When I think of an artist that is "overrated" I think of someone who has made it big with limited talent. These areas would include album sales, awards (MTV, AMA, etc), and overall media exposure. Artists that come to mind are Britney, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg and various American Idol winners.

Aaliyah?? I'm not sure how she would fit into the category of "overrated" performers. She had a successful career but do not recall any overexposure or widespread comments indicating that she was such an elite artist.

Of all the truly overrated performers out there, why would you start a thread pertaining to Aaliyah?? I am a bit puzzled by this.

MorehouseMan said:

Exactly. Overrated by whom?

MorehouseMan said:

I agree.
Aaliyah even said herself she didn't want people to get sick of her, so she wasn't all over the place. She only won her first VMA for Try Again in 2000. I think she was going to perform at the 2001 VMAs but unfortunately she died before.I always wondered if she was meant to be at the Michael Jackson tribute in NYC too

She wasn't overrated or should I say overexposed, look Ricky Martin couldn't even pronounce her name.

[Edited 12/7/09 11:49am]

trueiopian said:

I disagree. I don't think she was manufactured at all. I think she was one of the realest people out there in the pop music world.

Look how humble she was, she seems like just a girl going to the movies, but shes a popstar going to the vmas



But that was '99 not 2000

CalhounSq said:

I only disagreed with the second part. I wouldn't say Aaliyah
was overrated because she wasn't a finished product but not
yet great as people may say. I believe she may have become
a better actress than singer.

ernestsewell said:

I honestly think Aaliyah was much different than Rihanna, Beyonce, etc., but that's a matter of opinion. For me, Aaliyah had such a beautiful voice, not only because of her tone, but because of her ability to evoke emotion. She was putting out work that was years ahead of its time throughout her career. I would love to hear Rihanna try to sing such a beautiful version of Ave Maria.

I do miss her very much.
[Edited 12/7/09 16:59pm]

VoicesCarry said:

Co-sign. I love "Umbrella" unabashedly, but Rihanna can't touch Aaliyah in any way.

I think the reason she is missed so much is because she was always gracious, humble, and so grounded!

And she could have walked around like Ms Princess/Diva "look at me, singing for President Clinton, singing at the Oscars, starring in a movie". It says a lot that only the top people in the business wanted to work with her, and that every one had nothing but love for her. I never even heard anyone try to hate on Aaliyah until she passed. People didn't even know she was related to Gladys Knight, or that her uncle built a music label around her (the only time Blackground was profitable, really).

People miss her so much because she was just a beautiful soul. Everyone knew and loved Aaliyah! Jay, Beyonce, Timbaland, Missy, Mary, Diddy, Janet (you know Janet don't speak on everybody, I don't even think she spoke on Tupac and she actually worked with him), Biggie, Lil Kim, DMX, etc etc...half these folk don't even speak to each other and she mingled with all of them.

What's overrated about that? She was special! For people who don't see it, I feel sad for you, because Aaliyah was a rare gift and we won't be replacing her anytime soon...if ever.

Look at the rest of Timbaland's productions from that era.
Swv and Missy Elliott sounded alike because of Timbaland.
Heavily influenced by d&b and uk garage beats.
There were some great tracks on all those albums but i think it was really Timbaland's production that made the tracks sound good.
Ppl may say Rihanna can't sing, and Beyonce can't act and Alicia Keys can't dance.
Aaliyah would have been replacable by any before mentioned singers, and plenty more singers if you ask me.

I actually like a lot of Aaliyah's songs, and i do like her voice.
She was sexy as hell. But some ppl take it too far by saying she would have been the biggest star if she was still alive.
But then again, u can't mess with opinions.

Maybe i should have called this thread, "Timbaland underrated"

As much as I may get yelled at for this, I have always put Aaliyah in the same category of greatness as TLC, Tina Turner, and Anita Baker. None of these women were powerhouse vocalists like Mariah or Whitney, but something about them and their voices was just extraordinary. Their charisma, strength, and realness is what made them soo appealing to me. Aaliyah just had that presence like they did even though her voice was't the biggest out there. She was classy, sexy, sophisticated, intelligent, and empowered. She just had that 'it' factor for me and everyone defines the 'it factor' differently, so if she's overrated to you; than nobody can make you believe otherwise. To me, she was something special and nobody has been able to capture what she offered to the table. I miss her. RIP Aaliyah...you are missed
[Edited 12/8/09 17:42pm]

estelle81 said:

Tina and Anita can BLOW. I'm sorry, but you can't be serious! lol

Tina has an incredible, powerful and gritty voice. No one has a voice like she does. It's so distinctive.

Anita is also an incredible singer as well. I've seen her live and she sounds even better live.

