(AllHipHop News) Some fans of the late R&B singer Aaliyah may be sadden by the latest news concerning another reported project from the “One In A Million” perfomer. Others may be rejoicing. Either case, it appears the long talked about Aaliyah/Drake collaborative album produced by Noah “40” Shebib has been canned.
40 tells Vibe magazine he decided to pull out of the project after the negative feedback from die-hard Aaliyah followers. Many fans of “Baby Girl” were not supportive of the 2012 Drake-featured track “Enough Said” nor the fact that Timbaland, the man who produced many of Aaliyah’s hits, was not involved in the album. 40 reveals that it was also Aaliyah’s mother’s request that the project not go forward that sealed the deal on the cancellation.
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40 to Vibe:
The world reacting to Drake’s involvement so negatively, I just wanted nothing to do with it. That was a very sad experience for me. I was naïve to the politics surrounding Aaliyah’s legacy and a bit ignorant to Timbaland’s relationship and everybody else involved and how they’d feel. Tim said to me “Don’t stop, make the album.” I think that was Tim taking the position of, “I’m not going to stop you. If you’re not going to do it, that’s your decision.” But ultimately, I wasn’t comfortable and didn’t like the stigma. We released [“Enough Said”], but I was seven songs deep. [Aaliyah’s] mother saying “I don’t want this out” was enough for me. I walked away very quickly.
40 says he was originally brought into the process by Aaliyah’s uncle Barry Hankerson and her cousin Jomo Hankerson. The father-son duo own Blackground Records; the label that released Aaliyah’s music. Drake later asked 40 if he could participate in the album.
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