Hip-Hop historians credit Aaliyah's 1994 platinum debut album Age Ain't Nothing But A Number, for paving the way for Brandy, Monica, and a whole bunch of other teen stars that go by one name. Aaliyah Haughton, or Aaliyah as she's better known as, was born on January 16,1979. She first got the world's attention when at age 15, her bumping first single "Back and Forth" (6/9/94 went gold) went to #1 on the Hot 100 singles chart dethroning her mentor and producer R.Kelly's track,"Your Body's Callin". Her album was released on June of 94. She released another top five single called, "At Your Best (You Are Love)" (10/25/94 gold). This was a remake of an old Isley Brothers tune. Other hit singles soon followed including the groove friendly "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number" (the title track), and "Down With The Clique", a bass heavy jam. Soon after her album Age Ain't Nothing But A Number went platinum on 9/01/94, Aaliyah instantly grabbed fans attentions with her mix of good-girl/bad-girl style. Her sound had a real street flare, and she wasn't doing the bubble gum pop thing like the rest of the teen queens that came before her. In addition to fans, critics gushed Entertainment Weekly (6/17/94) ...Imagine En Vogue packed into one teenage body and backed by hip-hop svengali R. Kelly, and you have Aaliyah...a promising start...