From The Vault: Aaliyah – ‘We Need A Resolution’

Published: Sunday 23rd Sep 2012 by David

Today, From The Vault salutes R&B angel Aaliyah and her smash hit ‘We Need A Resolution’.

Unleashed as the launch single of her 2001 eponymous release, ‘Resolution’ saw the singer collaborating yet again with Pop maestro Timbaland, who – long before sending the likes of Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado to the top of the charts – was a major driving force in the career of his “Baby Girl”

A moderate hit, it still reached the Top 20 of the UK charts and peaked at #15 on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop tally. Yet, what the song is most notorious for is its accompanying video, which houses some of the late singer’s most glorious and iconic looks.

From the dangerous dancing with snakes to the glass-bed levitation, the Paul Hunter-directed MV is an incredible reminder of Ms. Haugton’s status as the then-next big superstar. Unfortunately, as we know, things did not pan out that way…

Just like fellow entertainers such as Amy Winehouse and actor James Dean, who also dissapeared at far too young an age, Aaliyah is regarded today as one of the best to ever do, a title that’ll no doubt continue to be reinforced in years to come. Especially with a new generation of starlets citing her as an inspiration.

Still, we want to ask you:

How do you think Aaliyah’s career would have turned out?

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  1. MC September 23, 2012

    RIP beautiful baby-girl. 🙁 I miss you. I am still upset about the new album.

  2. THE TRUTH September 23, 2012

    O STFU ting and the same topics. I just come here for the leaked songs and updates. Seriously, the writing is so fooked up man.

    Aaliyah was a great talent. I loved her. This is a great track.

  3. Monstarebel September 23, 2012

    If she was still around ID think shed be the top black b**** in the game right now I’m pretty she woulda went the pop route but that’s ok… if she was still around there would be no Beyonce or especially Ciara which wouldaa been great but yea r.I.p to this beautiful soul known as Aaliyah>>>

    • That B*tch (would you like a rihfund with that)? September 23, 2012

      Bye. Your ass is the only one mentioning King Bey’s name on a post that has nothing to do with her.
      GTFOH

      • WHY YO MAD THO September 23, 2012

        because she speaks the truth?

  4. THE TRUTH September 23, 2012

    Sad to say this, but her career would have likely been the same as Brandy and Monica.

    However, she may have excelled in acting, but as she is black, there is so much you can do, so many roles you can have. see Jade / Halle

    • Um OK September 23, 2012

      I see no lies.

  5. Monstarebel September 23, 2012

    I heard Beyonce was always jealous/ intimidated by the Gorgeous Aaliyah

  6. Mad-On-Her September 23, 2012

    I don’t know how it would have panned out long term, but I don’t really think Alliyah’s last album would have been the hit it was if she’d been alive for it. I’m sure she would have come back with a better album after that one though.

    • trillafood September 23, 2012

      Dummy it sold over 200k and debuted at no. 2 in its first week while she was ALIVE! Do your research.

      • Mad-On-Her September 23, 2012

        It ended up selling 13 million. It wouldn’t have sold close to even half of that if she hadn’t died. It had really weak singles, that’s all I’m saying. I like her music though.

    • FAF September 23, 2012

      TRUTH!!
      LOOK AT HOW PPL TRY TO COME FOR & DIMINISH QUEEN BRANDY’S LEGACY??? SHE IS AN ICON
      IF AALIYAH WAS STILL ALIVE PPL WOULD TRY TO S*** ON HER FOR TODAY’S ACTS… FACTS!

  7. Öz Firdevs September 23, 2012

    Wow

  8. trillafood September 23, 2012

    Timeless video. This video does NOT look 11 years old.

  9. JAZMINE SULLIVAN FAN September 23, 2012

    ALWAYS IN MY IPOD;…I LOVE U BABY GIRL

    AND FINNALY THE #WHOISSHIT THING IS DONE!

  10. credits September 23, 2012

    She was a triple threat! so if for some strange reason, her music stopped receiving attention, she would still be a huge movie star. But timbaland is always with the times, so of course her music would evolve and always stay fresh.

