There is Something About Aaliyah
My Aaliyah Day Speech + a playlist of my favorite Aaliyah songs
As some of you may know, I had no intention of publishing my last essay, The Death and Reclamation of Cool, but I’m grateful I did (and that Ask Adri pushed me to finish) because it somehow found its way to Adam Shore, who invited me to speak at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn’s Aaliyah Day. Thank you, Adam!
When speaking with Adam, he said the intention behind this event was to do something similar to the Michael Jackson and Prince block parties that Spike Lee hosts in Brooklyn ever summer, but for Aaliyah, who was born in Brooklyn. The event featured performances from Res, The Motherboard, serpentwiththefeet, and Halima. I enjoyed seeing everyone’s unique interpretation of Aaliyah’s music. I love to see Baby Girl’s legacy continuing to be celebrated throughout all of these years, and I’m excited to see how this event series evolves. You can follow them on IG @aaliyahdaybk to support future events.
Check the video of my speech and transcript below:
