Unseen photos from a Fourth Of July party in 2000 show Jay-Z and Aaliyah getting close on the dancefloor just a year before her tragic death.
The Try Again hitmaker was dating Damon Dash at the time, who was also at the party attended by stars including Diddy, however her then-boyfriend claimed many guys were ‘going hard’ to woo the beauty.
Jay, who was 30 at the time, was pictured with his arm around the waist of 21-year-old Aaliyah as the pair looked to be in great spirits snapping photos with other partygoers.
Surrounded by friends, in other images the pair are flashing broad smiles and dancing, while Aaliyah – who was wearing a bright pink tank and jeans, wrapped her arm around Jay’s shoulders in front of the camera.
According to sources who spoke to Mail Online, ‘Jay-Z rented a mansion in East Hampton and they had a catered barbecue in a tent in the back yard’ for the soiree, as they added the pair evidently had ‘chemistry’.
Sadly a year later the star would be dead, after she perished in a plane crash in August 2001. And two years after that, Jay-Z was dating Beyonce after their ’03 Bonnie & Clyde collaboration, who he went on to marry and shares three children with.
Damon – who dated the singer and actor until her untimely death aged 22 – once claimed Jay-Z was ‘going hard’ to woo her.
Last month he told Page Six: ‘I did not mean to fall in love with Aaliyah, she was just that cool.
‘But you know, we were both going hard … everybody was trying to get to Aaliyah – it was not just Jay.’
The Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder – who started the label and clothing line Rocawear with Jay in the 90s – recalled to Hip-Hop-Motivation (via The Daily Beast) in the past that Jay ‘knew her before I did’. Even though, we should add, Jay hasn’t spoken about Damon’s claims.
‘It was just a situation where Aaliyah was the type of girl that would give you a shot. She didn’t care what people thought or whatever,’ he said. ‘So, she’ll date you and be your friend. You might end up in the friend zone. A lot of times, that’s what happened. You weren’t just going to hit that. At least in my experience. Somebody may have had a different experience at a different time in her life.’
At the time of her death in 2001, Aaliyah was quite literally on the cusp of becoming a movie superstar after finding fame with hits like More Than A Woman.
She had just garnered healthy success in film Romeo Must Die, had filmed a role in Queen Of The Damned and her appearance in The Matrix sequel would have undoubtedly cemented her place in Hollywood.
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