    • credits September 23, 2012

      nope let me correct myself, **timbaland is always ahead of them times***

  11. mc the place to be!!pepp September 23, 2012

    Her last album was one of the best crossover albums I’ve heard I still listen to it today that’s what you call a classic and b4 its time albums!! Its sad she left us so soon she had so much to offer the world in music movies and everything in between..rip

  12. dc fan September 23, 2012

    I think that aaliyah would of been big, and the game would be very different. I do think that beyonce would of have to come alot harder. However beyonce and aaliyah both would of be on top.

    • ENOUGH ONIKA September 23, 2012

      Destiny’s Child was a lot larger than Aaliyah, and I’m not hating that’s just truth. I think everyone we have today would still be were they are even if Aaliyah was still here. If Missy or Tim passed, I think everyone would say the same thing (Oh, if so and so was alive, the industry would’ve been different), well reality is, no ONE person can keep the industry from changing, it’s inevitable….

  13. S****** Blonde September 23, 2012

    This song was so hot back in the day.

  14. sharon September 23, 2012

    she would be slaying all these raggedy ass h***!
    R.I.P. BABYGIRL! REST IN PARADISE!

  15. @S_C_Jr September 23, 2012

    Why is there always a Beyonce related comment on Aaliyah posts all the time? I’m a big fan of BOTH artists. Beyonce has already stated that she found Aaliyah as an inspiration as well as Aaliyah stating she loved Beyonce. Stop saying that if Aaliyah was alive, one would be here and one would not. They could CO-EXIST! None of you are psychics nor are you GOD. You cannot predict how Aaliyah’s career would’ve panned out. What you CAN do is appreciate the music she gave up and respect her legacy.

  16. ENOUGH ONIKA September 23, 2012

    Honestly, and I LOVE Aaliyah but this is just real, she would’ve been were a lot of 90’s R&B and rap artists are today. Ciara would’ve still came out, Rihanna would’ve still came out, GaGa etc. and R&B would still be in the position it is today. She would’ve either switched over to acting full force or continued to have moderate success in music. She would be on Brandy’s level today, which isn’t bad but she’s more of a superstar only in the urban market…..

    • JOHNVIDAL September 23, 2012

      Exactly thank you!

    • Monstarebel September 23, 2012

      ok but y’all are missing the point Aaliyah most likely woulda went POP/R&B like Beyonce Rihanna & ciara & she woulda SLAYED…. and of course acts like Beyonce woulda still been around but not as big, cause when Beyonce came out solo who was really her competition? nobody so that made it easy for Beyonce to just reign supreme as a solo r&b act which shortly later turned pop….

      • FAF September 23, 2012

        CO-SIGN!!!

      • ENOUGH ONIKA September 23, 2012

        And that’s fine if she went R&B/Pop, but like I said, she’d still be were Ciara and Brandy are today. And Ciara went full pop during Fantasy Ride and Basic Instincts era and we saw how that went. VERY VERY limited to moderate success.

      • ENOUGH ONIKA September 23, 2012

        @Montarebel Plus Beyonce was around when Aaliyah was here because she was in Destiny’s Child. People were obsessed with Beyonce before she went solo and her voice (and I’m sorry again) is stronger than Aaliyah’s. Aaliyah has very soft vocals like Janet and Ciara, but let’s not act like she would’ve killed “Crazy In Love” if that was her song…And I don’t stan for Beyonce either. I think you’ll letting her tragic passing delude you from the reality of the industry as well as her abilities. Again, I hate having to say this about my girl but it’s truth.

    • MACHIAVEL September 23, 2012

      @Enough Onika You Go Hard Somentimes Toward My Girl Lady G, But You Always Keep It Real And I Like That!!!!

      • SUNDAY MUSIC September 23, 2012

        Lol I appreciate that, thank you

      • ENOUGH ONIKA September 23, 2012

        Sorry that was me lol

  17. CURLY SUE September 23, 2012

    Honestly, Aaliyah would probably be in the same boat as Mya, Brandy, Monica and the other 90’s R&B chicks. She wasn’t that famous when she was alive. Brandy left all of those chicks in the dust fame and sales wise. I’m just keeping it real.

