Ultimate Aaliyah
Box set by
Aaliyah
ReleasedApril 4, 2005
Recorded1993–March 9, 2001
Studio
Genre
Length185:39
LabelBlackground
Producer
Aaliyah chronology
I Care 4 U
(2002)		 Ultimate Aaliyah
(2005)		 Unstoppable
(TBA)
Singles from Ultimate Aaliyah
  1. "Are You Feelin' Me?"
    Released: 2005

Ultimate Aaliyah is a posthumous box set and second posthumous album overall by American singer Aaliyah. It was released in selected countries on April 4, 2005, by Blackground Records.[1] The box set consists of three discs–the first disc is a greatest hits collection, the second, entitled Are You Feelin' Me?, contains material from soundtracks and Timbaland's studio albums, while the third is a DVD with the documentary The Aaliyah Story.

Ultimate Aaliyah received generally favorable reviews from critics. Due to its limited release, it peaked at number 32 on the UK Albums Chart and sold only 75,000 copies worldwide. The song "Are You Feelin' Me?", previously included on the Romeo Must Die soundtrack (2000), was released as a single in the United Kingdom to promote the album but failed to chart. Following its global release on October 8, 2021, Ultimate Aaliyah debuted at number 41 on the US Billboard 200.

Release

Ultimate Aaliyah was released in France and the United Kingdom on April 4, 2005[2][3] and in Australia on May 2.[4] Unlike Aaliyah's previous releases, Ultimate Aaliyah was released independently by Blackground Records, without the involvement of a major label. The album consists of three discs–two CDs and a DVD featuring the 60-minute documentary The Aaliyah Story compiled of promo clips, interviews, and special features, including MTV special, MTV News Now: The Life of Aaliyah, a Tribute to Aaliyah, Aaliyah's VH1 Behind the Music installment, and her E! True Hollywood Story episode. In Japan, a CD+DVD compilation album titled Special Edition: Rare Tracks & Visuals was released on March 14 instead of Ultimate Aaliyah.[5]

In 2017, a company named Craze Productions leaked the album on streaming services for 18 hours, and within minutes, Ultimate Aaliyah skyrocketed to number four on the iTunes charts. Hours later, the album was taken down off sites by Aaliyah's uncle and manager Barry Hankerson, and a lawsuit to Craze Productions was filed.[6][7] The same company earlier issued her previous compilation album I Care 4 U (2002) digitally, for which it was sued by Reservoir Media Management, the last company managing Blackground Records' catalog.

In August 2021, it was reported that the album (minus the DVD) and Aaliyah's other recorded work for Blackground (since rebranded as Blackground Records 2.0) would be re-released on physical, digital and, for the first time ever, streaming services, in a deal between the label and Empire Distribution;[8] Ultimate Aaliyah was released on October 8. [9] It also marked the first time the album was available globally, as the album had previously been released only in Australia, France and the United Kingdom. The re-release was met with disdain from Aaliyah's estate, who issued a statement denouncing the "unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah's music without any transparency or full accounting to the estate".[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[12]

Ultimate Aaliyah received generally favorable reviews from critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars out of five, stating: "From the delightful "Back and Forth" through the all-too-sobering "Miss You," Ultimate Aaliyah adequately represents the shortened career of a tremendous talent who benefited from some of the best songwriting and production work by Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and R. Kelly. Casual fans will get most of the hits; collectors will be pleased to plug some gaps and get the documentary as a bonus."[11] In the Encyclopedia of Popular Music's 5th Concise edition (2007), writer Colin Larkin gave the album three out of five stars.[12]

Commercial performance

Ultimate Aaliyah debuted at number 32 on the UK Albums Chart and number 13 on the UK R&B Albums Chart, with 20,000 copies sold.[1] In October 2011, it was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), indicating sales in excess of 75,000 copies.[13]

Following its 2021 reissue, Ultimate Aaliyah reached a new peak at number eight on the UK R&B Albums Chart[14] and debuted at number 41 on the US Billboard 200.[15] Following the release of the vinyl version of the album in the UK, on 23 September 2022, the compilation charted at number three on the UK R&B Albums Chart[16] (a new peak), and number 27 on the UK Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40.[17]

