In this powerful reflection, Tony Baker remembers the day after Aaliyah’s birthday and the heartbreaking moment he found out she died in a plane crash. He speaks on how Aaliyah had just begun to break free from R. Kelly’s shadow, building her own sound with Missy Elliott, Timbaland, and Ginuwine while stepping into Hollywood with movies like Romeo Must Die and The Matrix sequels. Tony shares how her death blindsided him in a way that the tragedies of Tupac and Biggie didn’t, describing it as the first celebrity loss that truly broke him.
This conversation goes beyond Aaliyah—it explores the ripple effect of losing artists like Selena, Eazy-E, and Freddie Mercury, and the way entire communities grieved when their stars were taken too soon. Tony’s storytelling captures the deep emotional connection fans have with music legends, reminding us how these moments live forever in hip hop and R&B history.
