😳 AALIYAH’S FAMILY IS FIGHTING OVER MONEY... AND NOW HER UNCLE IS BLAMING HER COUSIN FOR HER DEATH?!

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Twenty-five years after the world lost Aaliyah, a family court battle over money and music rights has taken a turn NOBODY expected.

Because somehow we went from:

“You owe me money.”

to:

“AND YOU'RE PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR AALIYAH'S DEATH.”

WAIT A DAMN MINUTE.

How the hell did we get HERE?!

Aaliyah's uncle and former manager, Barry Hankerson, is battling his own son Jomo Hankerson, who is Aaliyah's cousin, in court.

And buried inside this family fight is a stunning allegation involving the August 25, 2001 plane crash that killed Aaliyah and eight other people.

💰 THIS STARTED WITH MONEY

Jomo sued his father and Blackground Records over a previous settlement involving recording masters and publishing rights connected to music from artists including Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX and Timbaland.

Jomo alleges he's entitled to a percentage of money generated from those music assets and claims his father hasn't properly paid him.

Barry denies those allegations.

The dispute has grown increasingly nasty, with accusations flying in BOTH directions.

But then Barry brought up something far more serious than royalties.

AALIYAH'S DEATH.

And everybody immediately went:

EXCUSE ME?!

✈️ BARRY SAYS JOMO WAS SUPPOSED TO HANDLE AALIYAH'S TRAVEL

According to allegations Barry made in court filings, Jomo had been paid to accompany Aaliyah and coordinate her travel during the Bahamas trip where she filmed the video for “Rock the Boat.”

Barry alleges his son failed to carry out that responsibility.

His argument is essentially that if the travel arrangements had been handled differently, Aaliyah might never have boarded the aircraft that ultimately crashed.

Barry claims the tragedy “may have been avoided” if Jomo had fulfilled the travel-coordination responsibility he says Jomo was paid to perform.

Now HOLD THE HELL UP.

That's an enormous accusation.

And there's an important distinction everybody needs to understand:

🚨 A COURT HAS NOT FOUND THAT JOMO CAUSED AALIYAH'S DEATH.

This is Barry Hankerson's allegation in an ongoing family legal dispute.

Jomo denies wrongdoing.

There has been no new official determination that Jomo caused the plane crash.

And considering how serious this accusation is, we're not turning an allegation into a damn conviction just because somebody put it in court papers.

💔 WHAT WE ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT THAT HORRIBLE FLIGHT

Aaliyah was only 22 years old when she finished filming “Rock the Boat” in the Bahamas.

On August 25, 2001, she and members of her team boarded a Cessna 402B at Marsh Harbour for the flight back to Florida.

The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff.

Everyone aboard died.

Investigators later determined that the aircraft was overloaded and improperly balanced.

The pilot was also found to have cocaine and alcohol in his system, and investigators determined he wasn't properly authorized to operate that aircraft.

Those aren't rumors.

Those were major findings surrounding the crash.

Which makes Barry's new allegation complicated.

He's essentially arguing that Jomo's alleged failure to properly coordinate travel contributed to the chain of circumstances that ultimately placed Aaliyah aboard that aircraft.

But again:

That is Barry's argument. It is NOT an official finding that Jomo killed Aaliyah or legally caused the crash.

😳 AND THIS FAMILY FIGHT GETS EVEN UGLIER

Because Aaliyah's death isn't the only accusation being thrown around.

Jomo has accused Barry of withholding money he believes he's owed from music assets.

Barry denies that.

Barry has accused Jomo of threatening to release unreleased Aaliyah music during their financial dispute.

Jomo denies wrongdoing.

And the father-son relationship apparently has been fractured for years.

So now you've got:

Money.

Music masters.

Publishing rights.

Unreleased Aaliyah recordings.

A father suing his son.

A son suing his father.

And somehow...

AALIYAH'S DEATH IS NOW SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAMN COURTROOM.

This family needs a mediator, an accountant, three lawyers, a therapist and probably Jesus.

Because DAMN.

💵 AND NOW THE MONEY BEING DISCUSSED IS EVEN BIGGER

The financial fight isn't small either.

Jomo has claimed he's owed a percentage of proceeds connected to valuable music assets and previously sought damages exceeding $1.2 million.

More recent correspondence in the dispute reportedly shows Jomo has floated a $20 million settlement demand to resolve his claims.

TWENTY.

MILLION.

DOLLARS.

So when I said this family argument escalated?

Baby, it got on an airplane itself.

🕊️ BUT LET'S NOT LOSE AALIYAH INSIDE ALL THIS MESS

This is where Lady Red is putting the jokes down.

Because underneath the lawsuits, money, accusations and music catalogs is still a young woman who died at 22 years old.

Aaliyah didn't get to turn 30.

She didn't get to turn 40.

She didn't get to see how enormous her influence would become.

She didn't get to watch generations of artists cite her music, fashion, videos and style as inspiration.

And eight other human beings died on that plane with her.

Twenty-five years later, their families still have to live with that loss.

So watching responsibility for Aaliyah's death become part of a financial battle between members of her own family feels particularly painful.

Whatever happened between Barry and Jomo belongs in court.

Whatever money is owed should be determined through evidence.

Whatever contracts exist should be examined.

But Aaliyah's death deserves accuracy.

⚖️ AND RIGHT NOW, THIS IS AN ALLEGATION

Barry Hankerson alleges his son failed to perform a travel-coordination responsibility and believes the fatal flight might have been avoided if he had.

Jomo denies wrongdoing.

No court has ruled that Jomo Hankerson caused Aaliyah's death.

That's where the facts stand.

Because there's a BIG difference between:

“You were supposed to arrange her travel.”

and

“You caused the plane crash.”

And we're not jumping across that damn canyon without evidence.

Twenty-five years after losing the Princess of R&B, her music is still playing, her influence is still everywhere and people are STILL talking about what could have been.

Hopefully this family fight eventually produces answers about the money without turning Aaliyah's final moments into another piece of ammunition.

Because she deserves better than becoming Exhibit A in somebody else's family war.

REST EASY, BABYGIRL. 🕊️❤️

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