Whitney is my girl and probably my fave female vocalist so I have nothing bad to say there, but I will take Anita & Tina's voice any day over Mariah's though that's for sure.

As for Aaliyah, I don't really find her to be overrated and I think she's talented, but with the exception of TLC, she is absolutely not in the same category as those women you mentioned. Not even close.

Cinnamon234 said:

You're right. She's better!

mimi07 said:

THE BEST AALIYAH!!!! THAT'S RIGHT!!! THIS JOINT RIGHT HERE!!!!

RUNNER UP FOR BEST AALIYAH! THAT'S RIGHT! THIS JOINT RIGHT HERE!!!

mistatee said:

There was never anything special about Aaliyah. She was merely a pretty puppet with a knack for finding sugar daddys (R. Kelly, Damon Dash). If R. kelly wasn't freaky for underaged girls we would never have heard of Aaliyah.

estelle81 said:

Putting the Tina and Anita bit to one side, I agree with that. There are some really great 'powerhouse' vocalists, but it's not the only possibility for a recording artist. I mean, Diana Ross had a thin little reedy voice when she came out, but it sounded fantastic on record. And I think that's the same for Aaliyah: her voice had a nice, breathy quality, and it fitted the material and the production. Plus, the whole style of dance and the look of the videos complemented that.

Tbh, I'd much rather have a singer with some interesting but softer voice than one of these American Idol-style wannabe-Whitneys who now just bawl down the microphone. It's like an anaemic offspring of the whole gospel style of Aretha etc, but one that has gradually just been stripped of everything but volume. To me, loud doesn't automatically equal good! Give me Aaliyah's breathy tones drifting sweetly through a track, over that stuff, any day!

It's interesting to consider, Timbaland always said he enjoyed working with Aaliyah the most out of anyone, if she hadn't passed away, would he have continued with her (and maybe Missy) instead of looking for others and eventually landing with Timberlake?

There's no doubt hardly anyone would like JT's music if it weren't for Cry Me A River and Futuresex/Lovesounds. Cry Me A River is what made people take notice of him as a solo artist (and the Neptunes tracks (MJ's leftovers!) rode on that success).

If Timba had never worked with him, would pop music be where its at today? Would he have just kept churning out the hits with Aaliyah and Missy or would he still go and sell out and work with every damn singer/group ever?

It's very intriguing to consider how different today's musical scene could be with one singer added back into the mix...

deebee said:

Amen!

Hey, Im new. I wanted to post but I had to wait for that dumb 5 day rule. *rolls eyes*. This thread really caught my attention tho. Im not gonna spam this thread by quoting every poster than is misinformed about Aaliyah (presumably lasdecember), so im gonna tackle each topic I've noticed.

The fate of Aaliyah's album.- Aaliyah's album was doing WELL, ESPECIALLY for a song that couldnt crack the top 40, period. and how could u say her album would have flopped if she didnt die? Lets do some math. Aaliyah's first two albums had EACH produced TWO top ten singles and took a month- two months just to go gold. But get this. They only peaked @ 18 on the charts but stil achieved multiplatinum status. So, if Aaliyah had a chart topping album with a flop single, was selling FASTER than any of her previous albums did, how can you sit here and say it wasnt bound for success of it's predesecors? and also, More Than A Woman was NEVER intended to be a solo single. Rashad (her brother) said that as soon as aaliyah finished filming the MTAW video, she had to go get ready for rock the boat. Aaliyah had planned to released them as DUAL singles, kinda like the sasha fierce concept.Please get the facts!


Her voice. Aaliyah was not a powerhouse, but having power doesnt automatically make u a singer. Aaliyah had a soft voice, but she could carry a tune, and put emotion into it. Y else would "AT Your Best" was on so many soul compilations? Aaliyah's voice was warm, sensual, sweet, and distinctive. It puts u to sleep (in a good way). Not too mention she had IMPRESSIVE range. She has a nice strong lower register that could mimick a young anita (I said YOUNG), and could give u that angellic soft voice. Not too many singers could switch up tones like that. Aaliyah was ALSO a BEAST in transitions. Some singers sound sloppy switiching from chest to head voice and vice versa, Aaliyah's was clean and smooth.

The aaliyah "manufactured" comment- Aaliyah was FAR from manufactured. Aaliyah even said everything she wore, everything she was, was HER. No one else's ideas but hers. Sure, she never wrote any of her music. Not EVERY singer has talent in songwriting, and since when is it required? If that was the case, the standard title for "singers" would be changed to "songwriting-singers" Nothenless, Aaliyah said she gave songwriters and producers ideas. And she wasnt lying, because Timbaland even said when she died, so did his creativity.

