Missy Elliott Praises Aaliyah As “The Blueprint” On Her 44th Birthday

Preezy Brown
·2 min read
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Missy Elliott took time to honor her late friend and collaborator Aaliyah Haughton on what would’ve been the singer’s 44th birthday. On Monday (Jan. 16), Elliott hopped on Twitter to pay her respects to the R&B star, noting her legacy as a creative, icon, and talent whose impact remains.

“You will forever be the BLUEPRINT of what it means to STEP OUTSIDE the box MUSICALLY & creating NEW style in FASHION & a NATURAL at acting & being GREAT at them all The World will always feel your IMPACT & LOVE you shared 4ever,” the 51-year-old rapper wrote alongside a photo of Aaliyah smiling.

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Missy Elliott’s love for the “Try Again” songstress continues to endure 20 years after her tragic death in a plane crash in August 2001. The pair met during the creation of Aaliyah’s sophomore album One in a Million, which was released in 1996. More than half of the songs were penned by Elliott, including the smash singles “If Your Girl Only Knew,” “4 Page Letter,” “Hot Like Fire,” and the album’s titular smash. Missy and Aaliyah would work together up until her death, with Elliott penning her 2001 single “I Care 4 U” from her third, self-titled album .

Over the past year, Elliott has been extended her own flowers, as the decorated songwriter has received numerous honors from her peers and within her community. In August 2022, it was announced that the Portsmouth, VA native would be getting her own street named after her in her hometown in light of her contributions. In December 2022, Tyler the Creator urged his fans to become students of Missy Elliott and her music, crediting her as one of his biggest influences.

On Tuesday (Jan. 17), it was announced that she’ll be performing at the 2023 edition of the Lovers & Friends music festival, which is scheduled to hit Las Vegas in May.

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