Unstoppable (Aaliyah album)

Unstoppable is the upcoming fourth and final studio album and first posthumous non-compilation album from American singer Aaliyah. It was scheduled to be released in January 2022 through Blackground Records 2.0 and Empire,[1][2] but did not come out at that time and as of 2023, a new release date has yet to be announced. The album was preceded by the single "Poison", which features vocals from Canadian singer the Weeknd.[3][4] The album will be the third studio album of Aaliyah material since her death in a plane crash in 2001.

Unstoppable
Studio album by
Aaliyah
ReleasedTBA
GenreR&B
Label
Aaliyah chronology
Ultimate Aaliyah
(2005)		 Unstoppable
(TBA)
Singles from Unstoppable
  1. "Poison"
    Released: December 17, 2021

Background

On August 25, 2021, the 20th anniversary of Aaliyah's death, her uncle and Blackground Records 2.0 label boss, Barry Hankerson, revealed in an interview with Big Tigger for WVEE that a fourth (and likely final) studio album, titled Unstoppable, would be released in "a matter of weeks". The album will feature Drake, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Future and use previously unreleased vocals from before Aaliyah's death. Hankerson shared that this will be the end of new music for the late star and added, "I think it's wonderful. It's a very emotional process to do. It's very difficult to hear her sing when she's not here, but we got through it."[5][6] Hankerson added in 2022, "She loved Snoop Dogg, who's done a great record in collaboration with Future. Ne-Yo gave us an excellent song; also Drake. Timbaland produced the track that Chris Brown did. It's vintage R&B with strong vocals."

Following the release of the first single, Hankerson told Billboard: "Everything I do at Blackground is always with Aaliyah in my heart and in my mind. God knows Aaliyah and I spent a lot of time talking about music. I think she would be very happy with the selections we made and the guests because the artists themselves made it known to us how much they wanted to work with her and be a part of her legacy. And I pray that she is happy. Aaliyah would love hearing herself with the current stars of the industry that she cared so much about. And that's all I wanted to do."[7]

Singles

The lead single from the album, "Poison", which features Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, was released on December 17, 2021.[8] Aaliyah's vocals had been demoed in 2001, shortly before the singer's death. Upon release, the single attracted backlash due to the poor quality of Aaliyah's vocals in comparison to the crisp quality of the Weeknd's vocals. Fans of Aaliyah dismissed the song as "disrespectful".[9][10] Less than twenty four hours after release, Mike Dean, who mixed and mastered the track, released an updated, and much clearer, version on all digital outlets.[11] One week after the single's release, it debuted at number 33 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.[12] In the US, "Poison" debuted at number 26 on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay Chart for the week of January 1, 2022.[13] It peaked at number 21 and spent 12 weeks on that chart. "Poison" also debuted on the Billboard R&B Digital Song Sales at number 14.[14]

References
  1. Jones, Damian (January 4, 2022). "Aaliyah's uncle confirms posthumous album Unstoppable is coming this month". NME. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  2. Rowley, Glenn (January 4, 2022). "Aaliyah's Posthumous Album Coming This Month, Singer's Uncle Says – The Blackground Records founder also confirmed collaborations on the LP with Drake, Future, Ne-Yo and more". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  3. Abraham, Mya (December 17, 2021). "Barry Hankerson Details Aaliyah's Posthumous Album, Unstoppable". Vibe. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  4. Buckle, Becky (January 5, 2022). "Aaliyah's Posthumous Album Unstoppable to Drop This Month". Mixmag. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  5. "Barry Hankerson answers every burning question on Aaliyah, the wait to get her music on streaming and more". Radio.com. August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  6. "EXCLUSIVE: New Aaliyah Music Is On The Way & Her Uncle Says R.Kelly Negatively Impacted Their Family". Rickey Smiley Morning Show. August 26, 2021. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  7. Mitchell, Gail (December 17, 2021). "Aaliyah Unstoppable: Blackground Founder Barry Hankerson Talks 'Poison' and More Unreleased Music". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  8. Griffiths, George (December 16, 2021). "New posthumous Aaliyah single Poison featuring The Weeknd to drop this week – The late singer's estate will also issue a posthumous album of previously unreleased material some time next year". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  9. Winters, Emma (December 18, 2021). "Aaliyah Fans Brutally Attack New Song 'Poison' Featuring The Weeknd -- 'This Is SO Disrespectful'". Music Times. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  10. Bailey-Millado, Rob (December 17, 2021). "Aaliyah's new song with The Weeknd is 'Poison' to fans 20 years after death". New York Post. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  11. "Mixed and mastered this. New mix up now. Only on apple. Updates soon on other dsp. Apple is always fast at a swap out. Was provided with a better ACCAPELLA on Queen Aaliyah's part". December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  12. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  13. "Aaliyah - Adult R&B Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  14. "Aaliyah Chart History: R&B Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
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