A bitter family battle surrounding Aaliyah has taken a stunning turn.
Just days after the 25th anniversary of the R&B icon’s tragic death, her uncle and former manager Barry Hankerson has claimed that his own son, Jomo Hankerson, bears some responsibility for the circumstances that preceded the fatal 2001 plane crash.
The allegation forms part of an escalating legal war between the father and son over money and valuable music rights.
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According to TMZ, Barry claims Jomo was paid to coordinate travel for Aaliyah’s Bahamas video shoot for ‘Rock the Boat’.
He alleges that Jomo “failed in his responsibility” and maintains that the crash:
“may have been avoided had [Jomo] followed through on his compensated task of travel coordination.”
The starlet died alongside eight others when their aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from the Bahamas on August 25, 2001. She was just 22.
The explosive accusation surfaced in response to Jomo’s lawsuit against his father and Blackground Records.
He claims Barry breached a settlement concerning recording masters and publishing copyrights connected to Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX, Timbaland, and others, and is seeking more than $1.2 million.
The dispute adds another complicated chapter to the handling of the late star’s catalog.
After years off major digital platforms, her music was finally released to streaming in 2021, a move that itself arrived amid tensions surrounding Blackground and Aaliyah’s estate.
Barry denies wrongdoing in the current case and disputes the validity of the settlement. Jomo has also denied the allegations leveled against him.
The case remains ongoing.
Bloody heck, leave poor Aaliyah alone. She will be rolling in her grave seeing her legacy and unreleased recordings desicrated as crap money grabs.
Drake, R Kelly, Uncle Barry and a whole host of others have an unnatural obsession with her. Poor girl was talented yes, but she died RIP. She was used in life and used in her legacy. She deserves peace and respect.
Leave her alone, we’re fed up of hearing about her and she’s fed up of being fan fiction.
There’s clearly a lot of unresolved emotions here and I hope that one day this family is able to find some lasting peace. Sadly, I believe that it was just her time to go and trying to blame someone for it isn’t helpful and isn’t going to undo it.