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How Emmai Alaquiva Is Giving Back Through Music

The Sprout Fund

Read and listen to a story about Emmai Alaquiva as part of a series honoring the individuals who make a difference in people’s lives: 90.5 WESA Celebrates People Making a Difference.

Emmai is an award-winning  music producer and entrepreneur and has parlayed his accomplishments into mentoring kids, through hip hop music.

He has found a way to infuse positive hip hop with education to get teens excited about music and learning.

“Growing up, life sort of gives you the moves that you need to dodge,” Emmai said. “I was hit with adversity, homelessness, death. It really had me down a valley, but I realized there were mountains ahead. Hip hop spoke to me in a way that nothing had the ability to speak to me.”

After years of homelessness and selling drugs on the streets, Emmai turned his life around and put himself through college, working any job possible to purchase a small recording studio on Highland Avenue. Years later, at the zenith of his successful Emmy-award winning music career, he knew it was time to give back through music.

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