Track listing

Ultimate Aaliyah – Disc one: Greatest Hits
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."One in a Million"
Timbaland4:30
2."If Your Girl Only Knew"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
Timbaland4:50
3."Hot Like Fire"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
Timbaland4:23
4."The One I Gave My Heart To"Diane WarrenDaryl Simmons4:30
5."Got to Give It Up" (featuring Slick Rick)
  • Herbert
  • Craig King
4:41
6."4 Page Letter"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
Timbaland4:52
7."We Need a Resolution" (featuring Timbaland)
Timbaland4:02
8."Rock the Boat"Garrett
4:35
9."More Than a Woman"
  • Garrett
Timbaland3:49
10."I Care 4 U"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Carl Hampton
  • Homer Banks
Timbaland4:33
11."Try Again"
  • Garrett
  • Mosley
Timbaland4:44
12."Back & Forth"R. KellyKelly3:51
13."Are You That Somebody?"
  • Garrett
  • Mosley
Timbaland4:30
14."Don't Know What to Tell Ya"
  • Garrett
  • Mosley
Timbaland5:01
15."Miss You"
Bishop4:05
16."At Your Best (You Are Love)"
Kelly4:52
Total length:71:48
Ultimate Aaliyah – Disc two: Are You Feelin' Me?
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Are You Feelin' Me?"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
Timbaland3:11
2."Messed Up"Benjamin Bush
  • Seats
  • Rapture
3:36
3."Come Back in One Piece" (featuring DMX)
  • Gotti
  • Lil Rob
4:20
4."I Don't Wanna"
  • Scantz
  • Hicks
4:17
5."Man Undercover" (featuring Timbaland)
  • Mosley
  • Melvin Barcliff
  • Elliott
Timbaland4:44
6."John Blaze" (with Missy Elliott)
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
Timbaland4:02
7."I Am Music" (with Timbaland & Static Major)
  • Garrett
  • Mosley
Timbaland4:02
8."More Than a Woman" (Bump & Flex club mix)Garrett
5:30
9."Hold On" (Timbaland & Magoo featuring Wyclef Jean)
  • Mosley
  • Barcliff
  • Timothy Clayton
  • Wyclef Jean
Timbaland5:05
Total length:38:47
Ultimate Aaliyah – Disc three: The Aaliyah Story (DVD)[lower-alpha 1]
No.TitleLength
1."The Aaliyah Story"60:00
2."Photo Gallery"15:04
Total length:75:04

Notes

  • ^a signifies a remixer

Samples

  • "More Than a Woman" contains an uncredited sample from the Arabic song "Alouli Ansa" by Syrian singer Mayada El Hennawy (1993).[18]
  • "I Care 4 U" heavily samples "(Too Little in Common to Be Lovers) Too Much Going to Say Goodbye" by The Newcomers (1974), written by Carl Hampton and Homer Banks.[19]
  • "Don't Know What to Tell Ya" contains an uncredited sample from the Arabic song "Batwannis Beek" performed by Algerian singer Warda Al-Jazairia (1992).[20][21]
  • "Come Back in One Piece" contains a sample of "Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk" by Parliament, from their 1977 LP Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome.[22]
  • "Hold On" contains a sample of "Breaking Glass" by Geri Halliwell (2001).[23]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ultimate Aaliyah.[24]

  • Aaliyah – lead vocals
  • Carlton Batts – mastering
  • Teddy Bishop – producer
  • Hamish Brown – photography
  • Bud'da – producer
  • Jimmy Douglass – mixing, engineer
  • Missy Elliott – rap, backing vocals
  • Irv Gotti – producer
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Barry Hankerson – executive producer
  • Jomo Hankerson – executive producer
  • Michael Haughton – executive producer
  • Vincent Herbert – producer
  • Kevin Hicks – producer
  • Craig Kallman – executive producer
  • Craig King – producer
  • Lil Rob – producer
  • Grant Nelson – remixer
  • Rapture – producer
  • Eric Seats – producer
  • Donnie Scantz – producer
  • Senator Jimmy D – engineer
  • Daryl Simmons – producer
  • Timbaland – rap, backing vocals, producer, executive producer, mixing
  • Albert Watson – photography

