Cookie banner

This site uses cookies. Select "Block all non-essential cookies" to only allow cookies necessary to display content and enable core site features. Select "Accept all cookies" to also personalize your experience on the site with ads and partner content tailored to your interests, and to allow us to measure the effectiveness of our service.

To learn more, review our Cookie Policy, Privacy Notice and Terms of Use.

or
clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Lifetime's Aaliyah Biopic to Debut Amidst Abs Renaissance

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.


Aaliyah (R) and Alexandra Shipp (L). Photos: Getty
Lifetime, staying true to its biopic roots (i.e. young, beautiful, and tragically deceased subjects), will premier Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B starring Nickelodeon sprout Alexandra Shipp on November 15. Before her death in a plane crash in 2001 at the age of 22, Aaliyah was arguably the best thing to happen to abs at the time, and was definitely the best thing to happen to cargo pants and sports bras. Just watch the "Are You That Somebody" video. Basically, Alexander Wang, Rihanna, and all the bare midriffs of 2014 owe a lot to her.

Lifetime released the trailer full of drama, with lines like, "It takes more than some hot producer to create a superstar. It takes the right artist," from her mom. And the right abs, mom. The right abs. See some of Shipp's Aaliyah-like dance moves below.