Jay-Z exhibition ‘The Book of HOV’ opens at Brooklyn Public Library

The Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza was recently covered in Jay-Z lyrics, and now the reason for that has been revealed. The library is presenting a new exhibition, The Book of HOV, created by Roc Nation to celebrate Jay-Z‘s life and work. It’s free to attend and opens today (7/14) over two floors of Central Library, and features original recording masters, stage outfits, previously unseen photos, awards, videos, and other artifacts. More details are on the exhibiton’s website.

From Pitchfork:

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.

To go with the exhibition, the library and Roc Nation created 13 limited edition library cards, each featuring art from Jay-Z’s discography. They’re available at Central Library and Marcy Library starting today, and at library branches across Brooklyn starting on August 7. There’s no extra fee, but you do need to have an active Brooklyn Public Library account, which you can register for here.