Missy Elliott and Timbaland deny Aaliyah album involvement

Old friends and collaborators of the late R&B star say they don’t plan to be involved in Drake’s posthumous Aaliyah album.

Mere days ago, superstar Canadian rapper Drake spoke about the forthcoming posthumous Aaliyah album he is working on with producer 40 and Aaliyah’s cousin Jomo Hankerson.

Turns out there’s a bit of a problem with Hankerson stating that Aaliyah’s former collaborators Missy Elliott and Timbaland would also be contributing to the album. They haven’t been contacted about it, and now that they know, they have no plans to participate.

Billboard reports that Elliott manager Mona Scott-Young has provided a press release saying that neither Elliott or Timbaland would be involved.

It reads, in part: “Although Missy and Timbaland always strive to keep the memory of their close friend alive, we have not been contacted about the project nor are there any plans at this time to participate.”

“We’ve seen the reports surfacing that they have been confirmed to participate but that is not the case. Both Missy and Timbaland are very sensitive to the loss still being felt by the family so we wanted to clear up any misinformation being circulated.”

Missy herself added, “Tim and I carry Aaliyah with us everyday, like so many of the people who love her. She will always live in our hearts. We have nothing but love and respect for her memory and for her loved ones left behind still grieving her loss. They are always in our prayers.”

The controversy over Drake’s efforts – he never met Aaliyah and seemingly has no personal or professional connection to the late R&B star – continues. See what you think of the first tune below.