Would Beyonce Be Queen B If Aaliyah Were Here?
When it comes to the greatest female entertainers of our generation, there are a few names that come up. Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Rihanna (which I don’t understand why). However, with the Beyonce explosion coming and hitting us hard in the late 90’s and never stopping, most people automatically give her the crown. Does she deserve it? She is a hard working woman however, that is something I have to question because not too long ago there was another very popular R and B songstress who was always on people’s minds and hearts. Sadly, she passed away right as her legend status was beginning to be aflame. I am speaking of Aaliyah.
Similar to the age old Hip-Hop discussion of would Jay-Z be where he is now had Tupac not have passed away, I am going to take it in the R and B route. Before everyone was being “Bootylicious” and loving the almighty “Besus” (Beyonce fanatics actually call her that. I’m not making this up). People were singing “Your Love Is One In A Million” and “Back And Forth” and later on “Dust Yourself Off And Try Again”. Aaliyah was the Queen B. Similar to Beyonce she was an all around entertainer who could sing, dance, act (although I wouldn’t call what Beyonce does acting) and people were taking notice of her being the next big thing. She was beginning to be featured in major films and unlike Beyonce, was actually successful in conquering the lead role without boring the audience members with stale acting. She also gained popularity without resorting to using her sexuality as Beyonce often does. However, she did have a scandal where she was married to a grown a** man while she was still a teenager. So, innocent and pure she was not either.
Beyonce, on the contrary, since her meteoric rise to fame has taken the whole super star Singer to a whole new level. She is in make-up ads, phone ads, movies, owns a clothing company, and God knows what other projects she has her hands in. She is more than a singer. She is an icon for a generation some would say. She is also so popular that you could not escape her grasp if you tried. A task that not many other entertainers have done. Not to mention an African American one. That is a whole new accomplishment in itself. Some might also argue that Aaliyah never had a song that was as monumental as say Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” or “Crazy In Love”. Others might say that she was heading down that path and would undoubtedly had a iconic song for her generation had she been giving the chance.
So my question is, if Aaliyah were still alive, would she not be the one receiving the starring movie roles? We can all agree that her acting was better than Beyonce’s. Would she be the one performing to sold out arena’s? Like Beyonce, she could sing, and dance live as well without a slip in step. Would she not be a beauty icon for major make-up companies? She too was a very beautiful young woman and had inked modeling deals with popular clothing companies of the time such as Tommy Hilfiger. Aaliyah also had a strong team behind her which consisted of Timbaland and Missy who helped to mold her sound. Just as Beyonce did with her Destinys Child roots and Papi Knowles. Would some of those Grammys Beyonce won recently been in the arms of Aaliyah?
I could go on and on with comparisons and such but I won’t. My question is: Could Aaliyah have been the one to take Beyonce’s place in the limelight if she were still living?
What say you?
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No, Aaliyah wouldn’t have. This conversation comes up at least three times a year.
The reason being this…Aaliyah didn’t want to be at the level Beyonce was on. She always said her main inspiration was Sade…and we know how her career goes. Drop one album, wait damn near a decade, and then keep it moving without missing a beat. Aaliyah was on her way with this, since there was a five year gap between her last two albums.
Beyonce works at a nonstop pace and is constantly keeping her out there. Much of Aaliyah’s career was built upon mystery and suspense — giving little detail about your personal life, and keeping it about the music. To this day, we still don’t even know what was going through her mind when she decided to marry a man twice her age.
Furthermore, let’s look at how Timbaland factors into this. He took a long break after she died, and when he started working with other artists again he came a bit harder with the beats. If he didn’t have that time to pause and reflect, then he might not have ever grown as a producer, and anything he put out with Aaliyah would’ve reflected that.
Now, real talk? Beyonce probably would still be where she is today anyway, because she was already carving out her own path long before Aaliyah died. But I do think that Ashanti, Ciara, etc. probably wouldn’t be on the scene if Aaliyah were here.
We all know Aaliyah had a few things lined up when she died and had completed some things. But let’s take a look…
-Romeo Must Die…not exactly a classic
-Queen of the Damned…was only popular because she died before it came out
-She was supposed to be in Honey, but Jessica Alba took that role…and now that chick is a joke in Hollywood
-She was supposed to be in The Matrix sequels…but Nona Gaye took that part and hasn’t been seen since
That’s my two cents on it.
I believe Beyonce would still be the dominate force as a international Pop & R&B star that she is if our Princess was still alive. Aaliyah respectively would have been a large influence in the R&B Industry but by her career ending, the possibility to grow as an artist with potential will forever be a question that lingers. Aaliyah would have definately been as successful, her music is popular today and very much her legacy.
I really don’t think there is a comparison between the two. Beyonce earned every accolade she receives for becoming the powerhouse she is today. Aaliyah had heat but definitely not as hot as Bee’s. And I’m totally agreeing with Bawdy’s comment about Aaliyah’s luke warm movie roles. Forgive me as I digress…It’s not that easy to transition from music to acting, we only have a handful who received succession in that field…Will Smith, Ice Cube, Queen Latifah…don’t think I’m missing anyone else…oh yeah, Snoop & Tyrese did their thing in Baby Boy, LOL! I have love for both singers. And I was pleasantly pleased when Aaliyah was maturing both physically and through her music. I enjoyed watching her look more womanly and dressing according. “Rock The Boat” was such a beautiful video that I wish she lived to see in fruition. We all know her future was brightening but it just wasn’t meant to be and her destiny called.