The best Twitter and Instagram reactions to Lifetime's 'Aaliyah' biopic casting

theGRIO REPORT - Well before the network broadcast the Wendy Williams produced film, it was the center of social media controversy.

Nov 16, 2014

Last night, Lifetime aired its Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B starring Alexandra Shipp.

Well before the network broadcast the Wendy Williams produced film, it was the center of social media controversy. Aaliyah’s family publicly stated that they did not approve of the biopic and urged fans not to view it. The film initially cast Zendaya Coleman, who eventually bowed out from the lead role after she received heavy criticism from Aaliyah fans.

The film replaced Coleman with Shipp, who, along with the actors they selected to play Missy Elliott and Timbaland, received massive amounts of social media backlash. Further compounding the issue, it was announced that the biopic would not feature any of Aaliyah’s music. Some became apoplectic when Lifetime introduced a trailer of the film featuring an Iggy Azalea track.

WATCH: ‘Aaliyah’ Biopic Star Alexandra Shipp: I’m Being Bullied For Taking The Role

Last night, the film finally aired, but social media couldn’t seem to get past the casting decisions made by the film’s producers. We compiled some of the best tweets and Instagram posts to give you a taste. What did you think of the film? Take our poll below.

http://instagram.com/p/vd1HNAxUxN/

http://instagram.com/p/vdwsgLjlB3/

http://instagram.com/p/vdtGTcmZOb/

http://instagram.com/p/vdqYlQEW-9/

https://twitter.com/DaveyRemix/status/533812215594639360

https://twitter.com/Stoney_Blu/status/533812545673773057

https://twitter.com/DaveyRemix/status/533811218998644736

https://twitter.com/De_Nako/status/533818669906673665

https://twitter.com/phontigallo/status/533825931459444736

https://twitter.com/_savage_57/status/533836899430191104

https://twitter.com/keithington/status/533873047804325888

https://twitter.com/kdotsdaughter/status/533818783732080640

https://twitter.com/YungLost_Rebel/status/533812623985614849

https://twitter.com/SKEJayRogers/status/533811295016189954

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