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Twenty-five years after her death, Brooklyn is showing some serious love to one of its own.
This Saturday, August 8, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is dedicating an entire afternoon to the late, great Aaliyah with Aaliyah: One in a Million, a free celebration at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park. The event will bring together live music, DJs, films, fashion and personal stories honoring the Brooklyn-born R&B icon on the 25th anniversary of her passing. Doors open at 3 pm; RSVPs are encouraged but not required.
This won’t just be a DJ spinning “Are You That Somebody?” while everyone picnics on the lawn (though, to be clear, we'd happily attend that, too). Brooklyn-born musician Taja Cheek, also known as L’Rain, will serve as music director, leading a live band through Aaliyah's catalog with performances from Res, serpentwithfeet, Halima and Motherboard. DJs Nyla Symone, Honey Bun and albertoreyes will keep Aaliyah tracks playing throughout the afternoon and Rolling Stone and Vogue journalist Brittany Spanos will host.
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The day will also dig into Aaliyah's cultural influence beyond the music. Video Music Box creator Ralph McDaniels, who was among the early supporters of Aaliyah on television, will share a personal testimonial alongside writer and filmmaker LaChelle Chrysanne. Original short films made for the event, including work from Maryam Shines, will screen throughout the afternoon.
Fashion even gets its due. Designer Karl Kani, whose clothes became closely associated with Aaliyah's signature ’90s style, will host a pop-up boutique and raffle off three of the motorcycle jackets she helped make famous, plus 20 T-shirts. Brooklyn apparel brand Skool Milk will also have merch on site.
Aaliyah was born in Brooklyn in 1979 before moving to Detroit as a child and became one of the defining icons of ’90s and early-2000s R&B. Even though she died in a plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001, her influence has hardly faded in the decades since. For one afternoon, Prospect Park will become a celebration of an artist whose sound, style and influence still feel remarkably current 25 years later.