Kehlani doesn't have smoke with Team Aaliyah.
After the music video for her new single, "Out the Window," released this week, Aaliyah fans pointed out that Kehlani's choreography and style were possible references to the late vocalist.
On Wednesday (Nov. 26), Aaliyah's posthumous X account tweeted, "Tell us that you’re inspired by Aaliyah without telling us that you’re inspired by Aaliyah. We love you @Kehlani."
Kehlani acknowledged on Instagram that her video included a "nod to the 'Try Again' set" in Aaliyah's music video from 2000.
"None of us without Babygirllllll," Kehlani added in her Story.
But others were in an uproar about the video, noting a 2017 interview where Kehlani discussed comparisons to the "More Than a Woman" artist.
"It has come to my attention that I have upset the one and only Aaliyah fanbase," the "Folded" singer began in an Instagram Story posted on Thursday. "First of all, I think you guys think that me saying I reheated my own nachos [is] shade to Aaliyah. It is absolutely not."
Kehlani added that she posted the message when "Out the Window" was released because she was referencing herself.
"Second of all, you guys are referring to an interview that I did that I was 19 that stated I didn't grow up on Aaliyah," Kehlani continued. "That's because I caught on to her later, like, later, in my teenage years."
Kehlani added that she's referenced the late vocalist in her music and direction "so many times."
"I didn't grow up as a child to her music, my mom didn't play me her music, but I did catch on when I was a teenager and that was when I fell in love," Kehlani explained. "So that is why that was my answer from an interview from over 10 years ago."
"Why would I shade this woman? I love this woman," Kehlani said. "I've referenced this woman multiple times."
In the 2017 interview, Kehlani said that it had taken years for her to discover Aaliyah, and another one of her musical influences, Brandy.
"Every time I everybody being like, 'You can tell she only listen to Brandy and Aaliyah,' and [didn't really] listen to either until I got older," she said around the 11-minute mark of the video below.