MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 28, 2026
Photo Credit: Michael Benabib
BRIC CELEBRATE BROOKLYN! PRESENTS:
AALIYAH: ONE IN A MILLION
A Day of Live Music, Film, Testimonials, and Tribute to the Beloved Brooklyn-Born Superstar
Featuring Music Director Taja Cheek (L’Rain), Res, serpentwithfeet, Halima, Motherboard, Ralph McDaniels, and More
Saturday, August 8, 2026 | Free | Doors 3:00 PM
Lena Horne Bandshell at Prospect Park, 141 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn
(Brooklyn, New York) – BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! presents BRIC Celebrates Aaliyah: One In A Million, a tribute to R&B icon Aaliyah on the 25th anniversary of her passing. Born in Brooklyn, Aaliyah shaped two generations of R&B with her bold musical innovations, effortless style, and singular presence. On Saturday, August 8, the borough comes together to honor her life. This free community event is co-presented by Adam Shore.
Music direction is led by Taja Cheek, the Brooklyn-born songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and curator who records under the name L’Rain. One of New York’s most singular musical minds, Cheek’s work has earned Pitchfork‘s Best New Music distinction and appeared on best-of-year lists across the globe. Her appearance here as music director marks a rare opportunity to experience her artistry in an entirely different context.
The afternoon features Res, serpentwithfeet, Halima, and Motherboard performing Aaliyah’s biggest hits with a live band. “These artists carry Aaliyah’s inspiration into their own work in different ways: through their vocal approach, their musical adventurism, or their style and visual aesthetic. Each artist carries a piece of her legacy forward in their own voice,” said Adam Shore, Co-Presenter.
Res is currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut cult classic How I Do, which was released just two months before Aaliyah’s passing. Res recently re-recorded How I Do in its entirety and is performing it live across the country this year.
serpentwithfeet, the Baltimore-born alternative R&B artist whose influences span Geoffrey Holder, Toni Morrison, Brandy, and Nina Simone, brings his most recent album GRIP, music rooted in the dance floors and intimate moments of Black gay club culture. Halima, raised between Lagos and London and now based in Brooklyn, just released her long-awaited debut album SWEET TOOTH, a genre-bending work drawing from R&B, soulful pop, jazz, British soul, UK garage, and Nigerian-American sounds. Her new single “Onyx” is out July 29. MOTHERBOARD is the bold artistic persona of Kyle Kidd, whose work blends gospel, jazz, soul, house, and electronic music into a distinctive sonic identity; Kidd has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, NPR Music’s Tiny Desk, and performed at Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center.
DJs Nyla Symone, Honey Bun, and albertoreyes spin Aaliyah‘s catalog throughout the afternoon. Nyla Symone is a DJ, radio host, and cultural curator whose weekly new music segment on The Breakfast Club has made her one of the leading voices in R&B and hip-hop discovery. She also hosts shows on SiriusXM and iHeartMedia. Joining Nyla on the decks is Brooklyn’s own Honey Bun and albertoreyes. Music journalist Brittany Spanos (Rolling Stone, Vogue) hosts the afternoon, guiding the event with stories from Aaliyah’s life.
Ralph McDaniels,the pioneering video promoter whose Video Music Box introduced generations of New Yorkers to R&B and hip-hop, and who was among the first to champion Aaliyah on television, shares a personal testimonial. Joining him is LaChelle Chrysanne, an award-winning writer and filmmaker whose work, including the Kenya Barris-selected short film One of the Guys, which screened at eight international festivals, centers the intimate, authentic interiority of Black life.
Karl Kani, the iconic fashion designer whose clothes Aaliyah wore and made legendary, will be hosting a pop-up boutique, and will be giving away three of his iconic motorcycle jackets made famous by Aaliyah via an onsite raffle, along with 20 t-shirts. Brooklyn apparel line Skool Milk will have merch on site on well.
The band will be lead by Tariq Al Sabir (Blood Orange), and includes Evan Lawrence aka 13th Law (keiyaA, Vagabon), Dillon Treacy (Blood Orange), Key Hutchinson (H.E.R, Jazmine Sullivan), and KAYANA, whose debut album Unraveled came out 2024.
