“Never No More” by Aaliyah

On this song, Aaliyah is addressing a toxic partner, i.e. one that has the tendency to emotionally and physically abuse her. And after the first time he actually physically attacked her, she vowed to herself “never no more”. In other words, she was not going to tolerate such treatment again. 

And whereas she had hoped for the best, she has come to realize that abusive behavior towards her is part of his personality. However, the implication is that she loves him, and therefore leaving him is not as easy as she presumed.

This track can be found on Aaliyah’s self-titled third album. And it was released by Blackground Records and Virgin Records as part of “Aaliyah” on 7 July 2001.

“Never No More” was produced by Bud’da. And he is also one of the writers of the song alongside Static Major. Aaliyah and Major were very close friends.

The “Aaliyah” Album

“Aaliyah” (also known as “The Red Album”) happens to be the singer’s 3rd and final studio album. Aaliyah died in a plane crash a few weeks after the release of the album. She was on her way back to the US from the Bahamas where a music video for her “Rock the Boat” single was shot.

This album was nicknamed “The Red Album” due to the color of its packaging. It was released through the record labels, Blackground Records and Virgin Records.

Aaliyah and her team released three songs as singles from the album prior to its official release. The first single, “We Need a Resolution” was released on April 13 of 2001. The second, “More Than a Woman” was put out on October 29 of 2001 whilst the 3rd and final single, “Rock the Boat” dropped in November of the same year.

“More Than a Woman” and “Rock the Boat” both earned nominations at the Grammy Awards in 2003. The former was nominated for “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance” and the latter earned a “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance” nomination.