Music Stars Who Love Aaliyah

Drake, Beyoncé, Brandy and others inspired by Baby Girl.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl - Today (Jan. 16) would have been Aaliyah's 36th birthday and the love she receives hasn't waned. Many of today's stars were highly influenced by the Princess of R&B, so let's take a look at several, including Drake and Beyoncé, who've shown their love and appreciation for Baby Girl over the years. –– Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photos from left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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Happy Birthday, Baby Girl - Today (Jan. 16) would have been Aaliyah's 36th birthday and the love she receives hasn't waned. Many of today's stars were highly influenced by the Princess of R&B, so let's take a look at several, including Drake and Beyoncé, who've shown their love and appreciation for Baby Girl over the years. –– Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photos from left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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Drake - Drake has made several songs honoring Aaliyah and even had two Baby Girl tributes inked on his body. He also finished up a previously unreleased Aaliyah song in 2012 called "Enough Said," ensuring her memory lives on. (Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images)

Jhené Aiko - Jhené Aiko's vocal talents are very similar to the "Rock the Boat" star and Aaliyah's influences can be found throughout her music. (Photo: Nector Marmolejos/WENN)

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Jhené Aiko - Jhené Aiko's vocal talents are very similar to the "Rock the Boat" star and Aaliyah's influences can be found throughout her music. (Photo: Nector Marmolejos/WENN)

Photo By Photo: Nector Marmolejos/WENN

Teyanna Taylor - Teyana Taylor had Aaliyah posters all over her wall growing up and sang a few of the Princess of R&B's songs in her efforts to get signed. Not stopping there, once she hit it big, she's even done several Aaliyah tributes during her shows and performed some of her classic material.(Photo: Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET)

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Teyanna Taylor - Teyana Taylor had Aaliyah posters all over her wall growing up and sang a few of the Princess of R&B's songs in her efforts to get signed. Not stopping there, once she hit it big, she's even done several Aaliyah tributes during her shows and performed some of her classic material.(Photo: Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET)

Zendaya - Zendaya studied Aaliyah's movies to a T and the singing/ dancing/acting vixen was even up for the role to portray Baby Girl in the Lifetime biopic but stepped down because Aaliyah's family and friends weren't on board. (Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Hollister)

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Zendaya - Zendaya studied Aaliyah's movies to a T and the singing/ dancing/acting vixen was even up for the role to portray Baby Girl in the Lifetime biopic but stepped down because Aaliyah's family and friends weren't on board. (Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Hollister)

Photo By Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Hollister

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Brandy - We just wanted to be down when she released her self-titled debut album. Then we wanted to be her when she landed a role in the teenage thriller I Still Know What You Did Last Summer alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt. Now we're just in love with her as Chardonnay in BET's hit series The Game. #Glowraay  (Photo: Brad Barket/BET/Getty Images for BET)

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Brandy - Brandy and Aaliyah were actually friends, Brandy told Billboard in a chat about their first encounter. “I was so excited to meet her because she was the first girl on the scene. She came out before Monica and I did, she was our inspiration. At the time, record companies did not believe in kid acts, and it was just inspiring to see someone that was winning — and winning being themselves."(Photo: Brad Barket/BET/Getty Images for BET)

Chris Brown - Aaliyah touched Chris Brown heavily and the R&B crooner proved what she meant to him when he sampled her vocals and paid tribute to her in his 2013 video and song "Don't Think They Know."(Photo: SIPA/WENN.com)

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Chris Brown - Aaliyah touched Chris Brown heavily and the R&B crooner proved what she meant to him when he sampled her vocals and paid tribute to her in his 2013 video and song "Don't Think They Know."(Photo: SIPA/WENN.com)

Photo By Photo: SIPA/WENN.com

Tinashe - Tinashe has paid homage to Aaliyah in many of her interviews and her tomboy swag comes from the "Back & Forth" singer's arsenal. Tinashe has also been known to rock her hair covering one eye too, to pay tribute to her idol.   (Photo: Cassy Athena / London Ent/Splash News)

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Tinashe - Tinashe has paid homage to Aaliyah in many of her interviews and her tomboy swag comes from the "Back & Forth" singer's arsenal. Tinashe has also been known to rock her hair covering one eye too, to pay tribute to her idol.   (Photo: Cassy Athena / London Ent/Splash News)

Cassie - Cassie knows what it takes to win and stated in 2011 that her album Electro Love was aiming for an Aaliyah sound. (Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty Images)

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Cassie - Cassie knows what it takes to win and stated in 2011 that her album Electro Love was aiming for an Aaliyah sound. (Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty Images

Sevyn Streeter - Sevyn Streeter wasn't afraid to let the world know how much the "One in a Million" singer impacted her career. She even visited Aaliyah's high school in 2013 to speak with the kids and penned an open letter thanking Aaliyah for her influences. Her cover of "Come Over" was on point too. (Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for BET)

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Sevyn Streeter - Sevyn Streeter wasn't afraid to let the world know how much the "One in a Million" singer impacted her career. She even visited Aaliyah's high school in 2013 to speak with the kids and penned an open letter thanking Aaliyah for her influences. Her cover of "Come Over" was on point too. (Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for BET)

Photo By Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for BET

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Ciara - Ciara has been receiving comparisons to the vixen since she arrived on the scene and even Timbaland agreed with fans when they touted her as the next Aaliyah because of her singing, style and dance moves.(Photo: Neville Hopwood/Getty Images for Vogue & The Dubai Mall)

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Ciara - Ciara has been receiving comparisons to the vixen since she arrived on the scene and even Timbaland agreed with fans when they touted her as the next Aaliyah because of her singing, style and dance moves.(Photo: Neville Hopwood/Getty Images for Vogue & The Dubai Mall)

Rihanna - She's conquered music (13 singles on Billboard's Hot 100, as many as Michael Jackson), social media (11 million followers on Instagram, 34 million on Twitter) and fashion (she's done four collections with British mega-brand River Island). Now, the chart-topper and style icon seems to be shifting her focus on giving back. Last year, Rihanna launched her Clara Lionel Foundation to help needy children and the Diamond Ball to get some of her celeb friends to part with their cash for a good cause. Has our favorite bad girl gone good? (Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for The Clara Lionel Foundation)

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Rihanna - Rihanna definitely pulled some pages out of Baby Girl's book as her tomboyish vibes mixed with the right amount of femininity are direct homages. (Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for The Clara Lionel Foundation)

FKA twigs - FKA twigs holds the late Detroit singer in high regard as she channeled Aaliyah's look from the film Queen of the Damned for her seductive video "Two Weeks."(Photo: Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images)

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FKA twigs - FKA twigs holds the late Detroit singer in high regard as she channeled Aaliyah's look from the film Queen of the Damned for her seductive video "Two Weeks."(Photo: Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images

Beyoncé  - Beyoncé has no problem telling the world that she admired Aaliyah and that the late R&B vixen gave her and her Destiny's Child crew a little bit of game back in the day. Bey has even been known to rock shirts with Baby Girl's visage to pay homage to one of her major influences. (Photo: Beyonce via Instagram)

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Beyoncé  - Beyoncé has no problem telling the world that she admired Aaliyah and that the late R&B vixen gave her and her Destiny's Child crew a little bit of game back in the day. Bey has even been known to rock shirts with Baby Girl's visage to pay homage to one of her major influences. (Photo: Beyonce via Instagram)

Photo By Photo: Beyonce via Instagram