Lifetime's Aaliyah Biopic Slammed By Fans Over 'Romanticising' Relationship With R Kelly

A biopic of Aaliyah shown on US network Lifetime has been slammed by fans, after it was deemed to ‘romanticise’ the controversial relationship between the late R&B singer and producer R Kelly.

'Aaliyah: Princess of R&B' was broadcast in the US on Saturday night, but was soon called out by fans and friends of the singer, particularly after the network seemed to make matters worse with a series of questionable tweets.

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Aaliyah was just 15 when she illegally married Kelly, 25 at the time, after the pair had recorded her album ‘Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number’ in 1994 – she had lied about her age in order to tie the knot.

The marriage was later annulled.

But despite the controversy, the movie romanticised the couple’s relationship, during which Lifetime’s Twitter feed also appeared to be condoning it and making inappropriate comments about her looks, despite Aaliyah being underage at the time.

Some of the tweets remain on the feed, while others were deleted – but not before being captured by other blogs online.

Actress Alexandra Shipp took on the role of Aaliyah in the film, while Kelly was played by Clé Bennett.

Producer Timbaland, responsible for creating her unique sound, also slammed the movie, publishing a series of angry messages on his Instagram feed and later a video message.

“A lotta people keep asking me if I’m watching that bulls***. Evidently not, no way, not Timbo,” he says. “They have felt Timbo’s wrath tonight, baby.”

But it wasn’t just the questionable coupling of Kelly and Aaliyah which has angered fans, many of whom found the casting of Missy Elliott, played by Canadian singer Chattrisse Dolabaille, to be inappropriate.

When Dolabaille was announced for the role over the summer, the network was fiercely criticised for casting an actress who was both too light-skinned and too thin.

Some members of Aaliyah’s family also opposed the biopic.

“If this were 50 years from now and nobody was here, then OK, you can just use research, but people are here,” said her cousin Jomo Hankerson. “So why not have conversations with the people, because they’re here, especially when you’re saying the word biopic and you’re telling her story… It’s strange to not have that conversation with us.

“It’s the wrong forum for the project, for the first project of her life. I believe that she’s a cultural icon for us, that she was legendary in her short career. I think it was obvious, the career track that she was headed on, and I think that you still see her influence in today’s music.”

Aaliyah was already a global star after a number of hit singles and a slew of awards, but died in a plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001.

Lifetime came under harsh criticism for its last biopic earlier this year too, that of actress Brittany Murphy.

Image credits: Lifetime/Twitter/Redferns

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