The first time I met Aaliyah, she was so sweeet and nice. I was at a rehearsal for one of our videos, and we were working with her friend Fatima, the chrographer. We were so excited to meet her, because we were big fans. And she just sat over to the side - actually sat on the floor - and rewound our tape for us. She had the warmest, most humble aura; you would never even think that she was a celebrity, yet here she was, this huge star. Aaliyah was the first young artist to come out, and she influenced all of us. Her new album is tremendous. I loved that it's different fromt he others, more mature. And I totally respect that she stated acting; to do an album and a movie takess so much dedication ad love for your craft. To be honest, I was septical about doing Carmen: A Hip Hopera but when I saw that she could do it, I was like, ;all right.' She gave me the strength and the cofidence to do it. Just from seeing Romeo Must Die you could tell she was an extraordinary actress. She would have done more movies and become a legend. And that is what she is now." -Beyonce