After a resounding disapproval from fans online, Lifetime's Aaliyah biopic titled "Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B" gets a nod from the late singer's friend and rapper LL Cool J, according to Music Times.
The rapper said there were portions of the movie he did see unfit but he would like to focus more on the network's intention to tell the story of the late songstress.
"There are parts of the movie that I could criticize," the rapper said in an interview with Rickey Smiley, according to Sister 2 Sister magazine. "But at least at the end of the day, Lifetime is celebrating one of our icons."
Cool J also mentioned how he thinks Hollywood still has a lot to learn in terms of casting black people.
"Hollywood is still working on that part of learning how to cast black people," he said. "I think that in general, the movie was insightful and it was interesting and that girl, [Alexandra Shipp], she played that role in a sweet way."
Cool J is among the few who have seen "Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B" in a good light. Host and producer Wendy Williams had previously shared how happy and proud she was of the film amidst the backlash it received online.
"I think when you do a movie about people's favorite, whoever that favorite is, people are always going to have some criticism. You really can't win for losing kind of sort of," Williams said in an interview, according to Billboard.
Aaliyah's collaborator and friend Timbaland had aired his dismay and disapproval of the film in a series of posts on Instagram the day it was aired. The rapper-producer dismissed the film as "bulls**t" according to Variety, and admitted he didn't watch it.
"This is why people should never remake movies. Bulls**t happens. Now you have to deal with the consequences," Timbaland said in one of the videos he posted.