For years, much of the late Detroit pop star Aaliyah's best music has been noticeably absent from digital download and music streaming services.
But as Fader reports, Aaliyah's posthumous 2005 greatest hits comp Ultimate Aaliyah unceremoniously surfaced on iTunes and Apple Music Wednesday night. The comp features some of Aaliyah's best songs, many of which are not otherwise available online, including “One in a Million,” “Try Again,” and “Are You That Somebody." An undeniable banger that still enjoys regular airplay on Detroit radio, “Are You That Somebody” has never been commercially released. (OK, except on the Dr. Doolittle soundtrack. And a vinyl Dr. Doolittle-branded single.)
The subject of Aaliyah's back catalog, the digital distribution of which has been at the center over a legal dispute between various entities, got a closer look in a recent Complex article, “The Inexplicable Online Absence of Aaliyah’s Best Music.” Previously, the only Aaliyah record available online was Age Ain't Nothing But a Number. In 2013, a company called Craze Digital briefly distributed One in a Million and Aaliyah on iTunes before being sued for not holding the copyright. The albums have since been removed.
Curiously, Ultimate Aaliyah appears on Apple's services under "Craze Productions." If you're an Aaliyah fan, you might want to download this before it vanishes.
