''Unstoppable'' is the upcoming fourth studio album and first posthumous non-compilation album from American singer

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

. It was scheduled to be released in January 2022 through Blackground Records 2.0 and

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

, but did not come out at that time and as of 2023, a new release date has yet to be announced. The album was preceded by the single "

Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

", which features vocals from Canadian singer

the Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...

. The album will be the third studio album of Aaliyah material since her death in a plane crash in 2001.

Background

On August 25, 2021, the 20th anniversary of Aaliyah's death, her uncle and Blackground Records 2.0 label boss,

Barry Hankerson Barry Hankerson (born August 3, 1947) is an American record producer, music label owner and manager. Hankerson is the founder of Blackground Records. He is the uncle of singer and actress Aaliyah. Career Born and raised in Harlem, New York Ci ...

, revealed in an interview with

Big Tigger Darian "Big Tigger" Morgan (born December 22, 1972), also known as Big Tigg, is an American television personality, television/radio personality and rapper best known as the host of Black Entertainment Television, BET's ''Rap City (TV series), Rap ...

for

WVEE WVEE (103.3 FM, "V-103") is a commercial radio station in Atlanta, Georgia. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an urban contemporary radio format. WVEE is one of the highest-rated stations of the Atlanta radio market according to Nielsen Aud ...

that a fourth (and likely final) studio album, titled ''Unstoppable'', would be released in "a matter of weeks". The album will feature

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

and use previously unreleased vocals from before Aaliyah's death. Hankerson shared that this will be the end of new music for the late star and added, "I think it's wonderful. It's a very emotional process to do. It's very difficult to hear her sing when she's not here, but we got through it." Hankerson added in 2022, "She loved Snoop Dogg, who's done a great record in collaboration with Future. Ne-Yo gave us an excellent song; also Drake.

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

produced the track that Chris Brown did. It's

vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

R&B with strong vocals." Following the release of the first single, Hankerson told ''Billboard'': "Everything I do at Blackground is always with Aaliyah in my heart and in my mind. God knows Aaliyah and I spent a lot of time talking about music. I think she would be very happy with the selections we made and the guests because the artists themselves made it known to us how much they wanted to work with her and be a part of her legacy. And I pray that she is happy. Aaliyah would love hearing herself with the current stars of the industry that she cared so much about. And that's all I wanted to do."

Singles

The lead single from the album, "

", which features Canadian singer-songwriter

, was released on December 17, 2021. Aaliyah's vocals had been demoed in 2001, shortly before the singer's death. Upon release, the single attracted backlash due to the poor quality of Aaliyah's vocals in comparison to the crisp quality of the Weeknd's vocals. Fans of Aaliyah dismissed the song as "disrespectful". Less than twenty four hours after release, Mike Dean, who mixed and mastered the track, released an updated, and much clearer, version on all digital outlets. One week after the single's release, it debuted at number 33 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart. In the US, "Poison" debuted at number 26 on the ''Billboard'' Adult R&B Airplay Chart for the week of January 1, 2022. It peaked at number 21 and spent 12 weeks on that chart. "Poison" also debuted on the ''Billboard'' R&B Digital Song Sales at number 14.

References

{{Authority control Aaliyah albums Empire Distribution albums Upcoming albums