EMMAI ALAQUIVA, AT THE EXHIBIT HONORING JAY-Z AT THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY.
HONORING 50 YEARS OF HIP-HOP, 1973-2013: Pittsburgher one of the creative collaborators for ‘The Book of HOV’
Pittsburgh-based, internationally-known film director/photographer Emmai Alaquiva seems to have his hand in everything.
Let’s add “The Book of HOV” to the list.
“The Book of HOV” is the 40,000-square-foot exhibit currently on display at the Brooklyn Public Library, dedicated to one of the greatest Hip-Hop artists of all time, Sean “JAY-Z” Carter.
Alaquiva, a four-time Emmy Award-winner, was one of the creative collaborators for the exhibit, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned exclusively.
The exhibit pays homage to JAY-Z’s massive influence on Hip-Hop culture, his fight for social justice, and the world of business. A report in Forbes magazine in March 2023 valued JAY-Z at $2.5 billion. Over the decades, he has held stakes in the Tidal streaming service, Roc Nation, Uber, the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, and the Armand de Brignac champagne. One of JAY-Z’s famous lyrics is, “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man.”
JAY-Z, as every Hip-Hop fan knows, grew up in the Marcy Projects, which is just minutes from his exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library. The current 53-year-old rose to fame in the mid-’90s with his “Reasonable Doubt” album, with hits like “Can’t Knock The Hustle” and “Feelin’ It.” Twelve albums later, Forbes recognized JAY-Z as Hip-Hop’s first billionaire in 2019.
In an interview with the Courier, Aug. 15, Alaquiva was not only “blown away” when he walked into the Brooklyn Public Library in July and saw his work in the exhibit, but also a few months prior when he was asked to work on the project. (PHOTOS BY EMMAI ALAQUIVA)
“They could have chosen so many creatives around the world; the fact I was chosen for literally, a groundbreaking exhibit,” was amazing, Alaquiva said.
The representatives for Roc Nation indeed chose Alaquiva, who described himself as a man once homeless. But these days, the man raised in Wilkinsburg whose videography and speaking prowess has landed him at the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and The Smithsonian Institute, has the Brooklyn Public Library to add to his resume.
As a creative collaborator, Alaquiva and other members strategically put together each piece of video for the JAY-Z exhibit that people can view at the library. Imagine the attention to detail for that project, for a man’s career in JAY-Z that’s spanned upwards of 30 years.
“People are coming from all around the world to recognize the impact that this iconic artists has had on the world,” Alaquiva told the Courier. “JAY-Z’s palpable impact on Hip-Hop spans globally because of his ability to create pillars of what Hip-Hop could build. The pillars of change, impact, influence, as well as the pillars of what it is to be a Black man in leadership, underscores why he’s received so well.”
Roc Nation was first introduced to Alaquiva some years ago through Alaquiva’s work with 1 Hood Media and Michelle Kenney, mother of the late Antwon Rose II. (PHOTOS BY EMMAI ALAQUIVA)
“The Book of HOV” is free to visit and experience at the Brooklyn Public Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, in Brooklyn, New York. The exhibit will be on display until at least the end of September.
“Much like Hip-Hop and being an emcee, you have to use your voice, but JAY-Z has gone above and beyond using his voice,” Alaquiva told the Courier. “He’s using his voice for a myriad of changes, not just musically. He’s flat out, one of the greatest artists of our time.”