This Billboard feature marks the 25th anniversary of Aaliyah's self-titled third studio album (also known as "The Red Album"), released in 2001, by ranking all 14 of its tracks from worst to best. The piece frames the record as a bold, genre-defying work that pushed R&B into new territory and cemented Aaliyah's reputation as a singular, boundary-breaking talent whose influence is felt in today's more fluid musical landscape.

Recorded during breaks from filming the Anne Rice adaptation Queen of the Damned, the album blended Latin pop, neo-soul, funk, hip-hop and industrial rock, earning hit singles, two Grammy nominations and an eventual number-one spot on the Billboard 200. The article is overshadowed by tragedy: just over a month after release, the 22-year-old singer, seven members of her entourage and the pilot were killed in a plane crash after taking off from the Bahamas' Abaco Islands. The ranking's lower entries include "I Refuse" (deemed the album's only misstep), followed by "Never No More," "U Got Nerve," "Extra Smooth," "Read Between the Lines," "I Can Be" and "Those Were the Days" (the text cuts off partway through).