When considering Aaliyah's track record, it's befitting that her name (Ah-Lee-Yah) means "the highest, most exalted one; the best." Her success as both a recording artist and actress actually makes the name a self-fulfilling prophecy. At 21, she has a successful recording career, has established herself as a major motion picture actress and proven to be an accomplished businesswoman.

Aaliyah's latest, album "Aaliyah," was released on July 17th. The first single "We Need a Resolution" debuted April 26th on MTV. Produced by Timbaland, the album was released on Blackground Records, which is owned and run by Barry and Jomo Hankerson, Aaliyah's uncle and cousin.

Upon completion of her album, Aaliyah will immediately begin filming Warner Bros.' highly-anticipated sequels Matrix 2 and Matrix 3. Aaliyah will star opposite Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne in the films, both directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski.

Next year, she will appear in the Warner Bros.' Film,Queen of the Damned, directed by Michael Rymer. She will play Akasha, the title role in the supernatural adventure, based on the third novel in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Aaliyah stars alongside Stuart Townsend, Vincent Perez and Lena Olin.

Aaliyah made her motion picture debut in Romeo Must Die. Co-starring Jet Li, the film was a box-office success and led to Aaliyah's huge hit record, "Try Again," produced by Timbaland. The Romeo Must Die soundtrack sold in the millions and spent weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard soundtrack chart. Aaliyah's performance earned her nominations for the2001 MTV Movie Awards for both "Best Female Performance" and "Breakthrough Performance Female" and the song earned nominations for the 2000 MTV Music Awards both for "Best Female Video" and "Best Video in a Film."

Aaliyah served as executive producer of the soundtrack and had two other cuts on the album, including one with DMX.

In 1998, Aaliyah had a huge hit with "Are You That Somebody" from the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. Produced by Timabaland and written by Static, the song is infectious, known for its clever sampling of a chuckling pull-string doll. Later that year, Aaliyah performed the song, "Journey to The Past," from the motion picture Anastasia at the Academy Awards.

In 1996, Aaliyah released her second album, "One In A Million." The first single, "If Your Girl Only Knew," went double platinum and contains Timbaland's signature syncopated beats and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot's poignant lyrics. Jermaine Dupri, Rodney Jerkins, J. Dibbs, Daryl Simmons, Kay-Gee, Vincent "V.H." Herbert and Craig King were also involved with producing "One In A Million." The album was multi-platinum and an international hit.

In 1994, at the age of 14, Aaliyah released her first album, "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number." It was an instant success. The first single, "Back and Forth," was a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and a No. 1 R&B song. The follow-up single, a remake of the Isley Brother's "At Your Best (You Are Love)," reached Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was No. 2 in R&B radio.

From an early age, Aaliyah has found satisfaction in her music. When she didn't win the local vocal competition on "Star Search" as a pre-teen, she did not let it deter her from continuing to sing. At age 11, she landed a five-night stint performing with Gladys Knight's troupe in Las Vegas. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was raised in Detroit. She graduated from the Detroit Performing Arts High School in 1997 with a 4.0 GPA. She credits her success to the support from her family. She is managed by her parents and her brother Rashad, who also serves as her mentor and creative consultant.