When thousands of fans rose to their feet inside the Caesars Superdome for ESSENCE Festival’s all-star tribute to Aaliyah, they were witnessing more than a nostalgic celebration of one of R&B’s most beloved stars.
They were experiencing an idea that had quietly taken shape behind the scenes months earlier.
In an exclusive interview with theGrio, Legacy Music Group co-founder Chaka Zulu revealed that his company developed the concept for the tribute, which celebrated both the 25th anniversary of Aaliyah’s self-titled third and final studio album and the 30th anniversary of her landmark sophomore album, “One in a Million.”
“We originated the idea of an Aaliyah tribute,” Zulu told theGrio. “Our company was the publishing holder of songwriter Static Major, who wrote a majority of her biggest records as well as the hits that are on the ‘Aaliyah’ album.”
Static Major’s fingerprints are all over Aaliyah’s catalog, having co-written fan favorites including “Try Again,” “More Than a Woman,” “Rock the Boat,” and several other defining records from the singer’s career. That connection made the anniversaries feel like the right moment to celebrate both the music and the songwriter behind many of its biggest hits.
“It became a more thought-out process of doing a hybrid of songs from both,” Zulu said, explaining that the original plan centered on the Aaliyah album before expanding to include “One in a Million” once the overlapping anniversaries became clear.
That vision ultimately became one of the most talked-about moments of the festival.
During Sunday’s “One in a Million, Forever” tribute, Mýa, Chlöe, Normani, Ryan Destiny and Sevyn Streeter revisited some of Aaliyah’s most recognizable songs while honoring the effortless cool, athletic choreography and understated confidence that made the late singer a generational icon. The celebration also featured longtime collaborators from Aaliyah’s creative circle, helping recreate the spirit of her performances rather than simply covering her music.
According to Zulu, selecting the artists required more than finding strong vocalists.
“We pinpointed artists that we thought could potentially be a part of this,” he said. “They either have replicated Aaliyah’s process or have some DNA, or were inspired by Aaliyah, or can carry that level of impact in the market today that we could say is Aaliyah-esque.”
Once Legacy developed the concept, the company began reaching out to the people who helped shape Aaliyah’s career. That included Timbaland, Missy Elliott and other longtime collaborators.
Zulu said Elliott immediately embraced the opportunity.
“Missy jumped at the opportunity,” he recalled. “She took full reins over the creative direction.”
Under Elliott’s leadership, the production leaned heavily on authenticity. Zulu said she brought back former members of Aaliyah’s live band and enlisted acclaimed choreographer Fatima Robinson, whose work helped define many of Aaliyah’s most memorable music videos. The team also reached out to members of Aaliyah’s styling circle to ensure the performance reflected the late singer’s signature aesthetic.
For Zulu, however, the tribute was about more than recreating memorable moments. He hopes it encourages both longtime fans and younger audiences to reconnect with Aaliyah’s music.
“The first thing is remembrance,” he said. “There are artists that transcend. There are artists that are unicorns.”
He believes today’s renewed fascination with late 1990s and early 2000s culture creates the perfect opportunity to introduce Aaliyah’s catalog to listeners who may know her influence without fully knowing her music.
“It’s the remembrance of her, and then it’s a rediscovery or discovery of her music,” he said.
That philosophy also reflects Legacy Music Group’s broader mission. Rather than simply preserving classic publishing catalogs, Zulu said the company wants to actively reintroduce them into today’s cultural conversation.
“We want to be a little bit more proactive than just holding on to catalogs and waiting for people to ask us to use them,” he said. “We want to expose and market and promote them and be intentional about integrating them into the current conversation of culture.”
Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001 at just 22 years old, but her influence has only grown in the decades since. From fashion to choreography to the modern sound of R&B, echoes of her artistry continue to shape a new generation of performers. For Zulu, that’s exactly why the tribute mattered.
It wasn’t simply about celebrating the past. It was about ensuring one of Black music’s most influential catalogs continues to find new audiences, one generation at a time.
