Aaliyah's mother had her while she was incarcerated. As a result, she was immediately put into foster care at birth. Her mother struggled with drug abuse, and unfortunately, still does to this day. When Aaliyah was 11 years old she was adopted by a family member but later went back into the system when she was 17 years old. When she went back to foster care, she faced many challenges, especially since she was a teen. But these struggles helped her to understand that she deserved better.