    • Boss September 23, 2012

      Love Aaliyah, but u def kept it 100

  18. JOHNVIDAL September 23, 2012

    I don´t care how many thumbs down I´ll get but seriously: “Aaliyah is regarded today as one of the best to ever do”…. really? You consider Aliyahh one of the best musicians to ever do it????
    I agree with the people saying she would be what Brandy or Monica are right now, and R&B too. I don´t smell nothing legendary or memorable about it. Her death made a big impact specially on USA back comunity but that´s it. She was talented, she could have done many good and succesful things but don´t come here talking about her as this megastar, she was and would have been a second rate superstar if you want
    I also agree that by the time Aaliyah was around Destiny´s Child were bigger, way bigger (and you all know how much I don´t like those girls). Despite being R&B they had presence around the world. Not much in Spain but at least some, Aaliyah just no.

    People be real
    Respect to her, she was so beautiful, could sing well enough and all that. But I think some of you were affected by her death too much

    • MC September 23, 2012

      I think some of it may have to do with the hate towards Rihanna, Beyonce, Ciara, etc. So some people just say “if she was still alive those girls wouldn’t have made it”…. I say there is no way of knowing that for sure, but if I have to guess they would probably still be here IMO.

    • S****** Blonde September 23, 2012

      B****!

      • JOHNVIDAL September 23, 2012

        W**** 🙂

    • MACHIAVEL September 23, 2012

      @Johnvidal, Amen To This!

  19. LetsBeReal September 23, 2012

    lets be real.Aaliyah had not yet even become a SUPERSTAR she was huge among the rnb community I loved her she was quickly becoming the hip hop Janet Jackson upgrade.Beyoncé would’ve still been here! Ciara? not so much because to be honest ciara has been trying to fill Aaliyah spot ever since she came out! Aaliyah and Beyoncé would’ve probably collaborated tbh while u bitter b****** try n start war.but I agree something happened to nearly all rnb acts of the early 90s..most of them today are borderline irrelevant …

  20. swagg September 23, 2012

    I havent been here n a while but i c aaliyah post n have to comment..i think she would have had a great career ppl act like she didnt have a movement she did the same sales wide as monica back n the 90s and when brandy and mo teamed up they got a huge hit that made brandy n monica seem a lil more successful which ill say they was at first getting the grammy and especially B with sales n movies..but at that time aaliyah started doing movies and had about 8 more movies she was scheduled to shoot prior to death which all turned out to b hit movies so stop being disrespectful she had success going 2-3 times plat is the norm for beyonce but baby gurl did nothing?? im done …rip babygurl

  21. Monstarebel September 23, 2012

    ok but y’all are missing the point Aaliyah most likely woulda went POP/R&B like Beyonce Rihanna & ciara & she woulda SLAYED…. and of course acts like Beyonce woulda still been around but not as big, cause when Beyonce came out solo who was really her competition? nobody so that made it easy for Beyonce to just reign supreme as a solo r&b act which shortly later turned pop.

    • mkigz September 23, 2012

      You’re wrong in a way – we cant for sure say that she would have went the “pop/r&b” route, she might have stuck to what she to her genre of music> Also Beyonce would have been big regardless because A) She has this amazing, big voice B) She associated and then later married Jay-Z + the fact that Bey already had a fanbase b4 going solo..Im sure Beyonce would be as big as she is NOW! No disrespect to Aaliyah but I cant really say how big she would have been.

      • swagg September 23, 2012

        also dont forget aaliyah had jay and damon dash fighting over her so beyonce wasnt his first choice who knows her and jay could have got back together and she woulda been aaliyah carter..and also aaliyah had a dope voice not many females have a falsetto like her..

