Aaliyah flawlessly transitioned from tomboy teenager to confident woman with the release of her third and final studio album, released on July 17, 2001. While her previous LPs (Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number and One in a Million) leaned more toward R&B and soul, on Aaliyah she steered away from predictability and put forth a fresh sound with the help of a new production team.
Along with longtime producer and friend Timbaland, Jeffrey “J. Dub” Walker, Stephen “Bud’da” Anderson and Key Beats (comprised of Eric Seats and Rapture Stewart) were the masterminds behind a record that has remained timeless.