Photographer Eddie Otchere recalls his favorite moments with the late R&B powerhouse.

Photographer Eddie Otchere recalls his favorite moments with the late R&B powerhouse, Aaliyah.

“Rappers then were such powerful figures. They were like comic book characters: ODB, Coolio, Biggie […] Aaliyah was just a young suburban girl who seemed so sincere and genuine. These images are from the first time I met and hung out with her, shot for the interview we did for Touch magazine. We were all in our teens or just coming out of our teens.”&nbsp;
“I had bought all these hard-to-find films to try to record her beauty, her elegance. It was basically a matter of documenting and I didn't think anything of it beyond that. My favorite image from that shoot is the one with the oversized Nike polo.”&nbsp;

“The second time we met I was much more prepared. She had blossomed into an incredible artist with great beats produced by Timbaland, setting the tone for R&amp;B. She sang of love on '4 Page Letter' but she also sang about never giving up on 'Try Again.' She had become a much more mature artist.”&nbsp;
“My go-to negative. It rendered this weird green hue with an unusual mid-tone, low-contrast print. She’s comfortable being in front of the camera. You could sense that straight away. It’s just like she performs. She embodies the hip-hop swagger.”

“I loved these shots because of the contrast. She was rocking the camo bandana, so this juxtaposition of pattern came out beautifully. It was just about capturing someone who was absolutely beautiful.”&nbsp;
“The iconic Aaliyah portrait, the black and white one, was shot on a Minolta X300, I think. Not the most expensive camera, but it had a nice 24-millimeter lens. I still get gassed thinking about the grain of Aaliyah's skin, just the smoothness of it.”&nbsp;
“It's calming to be around someone who's so sure of themselves—but not arrogant, just confident. You just point the camera at them. That’s why I named my first daughter Aliyah. I wanted to gift her presence to my children: ‘You're in the same line as Aaliyah,’ you know?”

The Legacy of Aaliyah, Lensed by Eddie Otchere

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