The comparisons between Ciara, Rihanna, and the world- One In A Million was an INFLUENTIAL album. If it wasnt for Aaliyah calling timbaland and missy, where would pop music be? One In a million was stated as an album that changed the game forever. Jermaine Dupri even said "putting her soft voice over hip hop beats was something different" Aaliyah and crew had they own sound, and everybody was tryna cop it. Ciara nor Rihanna, or none of them other girls you named have made an album with such a huge impact. Aaliyah also opened doors for Brandy and Monica. (they BOTH had said this). Aaliyah started that whole black teen movement of the 90's. (if I remember right)

Aaliyah was a dam triple threat. She was AT LEAST average in singing, modeling, dancing, AND acting. Not too many entertainers can say they are good in more than 3 things.

Ok, I'm done. I know thats alot.

welcome to you, Pressure!

i personally don't feel she was overrated. i liked the fact that she wasn't that massively popular; though she was more than likely getting there.
she wasn't everywhere all of the time. her albums came at good intervals, she seemed like a humble person and her style of "cool" was something you didn't and still don't see in many other artists. her progression was very well paced.
her songs were well produced, and reached people from ages 10 to 100. even doing hip hop moves, she had a grace to her. she never tried to be "hard" or vulgar. her last album was brilliant!! and you could see the maturity and her coming into her own. a beautiful lady; sophisticated, funky, angelic voice, great dancer. i think others could take note from her, on how to let your career flourish without trying too hard.
she left us some great tunes. she was a voice of a generation in my opinion. perhaps not the loudest voice, yet still one that was heard.

Cinnamon234 said:

Honestly, I've heard more than one person call Tina and Anita over-rated...even here on the .org I've read it on more than one occasion. Personally, I don't think they are because their voices are soo unique and incomprable. I think they are both phenomenal vocalists. I wasn't implying that they couldn't 'blow'. I was saying that they don't have those 'powerhouse vocals' a la Whitney, Mariah, Patti LaBelle, or Jennifer Hudson. They have a lower register which many people sometimes don't put in the powerhouse (I can sang my ass off) category. Their voices are as smooth as butter to me and I definitely think they are icons. Their voices, like Aaliyah, have never been 'over-the-top; hitting high notes' style...that's what I was implying. Subtle but attention-grabbing. Personally, everytime I hear Anita's voice, I want to melt because it's like silk to me...truly hypnotizing Octave range, vocal register, the passion put into the song, and the way they carry themselves are big factors for me before I call a singer 'great' and these ladies have that 'it' factor that nobody has been able to duplicate. All just my
[Edited 12/12/09 12:54pm]

OfftheWall said:

I never said her personality was manufactured. As an artist/dancer she is.

deebee said:

I agree 100%. Some singers don't have to have those over-the-top, powerhouse vocals to be great. Greatness can come in many forms, styles, and sounds. I like that she wasn't over-the-top or on non-stop radio airplay. She was available to the 'real' fans...until she died; and, like soo many celebrities who die suddenly, everybody wanted to jump on the fan bandwagon which is something that really annoys me no matter who the celebrity is. If you didn't appreciate them in life, why do it after they're gone? It's like going to the funeral of a complete stranger and being asked to say something nice about that person. What do you do? You either lie or fake some tears because how can you truly and geniunely appreciate someone you just met for the first time? I bought her album when it debuted and found the spike in sales after her death to be bittersweet because: 1) she can't enjoy the success now that she's gone; and, 2) where were these people when she was alive because she was just as good when she first came out. Fair-weather fans All just my

trueiopian said:

How was she manufactured as an artist/dancer?

shorttrini said:

Being manufactured doesn't make her bad. There are quite a few artists that are good yet manufactured. That's why I said she was the Rihanna of her time. Rihanna can work with what's given to her. Her style and music (production and lyrics) is all molded by other people and handed to her on a platter. Yet she fools the public into believing it's all her. Aaliyah did the same. And I've always felt her music was centered around the production rather then her as an artist.

trueiopian said:

I disagree. While her beats and some of her lyrics might have been written for her, by others, Aaliyah had natural vocal ability that no one could have given to her. Rihanna while having the a love for singing, does not the natural talent that Aaliyah possessed. I have VHS tapes of when Aaliyah appeared on "Star Search", and one can tell that at an early age, she was going to be something special. Not so with Rihanna, who reminds me allot of Fefe Dobson. If anything, Rihanna's people looked at Fefe and took retooled Rihanna in her image. You cannot say that Aaliyah got her imagine from anybody but her.

shorttrini said:

Some? You mean all. Honestly, her vocals IMO was nothing out of this world. She had a meek velvety tone to her voice and sounded almost robotic. I believe she was a lyric contralto with a 2.5 range. Anyways, I'm sure Rihanna's took FeFe Dobson's image. But Aaliyah's image was done before by Janet and TLC.