    • Chakka September 23, 2012

      Aaliyah never followed trends so she would’ve likely NOT gone pop/r&b as that’s what everyone else is doing right now. Although we’ll never know, but one thing is for sure- during her career she was not a follower. If anything, I could see her fusing R&B with alternative elements in the same vein as Frank Ocean or Miguel if she were still alive. Neither one of those singers care about commercial appeal, the make music because they love it, and Aaliyah was the same way and she had the support of her label always. Everyone keeps saying she would’ve ended up in the same boat as Brandy and Monica, etc. but they fail to realize that Aaliyah wasn’t like the other t*** R&B divas, they were making standard-issue R&B. They weren’t infusing bird-sounds, baby cries, heavy bass, dub step, or middle eastern influences into their music! She was! That’s partly the reason why Brandy, Monica, and even Destiny’s Child were more commercially popular than Aaliyah. They were making music for the masses, Aaliyah did not, which is why her music doesn’t sound dated over a decade later.

      • Mark September 23, 2012

        Agree 100% Aaliyah never followed the trend, but made them. Remember, Missy and Timberland was urban too, they didn’t become main stream till 03 for Missy and 06 for Tim. Plus, Aaliyah was bigger then Usher and look how big he gotten, WITH urban music. And DC went POP right after Writing on the Wall and was more know for switching members then their songs. Sell doesn’t mean s***, well Britney Spears never sang a note LIVE and sold millions. That’s whats wrong with music today, y’all worry about sells more then having good music.

  22. That B*tch (would you like a rihfund with that)? September 23, 2012

    I was just listening to this song yesterday. This is one of my favortie songs by her.

  23. Jessie September 23, 2012

    Great talent. Had her own original style, dance , and music. There will be no beyonce point blank.

  24. RoyalKev September 23, 2012

    Aaliyah would probably have seen a dip in slaes during the last decade. R&B acts from the 90’s are fading and even artists from the early 2000’s (Tweet, Ashanti, Ciara) saw major declines. Beyonce more than likely, would have earned the same success. When it’s your time, it’s your time.

    I do believe that Aaliyah would be considered a veteran on her way to leaving her mark as an R&B icon (if she was around today). After your first 10 years in the business most artists don’t usually reach greater heights. It’s an accomplishment to just remain relevant. If Aaliyah were to suffer from sluggish sales, her talents would likely gaurantee her a comeback at some point down the line. Regardless of what Aaliyah sold, I’m certain that she’d never release a wack album. I’m also sure she’d play a big role in reviving R&B now.

    http://www.thepagewithroyalkev.com

  25. Remey September 23, 2012

    Aaliyah was showing signs of major crossover. The “Aaliyah” LP era was showing amazing feats for her. The album was doing well, and she was entering the major success from Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned. She was expected to be in the Matrix, so you could tell Hollywood had eyed her as the new “It” factor.

    Her music was obviously evolving. You can here it in “Aaliyah.” Her 4th album would have probably been the step in the Pop world.

    Her and Beyonce would have been neck to neck. Yes, Destiny’s child had huge success, but Beyonce benefited from that. When she stepped out into her own limelight, she took an already established fan base. Aaliyah was building hers. Her fanbase changed when she geared up for “Aaliyah.” People like me who were in their early teens in 2002/2003 were being introduced to her for the first time as a music artist (and not some little girl who was singing when while we were still growing into puberty.)

    So she was embarking on new territory that was bound to produce a winning streak.

    But that’s my opinion….. formulas change all the time. (see: RIhanna 7th album in 7 years)

  26. STR8FACTS September 23, 2012

    It’s funny because a good 85% of the people on here are posting things that aren’t fact which prove you aren’t an Aaliyah fan.

    First off, when it comes to the Brandy and Monica comparisons ya’ll need to remember that Brandy and Monica hit the peak of their careers in like 98-99. They got a lot of recognition from the boy is mine which propelled them to the level of stardom to which they achieved. Once the new millenium hit it was ALL about Aaliyah and if you weren’t under 15 years old when she died you KNOW that. Aaliyah was able to adapt to the times and made pop music like Pop/R&B music like “Are You That Somebody” “Try Again” and “More Than A Woman”. She also catered to her core R&B fan base with songs like “Rock The Boat” and “I Don’t Wanna”. I think it’s silly to compare her with Brandy and Monica when the main reason why their careers haven’t flourished over the last decade is because they haven’t shown any growth in their music, something Aaliyah was doing well before she passed. ALSO, Aaliyah’s last album sold over 500,000 copies BEFORE she died without a hit single! That’s 500,000 copies in one month based on her star power alone! Brandy’s ‘Full Moon’ and Monica’s ‘After The Storm’ as good as an album as they may be are still struggling till this very day to make it past 1.1 million. Aaliyah’s last album had double platinum witten all over it before she passed hunTY.

