Rashad Haughton facts for kids

Rashad Hasan Haughton was born on August 6, 1977. He is an American writer, film director, and screenwriter. Rashad is the older brother of the famous singer and actress Aaliyah. He is also the nephew of Barry Hankerson, who founded Blackground Records.

Early Life and Education

Rashad Hasan Haughton was born in Brooklyn, New York. His birthday is August 6, 1977. His mother, Diane, is African-American. His father, Michael, had parents from Jamaica.

Rashad and his younger sister, Aaliyah (1979-2001), were born about 17 months apart. When Rashad was seven, his family moved to Detroit. He and Aaliyah went to Gesu Elementary, a Catholic school. Rashad finished Aquinas High School in 1995. He then graduated from Hofstra University in 2000.

Rashad Haughton's Career

Working in Film and Music

Rashad Haughton has worked in both film and music. He has been involved in many projects since 1994.

Acting and Directing Work

Haughton appeared in several of Aaliyah's music videos. These include "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number" and "4 Page Letter". For the "4 Page Letter" video, Rashad wrote the story in just two hours. He did this while studying at Hofstra University.

In 2000, Rashad wrote and directed a film called The Mim Rose. His sister Aaliyah starred in it as a character named Melissa.

In February 2002, the movie Queen of the Damned was released. Aaliyah played Queen Akasha in this film. The movie was number one at the box office when it came out. It was dedicated to Aaliyah after her passing. Before the movie was finished, Rashad helped by re-recording some of his sister's lines.

In 2004, Haughton acted in the film Proud. He played the role of Hank Fields.

Later, Rashad wrote and directed more short films. These include Chrysalis (2006), Love Like Aliens (2011), and Muga Shozoku (2015).

Music Projects

Rashad also worked on music. He wrote and recorded a song called "Death of a Playa" with Aaliyah. This song was released in 1997. It was produced by Timbaland. In 2004, Rashad was featured on a song called "Fork In The Road." This song was with the group 1200 Techniques.

Aaliyah's Lasting Impact

Rashad Haughton has played a big part in keeping his sister Aaliyah's memory alive.

Awards and Tributes

After Aaliyah's passing in 2001, Rashad appeared at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. He joined other artists like Janet Jackson and Missy Elliott to honor his sister. Aaliyah was supposed to be a presenter at the awards.

In October 2001, Aaliyah was scheduled to perform at a concert for breast cancer research. Instead, Rashad presented a check for $41,000. He also introduced a tribute performance to Aaliyah by the singer Seal.

In 2002, Rashad accepted two awards for Aaliyah. These were the Inspirational Spirit Award and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist. These awards honored Aaliyah's amazing career in entertainment.

Remembering Aaliyah Today

Rashad continues to help honor Aaliyah's legacy in many ways.

MAC Cosmetics Collection

In 2017, MAC Cosmetics announced they would create a makeup collection inspired by Aaliyah. The "Aaliyah for Mac" collection was released in June 2018. Rashad helped with the media promotion for this collection. He said they wanted to create a line that allowed fans to recreate Aaliyah's past looks. It also let them imagine her style in the future.

Madame Tussauds Wax Figure

In August 2019, Madame Tussauds Las Vegas unveiled a wax figure of Aaliyah. The figure was made to look like Aaliyah's famous outfit from her "Try Again" music video. Rashad Haughton revealed the figure to a special audience.

Music Re-releases

In August 2021, Aaliyah's album One in a Million and other songs were re-released. These songs were from her work with Blackground Records. The album became very popular again. It reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 chart in the US. Aaliyah's self-titled album also re-entered the charts. Rashad, as part of Aaliyah's estate, has worked to make sure her music is handled properly.

Filmography

As Writer and Director

As Actor