Aaliyah's Record Labels: The Complete History of Her Music Contracts
Throughout her career, Aaliyah was signed to multiple record labels, with her most notable affiliations being Blackground Records and Atlantic Records.
Aaliyah began her professional music career in 1991 when she signed with Jive Records at just 12 years old. However, her primary record label throughout most of her career was Blackground Records, which was founded by her uncle Barry Hankerson. Blackground Records handled her releases in partnership with other major labels.
From 1991 to 1996, Blackground Records worked with Jive Records to release Aaliyah's debut album "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number" (1994). This partnership produced several hit singles including "Back & Forth" and "At Your Best (You Are Love)."
In 1996, Aaliyah's label situation changed when Blackground Records entered into a new distribution deal with Atlantic Records. This partnership resulted in the release of her second album "One in a Million" (1996) and her self-titled final album "Aaliyah" (2001).
The label structure for Aaliyah's releases looked like this:
1991-1996: Blackground Records/Jive Records 1996-2001: Blackground Records/Atlantic Records
Today, after years of legal disputes, Aaliyah's music catalog is now controlled by Blackground Records 2.0, a relaunch of the original label, which has made her music widely available on streaming platforms since 2021.
The combination of these record label partnerships played a crucial role in establishing Aaliyah as one of R&B's most influential artists, helping her achieve worldwide sales of over 30 million albums.