Jay-Z’s New Exhibition ‘The Book of Hov’ Set to Light up Brooklyn & the Hearts of Hip-Hop Fans

On Thursday night (July 13), Jay-Z watched another one of his manifestations come to life when the Brooklyn Public Library unveiled an honorary exhibition for the billionaire polymath. 

Aptly titled “The Book of HOV” — based on his song lyric in DJ Khaled’s 2022 Grammy-nominated anthem “God Did” — the exhibition includes “archived objects, including original recording masters, never-before-seen photos, iconic stagewear, prestigious awards, and recognitions, as well as videos and artifacts from every facet of Jay-Z’s professional life.”

“Brooklyn Public Library, including the Center for Brooklyn History, is home to the most expansive collection of Brooklyn history in the world, and Jay-Z is an important part of the borough’s story,” the CEO of the Brooklyn Public Library Linda Johnson told Billboard. “We are proud to celebrate his mastery of music, poetry, the written word, and the oral tradition, and we hope the exhibit will inspire visitors to bet on themselves and pursue their own dreams, musical or otherwise.”

A throng of supporters huddled behind the barricades and watched the 37-year-old library become a playground for the hometown kid who used to throw paper planes from his Marcy Projects window. Song lyrics ranging from Jay-Z’s “Sweet” to “Encore” grace the building’s exterior like an open-paged book. At the same time, a live band serenaded the attendees with a medley of Jay-Z classics, including “Roc Boys,” “Allure,” “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” and “Where I’m From.” 

“The design of the exterior plays with the building facade, which was built to symbolize an open book while paying homage to Jay’s words,” The Book of HOV co-creative director Ken Tokunaga told Billboard. There’s also a blue LED cube outside the library that plays the content of Jay’s career to greet people on their way inside the building. “The classical type contrasts with the contemporary aesthetic of the LED cube that sits at the promenade center. We always aimed for this tension between classic and modernity,” added Book of HOV co-creative director Ian Schatzberg. 

Jay-Z and Beyoncé attended the prestigious honor and used the celebration as a much-needed break from the singer’s Renaissance Tour as she looks to head back on the road this Saturday (July 15). Jay-Z’s superstar friends, including DJ Khaled, Babyface, Fat Joe, and Steve Stoute, also stopped by to enjoy the festivities and relish the feats of the Brooklyn icon. 

Inside the 40,000-square-foot exhibition, artifacts dating back to Jay’s 1996 introduction make up the iconic showing. Spanning eight sections, rooms such as “Hov Did That” contain his 2008 Glastonbury Festival guitar, a 2009 hand-written letter from the daughter of Frank Sinatra, and his 2021 Rock and Roll of Fame Award. In addition, “Baseline Studios” is a re-imagination of where Hov recorded some of his most famed works, such as 2000’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, 2001’s The Blueprint, and 2003’s The Black Album. One more notable section inside the exhibit is titled “Business, Man,” as it highlights his most significant wins on the business front, mainly the birth of his clothing brand Rocawear, his management company Roc Nation, and his streaming company, TIDAL.

The exhibition will be free for the public beginning Friday (July 14), and no library cards are needed to get inside. There will be 13 limited-edition library cards that fans can collect, as each one features the cover of Jay-Z’s solo albums dating back to 1996’s Reasonable Doubt. Those who don’t live in New York can also experience the exhibition online, as famed radio host Angie Martinez narrates the story behind each of the eight sections.

“It’s not every day that an exhibit of this scope is housed in a public, actively used space. Typically, visitors would have to pay museum fees to access this type of immersive experience, and we’re thrilled to make it available free of charge to every New Yorker, from every walk of life, as part of their visit to our Central Library,” explained Johnson.

She added: “The exhibit is a labor of love by Roc Nation and was created by people who have worked closely with JAY-Z and know him best. It was important to all of us that The Book of HOV be an enhanced library experience in which the public is able to attend programming, spend time browsing our collections, and check-out books and vinyl records, all while learning about this Brooklyn-born icon’s extraordinary and inspiring contributions.”

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