer in the game anymore, and Missy isn't considered the most well-respected female MC in the game, either. So, if they worked on Aaliyah's project, they wouldn't just be out to prove that Aaliyah was the greatest female singer of her era. They'd also be out to prove that they were a big reason she was so successful. That kind of motivation could make for some great music.
Reason #4: Timbo and Missy would both limit the number of guest appearances on her album. They'd also know who Aaliyah would have wanted to work with today.
One of the biggest problems with posthumous albums is that, often times, there isn't enough unreleased material to create an entire album. So, the executive producer has to bring in a bunch of guests to fill in the blank spaces that appear on songs. And, that can be risky business because not every artist is worthy of making an appearance on a posthumous album. We think that Timbo and Missy would do a great job of weeding out those who don't belong on Aaliyah's project and inviting those who do to perform. They also know what kind of artists Aaliyah would be down to work with if she was still alive. It'd save us all from hearing (*enter artist who doesn't really belong on the album here*) rapping all over the place and sounding out of place on an Aaliyah song.
Reason #5: The excitement that an Aaliyah project produced by Timbo and Missy would generate would be incredible.
If Timbo and Missy did reunite to do an Aaliyah album, people would be expecting big things. It'd likely turn the project into the most anticipated album of 2013. And, it'd keep Aaliyah's name alive and get people talking about her again. That doesn't automatically make it a classic. But, it would definitely put it in the conversation.