Charts

2005 weekly chart performance for Ultimate Aaliyah
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[25] 82
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[26] 15
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 90
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 32
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[29] 9
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[30] 13
2021 weekly chart performance for Ultimate Aaliyah
Chart (2021) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[31] 55
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[32] 8
US Billboard 200[33] 41
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[34] 4
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[35] 21
2022 weekly chart performance for Ultimate Aaliyah
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] 104
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[37] 27
UK Physical Albums (OCC)[38] 68
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[39] 3
UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)[40] 27
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[41] 15

Release history

Release dates and formats for Ultimate Aaliyah
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
France April 4, 2005 Double CD+DVD Blackground [2]
United Kingdom [3]
Australia May 2, 2005 [4]
Various October 8, 2021
[42]
September 16, 2022 Vinyl [43][44]

Notes

  1. ↑ The DVD is excluded from the 2021 reissue of Ultimate Aaliyah.

References

  1. 1 2 "Aaliyah". AllMusic.
  2. 1 2 "Ultimate" (in French). France: Fnac. April 4, 2005. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Ultimate Aaliyah". United Kingdom: Amazon Music. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "ARIA New Releases Albums – Week Commencing 2nd May 2005" (PDF). ARIA. May 2, 2005. p. 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Aaliyah Special Edition: Rare Tracks and Visuals". AllMusic. March 14, 2005. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  6. ↑ Minsker, Evan (12 January 2017). "Aaliyah's Hits Removed From Apple Music After Brief Appearance". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  7. ↑ "HITS Daily Double : Rumor Mill - AALIYAH GOES UP, COMES DOWN AT ITUNES". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  8. ↑ McIntyre, Hugh (August 5, 2021). "20 Years After Her Passing, Aaliyah's Music Is Finally Coming To Streaming Services". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  9. ↑ Legaspi, Althea (October 8, 2021). "Stream Aaliyah's 'I Care 4 U' and 'Ultimate Aaliyah' Compilation Albums". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  10. ↑ Mier, Tomás (August 5, 2021). "Aaliyah's Estate Slams 'Unscrupulous' Effort to Release Her Music 'Without Transparency'". People. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Ultimate Aaliyah". AllMusic. May 10, 2005. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
  13. ↑ "As Adele hits thirteen times platinum across Europe, over 60 artists pick up IMPALA Sales Awards, including Manel, Bon Iver, Miossec, dEUS, Agnes Obel and The Horrors". Independent Music Companies Association. 12 October 2011. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart Top 40 15 October 2021 - 21 October 2021". Official Charts Company. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  15. ↑ @billboardcharts (October 17, 2021). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (1/2)..." (Tweet). Retrieved October 18, 2021 – via Twitter.
  16. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart Top 40 - 23 September 2022 - 29 September 2022". Official Charts. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  17. ↑ "Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40 - 23 September 2022 - 29 September 2022". Official Charts. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  18. ↑ Myers, Owen (July 12, 2020). "Belgian singer Tamino merges Arabic sounds with western sensibilities". GQ. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Aaliyah I Care 4 U". Spotify. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  20. ↑ Ayman, Menna (August 20, 2017). "These American songs sampled Arabic hits". Step Feed. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  21. ↑ Moughni, Noor (September 16, 2020). "When music reflects identity". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Aaliyah Featuring DMX - Come Back In One Piece". Billboard. July 15, 2000. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Timbaland & Magoo - Under Construction II". Spotify. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  24. ↑ Ultimate Aaliyah (liner notes). Aaliyah. 2005.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Issue 797" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 2006-08-23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-06-19. Retrieved 2011-10-08 – via Pandora.nla.gov.au.
  26. ↑ "ARIA Urban Albums Chart – Week Commencing 27th June 2005" (PDF). The ARIA Report (800). June 27, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-22. Retrieved April 3, 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  27. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  28. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  31. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  33. ↑ "Aaliyah Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Aaliyah Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  35. ↑ "Aaliyah Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Aaliyah – Ultimate Aaliyah" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  37. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. September 23, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  39. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  40. ↑ "Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Aaliyah Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  42. ↑ "Aaliyah's music finally lands on streaming services". Capital Xtra. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Ultimate Compilation". Blackground Records. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  44. ↑ "Vinyl pre-orders". bigwax.io. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
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