Aaliyah’s music may be finally coming to streaming services.
Eighteen years since her death, the late singer’s uncle Barry Hankerson took to Twitter to announce that her full discography will be available on major streaming services on Aaliyah’s birthday: Jan. 16, 2020.
“We listened, this is not a drill in honor of the great legacy of #Aaliyah,” Hankerson, head of the now-defunct Blackground Records, tweeted on his private account before tagging Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, and Amazon Prime. He ended with the “1/16/2020” date.
It’s been a long time coming. Only Aaliyah’s debut album, 1994’s Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number, is currently available for streaming. Her other two albums—1996’s One in a Million and her third and final studio album, 2001’s Aaliyah—are not available on any digital platforms.
According to Complex, Hankerson is the reason why Aaliyah’s discography has not been previously available digitally. He owns the rights to her catalog with the exception of her debut, which was produced by R. Kelly. Hankerson sold a stake in Blackground’s publishing rights to Reservoir in 2012.