Jay-Z is the subject of a temporary exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library. It’s called The Book of Hov, and, as noted in a statement on the exhibition’s website, it includes “thousands of archived objects, including original recording masters, never-before-seen photos, iconic stage wear, prestigious awards and recognitions, as well as videos and artifacts from every facet on Jay-Z’s professional life.” It opens today, July 14. The library has not yet announced when the exhibit will close, but branch director Christine Schonhart anticipated it would be open through the fall.
On The Book of Hov’s website, you can find audio clips, text, and photos of the exhibition, which populates a significant portion of the 352,000-square-foot building. Library staff encouraged those visiting the exhibit to bring their own phones and headphones to augment the experience.
Several displays sit in the library’s lobby, including a multimedia “tower of power” and the full sculpture that appears on the cover of 2009’s The Blueprint 3. The New and Noteworthy room has been temporarily revamped as a home for Jay-Z’s awards and recording ephemera, along with an interactive vinyl listening station that includes a bin of records that he sampled across his own 13 albums. The children’s wing has a Jay-Z-inspired station for the library’s youngest patrons to make paper planes, and the adjacent teen room hosts material about Jay-Z’s business and philanthropic ventures, plus a bookshelf where library users can borrow Jay-Z-endorsed titles. Part of the Information Commons off the main lobby has been transformed into a full-scale recreation of Baseline Studios, where Jay-Z worked on The Black Album, The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse, and more.
The library’s second floor features more magazine spreads and a display of Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac champagne bottles, along with an immersive multimedia room with wall-to-wall video. At the back sits another area designated as the “meditation room,” a carpeted, blue space that faces another large video screen.
According to representatives from the library, Roc Nation covered the full expense and most of the labor for the exhibit’s installation, and there will be no cost to the Brooklyn Public Library or taxpayers for the exhibit. The company is also donating an undisclosed sum of the money to the library, along with copies of books and vinyl records. Representatives indicated that Roc Nation organized The Book of Hov as a surprise to Jay-Z, and that it was arranged for the much bigger main branch instead of the smaller Marcy Library that’s closer to Jay-Z’s home neighborhood. There’s more as yet unannounced programming coming to the Marcy branch library in connection with The Book of Hov in coming months. Brooklyn Public Library has also announced that it’s rolling out 13 new limited-edition library cards in connection with The Book of Hov, with each card bearing one of Jay-Z’s album covers.
The exhibition’s opening comes days after the rapper and business mogul earned an Emmy nomination for co-directing Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime performance. Before the announcement, the library’s façade was covered with Jay-Z lyrics, as Hell Gate reported. Most of the branch was closed to the public all day Thursday to accommodate a private party celebrating the exhibition. Jay-Z’s business partner, Bruce Ratner, the New York real estate developer, is married to Linda D. Johnson, the CEO and president of the Brooklyn Public Library.
This story was first published on Thursday, July 13, at 7:57 p.m. Eastern. It was last updated on Friday, July 14, at 10:38 a.m. Eastern.