Aaliyah’s Estate Hints Fans Should Cover R. Kelly’s Face on Album Reissue

Aaliyah‘s estate says they hope fans follow their “instructions” upon copping the vinyl reissue of her debut album, with some fans believing that means covering R. Kelly‘s face on the cover.

After the rereleased vinyl edition of Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number hit retailers last week, Aaliyah’s official social media accounts, which her estate manages, shared a cryptic message that got some fans talking.

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“We hope that y’all listened to instructions carefully While bumpin’ ‘Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number‘ the just released reissue on your record players this week,” shared the account. “Aaliyah’s got a 90’s swing So be careful and share your copy with us please Yeah, hmm… – Team Aaliyah.”

With their post, the estate attached a TikTok video from a fan who showed off their copy, with a hype sticker strategically covering R. Kelly’s face. They also place their thumb over his face on the back cover.

It’s worth noting that other videos and photos circulating online of the vinyl still sealed in its retail plastic show a hype sticker placed directly over R. Kelly’s face on the album cover.

What happened between Aaliyah and R. Kelly?

Kelly played a major role in Aaliyah’s 1994 debut album after the pair met through Aaliyah’s uncle Barry Hankerson, who managed Kelly at the time. Kelly worked as a writer, producer, and performer on the project and reportedly helped shape Aaliyah’s early career, as explained by Biography.com

Not long after the album’s release, rumors began circulating that the two were romantically involved and had secretly married. Aaliyah had previously described their relationship as “fun” and “really close,” but speculation intensified in January 1995 when Vibe published what it claimed was a copy of their marriage certificate. The document reportedly listed Kelly as 27 years old and Aaliyah as 18, though she would have only been 15 at the time.

Despite years of public speculation, neither Aaliyah nor Kelly ever publicly confirmed the marriage.

Reports later claimed Aaliyah filed to have the marriage annulled and cut professional ties with Kelly shortly afterward. In 1997, she also reportedly petitioned to have the marriage record removed from her file.

Aaliyah seemingly refused to speak about her relationship with Kelly on numerous occasions. She died in a plane crash near the Bahamas in 2001 at age 22 after filming the music video for “Rock the Boat.”

In a 2016 interview with GQ, Kelly described his relationship with Aaliyah as “best friends” and “deep friends.” He opted not to speak on the marriage rumors “out of respect for her mother … and father who has asked me not to personally.”

Kelly was acquitted on child pornography charges in 2008. In 2021, he was convicted on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges involving women and underage girls. Two years later, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for child sex crimes.