The thoughtful homage will also feature original short films created specifically for the event that will screen throughout the afternoon, including work by Maryam Shines. The event is presented in partnership with Sounds of Saving, a nonprofit dedicated to using the connection to music to promote mental health awareness, education, and pathways to treatment.
LINEUP:
Music Director: Taja Cheek (L’Rain)
Singers: Res, serpentwithfeet, Halima, Motherboard
DJs: Nyla Symone, Honey Bun, albertoreyes
Host: Brittany Spanos
Band: Tariq Al Sabir, Key Hutchinson, Evan Lawrence, Dillon Treacy, KAYANA
Testimonials: Ralph McDaniels, LaChelle Chrysanne
Video: Maryam Shines
Merch: Karl Kani, Skool Milk
Visit HERE to RSVP for free BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! shows (encouraged, not mandatory), purchase benefit concert tickets, and stay current on festival updates. Apply for media credentials HERE.
Follow BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
For more information, contact: Wendy Washington, T.I.D.
Agency [email protected] | Joe Wiggins, T.I.D. Agency[email protected]
# # #
PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is presented in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks.
Public support for BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York City Council with special thanks to Commissioner Diya Vij, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams; Council
Members Crystal Hudson, Rita Joseph, Shahana Hanif, Chi Osse, Farah Louis, and Chris Banks; and members of the New York City Council’s Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus; and the New York State Legislature, with support from the Brooklyn Delegation, with special thanks to New York State Senators Zellnor Myrie and Andrew Gounardes; and New York State Assembly Members Robert Carroll, Brian Cunningham, and Phara Souffrant-Forrest. Additional support and special thanks to Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! at Brower Park is presented in partnership with New York City Council Member Chi Ossé and Rooftop Films.
Lead support for performing arts at BRIC comes from the Howard Gilman Foundation.
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is made possible in part by generous support from our members, sponsors, funders, and Board of Directors. Additional support is provided from the Shubert Organization.
Media partners for the 2026 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! season include the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment, WBGO, and City Point.
About BRIC
BRIC is one of New York City’s premier cultural nonprofits – a hybrid arts presenter, media producer, and educator. For almost 50 years, we’ve partnered with innovators and underserved communities to spotlight voices that deserve to be heard, through such tentpole programs as BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, BRIC JazzFest, BRIC House Party, BRIC TV, BCAT, and multiple artist residencies, workshops, and classes. In 2025, BRIC became the first media organization to join NYC’s prestigious Cultural Institutions Group. For emerging creators, lifelong storytellers, and communities shaping culture, BRIC is the amplifier. For more information visit bricartsmedia.org.
About Prospect Park Alliance
Prospect Park Alliance is the non-profit organization that sustains, restores and advances Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s Backyard, in partnership with the City of New York. The Alliance provides critical staff and resources that keep the park green and vibrant for the diverse communities that call Brooklyn home. The Alliance cares for the woodlands and natural areas; restores the park’s buildings and landscapes; creates new park destinations; and provides free or low-cost volunteer, education and recreation programs. Through the work of the Alliance, Prospect Park is an international model for the care of urban parks, and one of the premier green spaces in the United States. Learn more at www.prospectpark.org.
About TD Bank U.S.
TD Bank US Holding Company and its subsidiaries, including TD Bank, N.A., are collectively known as TD Bank U.S. As the U.S. banking business of The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSX and NYSE: TD), a leading North American financial services firm, TD Bank U.S. serves more than 10 million clients and has a network of approximately 1,050 locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Carolinas and Florida. We support our clients and communities with a full range of retail, small business, and commercial banking products and services. We also offer customized private banking and wealth management services, a comprehensive suite of credit card products for consumers and businesses, and automotive vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. TD Bank U.S. is one of the largest banks in the U.S. by assets and is headquartered in Mount Laurel, N.J. To learn more, visit www.td.com/us.
About Con Edison
Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies. The utility delivers electricity, natural gas and steam, and serves 3.7 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, NY. For financial, operations and customer service information, visit www.conEd.com.
About Brooklyn Made
Brooklyn Made is a project of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce dedicated to showcasing and supporting locally made goods and the creative entrepreneurs behind them. With retail locations at City Point in downtown Brooklyn and Industry City in Sunset Park, and a pop-up in Tokyo, Japan, Brooklyn Made is the destination for discovering what makes Brooklyn, Brooklyn.