Hov did.
Photos: Kevin Mazur/Getty
JAY-Z’s life and work is being celebrated with a massive exhibition titled, The Book Of HOV, at the Brooklyn Public Library.
On Friday (Jul. 14), The Book Of HOV, a 40,000-square-foot exhibition featuring historic archives of JAY, was debuted to the public. It spans throughout the library’s Grand Army Plaza branch.
Each of the six zones, which are presented in chapters, similar to a book, chronicles the life of JAY with displays of never-before-seen photos, artwork and rare memorabilia. Among the fascinating items is a Jazz Grant-crated mural, rare ticket stubs, paintings, awarded plaques, vintage vinyls, and even an exact duplicate of a recording room from Baseline Studios. Outside of the library is also temporarily covered in lyrics by HOV.
A pre-opening and private party was held the previous day featuring a star-studded list of invitees including JAY-Z himself, his wife Beyonce as well as DJ Khaled, Babyface, Alicia Keys, Lil Uzi Vert, Kevin Liles, and Jason Tatum, among many others. Guests were greeted by The Roc Boys band, orchestrated by Jay-Z’s engineer Young Guru, who played some of HOV’s classics during the Roc Nation-event.
“JAY-Z’s story is a uniquely Brooklyn story, and it’s a privilege to host this exhibit created as a labor of love by Roc Nation and the people who’ve known and worked with him over the years,” Brooklyn Public Library CEO Linda Johnson tells Rolling Stone.
She continues, “The Book of Hov and the limited-edition library card will attract new visitors to our branches, many of whom may not be familiar with the wide range of services we offer. Patrons can borrow vinyl records, musical instruments, sheet music, and even make their own music or podcast in our recording studio.”
Later that evening, JAY-Z and his mother Gloria Carter held their Shawn Carter Foundation 20th Anniversary Black Tie Gala at Pier 60. Billboard reports SCF raised $20 million which will assist people who are facing socioeconomic hardships to further their education at postsecondary institutions. Guests included The Carters, DJ Khaled, Meek Mill Miguel, Tinashe, A$AP Ferg, SAINt JHN, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Fanatics founder Michael Rubin, and more.
The Book Of HOV exhibition is open to the general public for a month and it will run through the summer. Visitors can attend without a library card.
More information and a preview of Book Of HOV exhibition can be viewed here.
