Whitney Houston passed away three years ago today. You probably remember where you were when this happened. I know I do. I’d just come home from working a shift a Vinnie’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn, sat down on my couch, and turned on the news. Whitney Houston had died in a hotel in Los Angeles. It was rumored that it was an overdose, but nothing yet at the time was certain. I was taken aback, obviously, as we all probably were, even though I didn’t consider myself a diehard fan of Whitney’s. But with someone like her, of her influence and on her level, does it even really matter if you labeled yourself a fan? Whitney Houston was someone who was just there, her influence always floating around us.iLoveMakonnen remembers where he was when she died. “I was at home, recording in my room,” he tells me. “Then the news broke she died and I recorded a song on the spot.” Above is that song, a charming taste of DIY Makonnen. This was before “Tuesday.” This was before “I Don’t Sell Molly No More.” This is something that’s simply a moment of humanity captured in time—a person so influenced by someone’s art that they immediately created something new as a tribute. The song doesn’t even have a title; it’s just labeled “I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU (WHITNEY HOUSTON TRIBUTE SONG) REST IN PEACE,” as it plays quietly below a slideshow of her life. RIP, Whitney.