Toni Braxton had been managed for years by Barry Hankerson even before signing a recording contract, and she was considered (and still is) to be a RB pioneer.The album has proved to be an ongoing source of influence for many musicians, both in RB and other genres, to study, emulate and ultimately pay homage to an artist that was set up to be our future pop queen before her untimely passing a month after the album was released.The reason Its been missing from the digital sphere since her label, Blackground Records, went under the radar in 2009 after the labels last release, Timbaland Presents Shock Value II.Reasons for why this is so have ranged from the label head, Barry Hankerson, trying to protect his nieces legacy all the way to him just wanting the biggest bite for his platinum-selling roster of albums.
Either way, we want to hear some of these amazing albums in the vault now. One In a Million was where Aaliyah really formed a sound for herself, with props to Timbaland and Missy Elliott for mixing in that futuristic vibe with the mid-90s hip-hop soul that already existed on the other half of the project. Timbo always knew he had something unique, so most of the production either stayed in-house Aaliyah, Missy, Ginuwine, RB trio Playa or ended up on his own projects, like his debut joint album alongside Magoo. From front to back, the album goes through the gamut of Timbalands massive ear for eclectic sounds. The fam-only lineup of features help to bring the tracks together, but the beats are where the soul of these records are. By 1998, he had given Aaliyah her biggest record at that time, the game-changing summer smash Are You That Somebody, and was setting Jay-Z up with the Jigga What, Jigga Who (Originator 99) instrumental that would go on to create a long-lasting producerrapper relationship for years on after. His official debut album, Tims Bio: Life from da Bassment, didnt exactly prove he was a dope MC in the vain of his partner in rhyme Missy Elliott, but it really let us know that this guy knows production like his life depended on it. Innovation like this didnt exist in music before Timbaland, and hasnt in the same way since. The featured artists, including Destinys Child, Lil Mo, DMX and Joe, were all selected by Baby Girl, and Timb gave them his midas touch on the production end to create a platinum-selling project. Rose In A Concrete Word is still one of Joes smoothest deep cuts. While he never exactly broke out during this era where Usher and R. Kelly were dominating the RB male category, he always had a crazy pen game that kept him busy behind the scenes. Either way, the album still topped the RB charts and gave us this smooth record. Even before her death that record was hot, which was probably the reason the Rock The Boat video was being pushed so hard after the single started climbing the RB airplay charts at the same rate as her former airplay-only chart-topper Try Again. Thankfully, the popularity of the albums Fatman Scoop-led single Drop was revived in the B2K dance flick You Got Served in 2004. It still sounds as good as any RB record released in 2002 though, and it proved to be a stepping stone for Tank to achieve much greater years later. It was nice to hear unheard vocals from the singer after a year of holding on to past records like At Your Best and the unintentionally-somber Rock the Boat, and the star-filled music video made the moment feel even greater. The only thing that wouldve made this album perfect is if they somehow couldve included the Jay-Z Miss You remix. It started in doses with the likes of Big Pimpin in 2000, We Need a Resolution in 2001 and Oops (Oh My) in 2002, but on this album he really got to show off his international ear. Tracks like Indian Flute were pretty dead-on for what he was trying to accomplish, but the Cop That Sht single incorporated the sound in ways that were subtle without losing the Hip-Hop edge. Similar to Baby Girls 1994 debut at the age of 15, JoJo, then 13, released her debut in 2004 led by the massive pop hit Leave (Get Out).
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