May 5, 1993
Aaliyah's Diary
Got it, hmmph
(Chorus)
Age ain't nothing but a number
Throwing down ain't nothing but a thang
This lovin' I have for you
It'll never change
Here I am and there you are
You're eyes are calling me to your heart
All you gotta do is knock and I'll let you in
Then we will feel the passion that flows within
I don't mean to be bold but I gotta let you know
I got a thing for you and I can't let go...
When I saw this month's issue of Fader I thought to myself, didn't Aaliyah past in August but then I remembered that the highly anticipated execution of R.Kelly was all the buzz. {The people over @ Fader really know how to bring things full circle} Dig a lil' deeper and today is the anniversary for the release of her platinum album, Age Ain't Nothing But a Number. 13 @ the time, I had met my first real boyfriend on the beeperline who happened to be pushing 18. I did everything to hide the numbers, telling my mother he was 16 which was still too old for her innocent Catholic school doll. Shiit. Babygirl put it all into perspective and made my sneaking around alright when I rocked to 'At Your Best' and 'Street Thing'. I figured that if she was singing about it, then I couldn't have been the only teenager with such mature feelings.
Adults would always hit us with, "you're too young to know what love really is." That's bullshit. My journals then revealed a young woman who was well aware of happiness, pain, doubt, all of the ingredients needed for a relationship. One of my all-time favorite collabos is Your Body's Callin' (His & Hers Extended Mix) where 'Liyah whispers to Kels, "boy my body's calling you/so do what you've gotta' do/are you hungry, do you wanna eat?" I used to rewind that joint over and over, especially those late nights when I wasn't supposed to be on the horn.
Shortly after her platinum success, Vibe released the issue with a marriage certificate between AaliyahHaughton (1.16) and RobertKelly (1.08) that dispelled all of the rumors. When I got my copy in the mail I showed all of my girlfriends who swore me down that it was a fake. My point of reference was the steamy duet between the two and her first album which was the public's glimpse into 'Liyah's diary.
This isn't an attempt to judge, but rather humanize the so-called R. Kelly syndrome. The masses can roll their eyes in disgust, but I assure you that he is part of a million man march who has a yearning and admiration for the young at heart. When we shared stories in high school most of our dates were pushing 30. Where was the jury then? The women have been the worst since the release of the tape because we all know our skills (if you have any) come from a man who was at least 10 years + and we all know they were cultivated before or during high school.
I recently pulled out the infamous tape and what probably makes most people feel uncomfortable is that they never figured that Backstreet Boys and golden showers went well together. No seriously. While the "victim" seems to have problems with the girth, I doubt if that was her first time. The real anger and finger-pointing is fueled by mothers who really don't have a clue what their little girls are up to or their husbands, and in-closet freaks who are suddenly born again. The interviews conducted in Fader all speak on the mystique behind Aaliyah, how she was beyond her time. Like many of us, she held onto secrets that she would take to the grave. I still mourn for her and treasure her lyrics that were taken from the most revealing, darkest places, but let's not forget that on occasion, age ain't nothing but a number.
