Today marks 8 years since the untimely death of Aaliyah Dana Haughton. No disrespect but when 2Pac and Biggie died, I didn't cry for them. Not because they weren't great artists but because I didn't know them personally. I took them passing difficult because of my love for hip hop and rap but when Aaliyah passed, I took it to heart. She not only grew up in my hometown but went to my high school (Detroit H.S. for the Fine & Performing Arts). So instead of focusing on her career in this post, I prefer to reminisce on a personal memory.

I'll admit, we weren't friends nor did we hang but every single encounter that I had with her was pleasant. I remember sitting at the table with her and her mom during an award ceremony and my mom who was unaware of who she was asked her for her autograph upon finding out that she had a single out. At the time I was so embarrassed that my mom would bother this girl (my peer) but it was something about her and you just knew that she would make it. To this day I keep that program with my scrapbook of all things of importance from H.S.

During that same award ceremony, I vaguely remember some guys singing Back & Forth as she received her award for being on the honor roll or something like that. That's just how people got down at my school and she took in stride. No attitude just laughter as they celebrated her single and her arriving.

When I found out she had died, I was driving down 6 mile with my friend Tiffany (who is no longer here in the physical sense, and I miss her so much). For some reason 6 mile was packed that night with bumper to bumper traffic. While driving, the news of Aaliyah's plane crashing was announced on the radio. Hearing the news of our hometown starlet hit us hard simultaneously, it's as if all movement stopped. What you have to understand is that not since Diana Ross, Barry Gordy and the Motown era had Detroit had a star that we could call our very own. There may have been other artists that represented the "D" but no one had been received nationwide as Aaliyah was. To top it off, she was my peer. I graduated from D.S.A. in 1996 and she in 1997. For many of us, Aaliyah's passing was the first time we had to deal with the thought of a peer or classmate passing. To make matters worse, it was completely out of her control which made it hurt even more.

Everyone has their own memories of Aaliyah but when thinking back to my interaction with her, I am not surprised of how high her star soared. I am confident that if she was still with us, her impact on the world of entertainment would still be going strong. She passed away 8 years ago and we still miss her.