    The Beyonce comparison’s are irrelevant because Destiny’s Child were MEGASTAR’s while Aaliyah was still alive and Beyonce is an amazing talent all on her own, I believe the two would’ve co-existed today.

    Look at Usher, when Brandy, Monica, and Aaliyah we’re poppin’ his first album flopped and he came out around the same time as them. Once 2000 you couldn’t get rid of Usher. All im saying is stop comparing Aaliyah to Brandy and Monica. Regardless to the fact that they all came around the same time Aaliyah was ALWAYS in her own lane and made different music from the two. I don’t see her making any of the same music as Brandy and Monica today.

    AND CHILE THE NERRVE of ya’ll to compare her to MYA -_- The chick who struggled to sell over 1 mill. domestically for her entire career, that shows that ya’ll are just haters. The other half were like 8 when she passed so what would you know about her career?

    CHILE.

    • LOURDES September 23, 2012

      I don’t recall “Aaliyah” selling 500k in a month. Truth be told, she sold about 170k in the first week and her sales started to dip after that. Alicia Keys was the IT girl around that time. Her album debuted at #1 with HUGE numbers, and “Fallin” was #1. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until her death when her album sales surged. I barely remember seeing her videos on 106 and Park until she passed. I guess like they say….”they don’t love you until you’re gone”.

      And with that being said, I do believe that Aaliyah would be moreso relevant in the acting arena. Beyonce would be here, and so would Rihanna, Ciara and so on. I believe that Aaliyah would still be making awesome music, but hey she isn’t here so we really can’t say. RIP.

  27. I’m not throwing shade, but… September 23, 2012

    I think as Aaliyah’s music with the last two albums were not classic R&B, I think she would’ve played with other genres.
    People on here talk too much about record sales as if that’s an indication of good music. Good music is good music and I think Aaliyah would have still been making it. Regardless of sales Aaliyah’s music is still enjoyed by many and if your music stands the test of time enjoyed by many generations later, you’ve made good music

  28. Ugh September 23, 2012

    The biggest artists from the 90’s fell off (Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera), R&B as a whole fell the f*** off, i’m not God but I fail to see how Aaliyah would be ruling the world right now if she was alive.

  29. Ugh September 23, 2012

    Plus Aaliyah’s last album(which I love) wasn’t even slaying like that, I think J-Lo or Alicia Keys was number one on the charts at that time…….

  30. Celine September 23, 2012

    HER CAREER would be exactly where Ciara’s is now! You get my point

  31. Benron (King Of The Navy) September 23, 2012

    I actually beleive Aaliyah would be somewhat like Rihanna + Ciara + Brandy. Poor girl, right after she died BeYAWNCE stole her producers, cltohes and her signature dance moves, WHAT A H**!

  32. Beyonce is amazing September 23, 2012

    LOL!!! No disrespect but Aaliyah would be pulling c-error numbers. Thats a far fairer comparison. She should never be compared to the KING. We all know if the king died, half the world would too. That didnt exactly happen with ciara’s inspiration.

  33. Quetta September 23, 2012

    I love Aaliyah and I think that she would have been big then again she probably would have tooken a break..not sure. And what does beyonce has to do with this?? Some of you are just pressed! And if these two women would have did a collab together than it would have been epic!! IMO…and please, Ciara can dance her ass off. She gives Aaliyah a run for her money..

    • Rihanna Navy September 23, 2012

      “tooken” o.O, girl bye.

  34. jay September 23, 2012

    After watching this music video I am convinced aaliyah was already going r and b/pop.In this music video she already posses what is needed today to be successful pop artist.she has image, gimmicks, good looks and personality.But unlike today’s stars, she had talent to back it up.So she would have still been relevant.Plus she was s***,beautiful,tomboyish, feminine all at the same time.And her voice was soothing and great.Ciara would have never existed in the music world.

