Aaliyah‘s 1996 sophomore album One In A Million was recently released on streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music, and has subsequently shot up onto the Billboard 200. Right now, according to The New York Times, the Timbaland-produced project has cracked the Billboard Top 10. (For context, One In A Million peaked at number 18 when it first came out.)
The follow-up to 1994’s Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number, One In A Million officially hit streaming services earlier in August via a partnership between the singer’s original label, Blackground, and EMPIRE, the independent distributor. Within hours, it reached the top spots on nearly every service. Meanwhile, Aaliyah’s estate released a statement condemning the release, calling it an “unscrupulous endeavor to release Aaliyah’s music without any transparency or full accounting to the estate.”
Blackground’s founder Barry Hankerson (who is also the late singer’s uncle), however, released a statement that thanked fans for their support. “As the owner of Aaliyah’s catalog and label Blackground Records, I want to thank you all for allowing One In A Million, to chart #3 in the world,” he wrote in the caption of an Instagram post. “I cannot take the credit for managing Aaliyah as that was never a title I held. That title belonged to Diane Haughton and her husband who managed Aaliyah from the start of her career until her passing. I want to thank Diane, Aaliyah’s manager, for allowing and choosing Blackground Records to become her label.”
Next up, the Romeo Must Die soundtrack is set to hit streaming services this Friday, September 3, and Aaliyah’s self-titled album will follow on September 10. Finally, her posthumous releases I Care 4 U and Ultimate Aaliyah will arrive on October 8.
One In A Million is out now via Blackground 2.0/EMPIRE. Get it here.