Aaliyah’s uncle and cousin are fighting over money tied to music rights, and the family dispute has now reached back to the trip that ended with the singer’s death 25 years ago.
Jomo Hankerson, Aaliyah’s cousin, has sued his father Barry Hankerson and Blackground Records, according to TMZ’s review of the court filings. Jomo alleges that a settlement entitled him to 12% of money Barry received from certain recording masters and publishing copyrights connected to artists including Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX and Timbaland, and he is seeking more than $1.2 million in damages.
Barry denies wrongdoing and challenges the validity of the settlement, arguing that it was obtained through fraud. He also alleges that Jomo once threatened to release unreleased Aaliyah recordings if his financial demands were not met. TMZ reports that Jomo denies the allegations against him.
The filings contain an even more personal accusation. Barry claims Jomo was paid to coordinate Aaliyah’s travel around the August 2001 “Rock the Boat” video shoot in the Bahamas and failed to fulfill that responsibility, saying the fatal crash “may have been avoided” had he done so. That is Barry’s allegation, not a finding by accident investigators or a court.
Barry Says the Crash ‘May Have Been Avoided’
Barry’s new allegation centers on the travel arrangements surrounding Aaliyah’s final music-video shoot. According to TMZ’s account of the filings, he says Jomo had a compensated role coordinating transportation but failed to carry out that responsibility before Aaliyah boarded the chartered Cessna 402B that crashed shortly after taking off from Marsh Harbour on Aug. 25, 2001.
Barry claims the tragedy “may have been avoided had Jomo followed through on his compensated task of travel coordination.” TMZ reports that he also says his relationship with his son was never the same after Aaliyah’s death.
The allegation does not establish that Jomo was legally or factually responsible for Aaliyah boarding the aircraft, much less that his conduct caused the crash. The official accident investigation identified aviation and operational problems including excessive weight, improper weight distribution and serious questions about the pilot’s qualifications.
An earlier New York appellate decision also records a different allocation of responsibility from Blackground itself in litigation filed after the crash. The court said Blackground hired Instinct Productions to produce “Rock the Boat” and that Aaliyah died aboard an aircraft chartered by Instinct in connection with the video.
Blackground’s complaint in that case alleged that Instinct had a duty to use reasonable care in selecting transportation for Aaliyah and claimed that its failure to arrange safe passage caused her death. The appellate court ultimately dismissed Blackground’s negligence claim because the label could not recover its economic losses through what amounted to a wrongful-death claim.
Jomo Says He Is Owed 12% of Music-Asset Proceeds
The lawsuit itself is fundamentally a financial dispute. Jomo alleges that a settlement entitled him to 12% of money Barry received from music assets involving recording masters and publishing copyrights, with works connected to Aaliyah, Toni Braxton, DMX and Timbaland among those identified in TMZ’s report.
Jomo claims Barry used Blackground Records to obscure revenue and charge expenses unrelated to the covered music assets in an effort to reduce what Jomo would receive. He is seeking more than $1.2 million in damages.
Barry disputes those allegations and argues that the underlying settlement is invalid because it was executed through fraud. He also accuses Jomo of threatening to release unreleased Aaliyah recordings if his financial demands were not satisfied. Jomo denies the wrongdoing alleged by his father. No court has yet resolved the competing claims reported from the current filings.
Aaliyah’s Catalog Had Already Divided Blackground and Her Estate
Much of Aaliyah’s catalog remained unavailable on major streaming services for years before Blackground Records 2.0 announced a 2021 distribution partnership with EMPIRE. The rollout finally brought albums including One in a Million and Aaliyah to streaming services.
Aaliyah’s estate objected to how that release was handled. The Los Angeles Times reported that the estate said it had not been informed about the distribution arrangement before plans were completed and demanded greater transparency about Blackground’s past earnings and its new deal.
Jomo was publicly involved with Blackground long before the present lawsuit. In 2014, while serving as president of the label, he said Blackground controlled Aaliyah’s recording masters and could withhold those assets from Lifetime’s planned biopic after the family objected to the project.
The Official Crash Investigation Identified Different Factors
Aaliyah was 22 when she died with eight other people after completing the “Rock the Boat” shoot in the Bahamas. The Cessna 402B crashed shortly after taking off from Marsh Harbour for Florida.
The Bahamas Civil Aviation Department’s final accident report estimated that the aircraft was approximately 941 pounds above its maximum allowable takeoff weight. Investigators also calculated that its center of gravity was about 4.4 inches behind the maximum allowable limit and said the overloading and improper balance were major contributing factors.
The report also found that pilot Luis Morales was not qualified under Part 135 to fly that aircraft and had falsified entries concerning his flight experience. Investigators said no evidence was found showing that he had completed a required load manifest or weight-and-balance calculation before departure.