Channeling Babygirl: Every Iconic Look From the Essence Fest Aaliyah Tribute

On Sunday, Missy Elliott curated a line-up of performers for Aaliyah’s “One In A Million, Forever” tribute at Essence Festival. She tapped Chlöe, Mýa, Normani, Ryan Destiny, and Sevyn Streeter to perform a number of her hit songs while embodying her moves, style, and of course, beauty.

“It’s very important to see a whole entire generation still celebrating Aaliyah,” Elliott tells ESSENCE backstage. “Aaliyah was so ahead of the curve.” Channeling her bumped silk press, exposed boxers, and natural beauty, the performers honored her unforgettable legacy.

Normani, for example, performed “Try Again” in a dark brown silk press, nude lip, and black eyeliner paired with a bedazzled bra top. Then, she returned to the stage for “Rock The Boat,” the final music video Aaliyah ever recorded, in an all-white look similar to the one she wore.

“Coming from the generation of amazing music, the style, the class, the grace, the beauty, and talent, and spirit of Aaliyah was embodied tonight,” Mýa says after her performance. Sitting on a basketball hoop, Mýa performed “Back & Forth” in a red denim ensemble with Timberlands and an all-black manicure to match her leather hat, shades, and hoops. Then, she took the stage a second time for “At Your Best (You Are Love)” in a red zebra-print dress—a nod to Aaliyah’s iconic yellow one on the MTV Awards red carpet.

Chlöe, who wore her natural locs, skipped the silk press for brown and blonde curls under a black bandana. She performed her 1998 hit “Are You That Somebody?” and 2001’s “More Than A Woman” in all leather with a hardcore black bedazzled manicure. Meanwhile, Sevyn Streeter’s “4 Page Letter” cover was complemented by a dark matte lipstick and an eye-covering side bang paired with a jeweled waist chain.

For Ryan Destiny, who performed “If Your Girl Only Knew,” it was essential she represented Aaliyah well. “It’s truly her essence that I wanted to make sure I captured,” she tells ESSENCE after her performance. “That’s something I think naturally came because she literally raised me.” Destiny’s blunt cut silk press was covered with a scarf and paired with a nude lip to match her manicure.

Ahead, take a look at the beauty and style the performers embodied for Aaliyah’s Essence Festival tribute.