  35. Teflon Boy September 23, 2012

    It’s been somewhat addressed here already but Aaliyah was innovative in a way that Brandy whom I love and Monica and actually every other solo female RnB artist out at the time were not. All of her albums had an eccentric sound in comparison to what was out there musically at there time of their release. It’s easy with hindsight and an all too eager awareness of how RnB sounds NOW to fail to see how Aaliyah’s music differs from it but that is comparing today’s music with music that was made nearly 15 years ago and completely fails at realizing Aaliyah’s choices consistently re-directed the flow of RnB each time she released something.

    Anyone who seriously believes that Aaliyah would have ever released something akin to ‘It All Belongs To Me’ are seriously out of touch with what she was actually about as an artist. She never did the conventional thing nor was her RnB really considered straight RnB in it’s day…, but additionally it shows a narrow vision to think that if she hadn’t stuck with RnB she’d have jumped straight to David Guetta dance trash. Nah, I believe she would have retained her noir-ish roots but would have continued to go in a direction that had more in common with underground left-field artists and she would have made making that kind of music successful via her own sense of style. I can also imagine that she would have made a great name for herself as an actress with her choice of left-field and mainstream roles.

    Lastly, I believe Beyonce would still be the success she is simply because as well as being beautiful, hardworking and talented her business model is identical to JLo’s of that time i.e. brand focused so she would likely always have stayed making money. What she would have if Aaliyah hadn’t died however would be more pressure to actually delve deep and release emotionally resonant and challenging music. Beyonce is a God amongst insects, Aaliyah was no insect therefore she would have effortlessly challenged her.

    • STR8FACTS September 23, 2012

      YAAAAAAAASSSSSSSS

  36. Vegas Girl September 23, 2012

    Aailyah was definitely being geared up to be the one of the next it girls but no one can say where she would have been now. Who knows what her music would have sounded like now because her albums sounded different due to the people she worked with. Her first album with R Kelly sounded nothing like her album produced by Timbaland. The music and movie industry was so different then than it is now, that’s probably why some artists that were popular then are struggling to find their footing a decade later.

    Her death brought her attention that would have been more difficult and time consuming to get. I bet many folks on here talking about her legacy didn’t really know Aaliyah until her death, whether it be because you were too young or weren’t that into RnB, maybe they were listening to Britney Spears, NSYNC, all the t*** bubble gum pop that was really popular in the mainstream in the lat 90s, early 2000’s.

  37. s September 23, 2012

    Ironically I just played this video before the post was put up.. She was beautiful. I don’t think her and Beyonce were in the same lane at all, though… #imjustsaying she was a star in her own right… a very humble personality… Beyonce would be who is she is regardless of Aaliyah’s passing.. and Aaliyah would be a star in her own right it may have even heightened the interest level because of people “playing” them against eachother keeping both names in peoples mouths. T

  38. Angelica Nicole September 24, 2012

    There is a cartoon of this video on YouTube called ‘CARTOON Aaliyah We Need a Resolution’ its really cool you guys should check it out

  39. ASAP (As Sincere As Possible) September 24, 2012

    Aaliyah is so iconic and so is this video. She was on the verge of becoming a crossover superstar, especially after ‘Try Again’ slaying the entire Billboard. Such a tragic loss. She was born to be a performer. Her legacy lives on though regardless of how Blackground is messing it up…

    R.I.P. Aaliyah. Always remembered

  40. Julian September 24, 2012

    she would have been larger than life. and has proven so, even after death

  41. yooooooooo September 24, 2012

    Quite simply, AALIYAH IS ONE IN A MILLION <3

  42. @S_C_Jr September 26, 2012

    Back again

    *side note: Why do Beyonce, Rihanna, Ciara, etc. fans attack Aaliyah and vice versa? Aaliyah was sweet and very welcoming. She would’ve welcomed all the artists who came after her with open arms; Just like Whitney. You hear all these stories about Whitney welcoming and encouraging artists after her. Why do you think Aaliyah wouldn’t do the same. Stop these wars between stans for no reason. Just live and enjoy MUSIC!

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