Jay-Z Honored at Brooklyn Public Library with Exhibit Celebrating His Life and Legacy

Jay-Z was immortalized as a local hero and king of rap at the Brooklyn Public Library, where his famous lyrics were plastered on the Central Library Building, while the interior featured an exhibit celebrating the mogul’s illustrious career. , from his many awards to album covers.

Jay-Z was stunned by the showcase Thursday night as music heavyweights including Big Daddy Kane, Alicia Keys, Questlove, DJ Khaled and more celebrated his life and legacy during the 50th anniversary of the hip hop.

Jay-Z entered the building, as a band featuring Emmy-winning music director Adam Blackstone played some of his hits, with his daughter Blue Ivy Carter at his side, as patrons cheered loudly and filmed footage on their phones. .

Inside, attendees toured hov’s book, which was presented in chapters and included various photos of Jay-Z, from portraits and concert footage to magazine and album covers. On display were the Brooklyn Nets jersey Jay-Z wore to the first night of his eight-show opening at Barclays Center in 2012; various awards and honors, including an Emmy, a Grammy, a Peabody, and inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, where Jay-Z became the first rapper to be inducted; platinum plates; the entrance to Carnegie Hall when Jay-Z headlined the venue in 2012; a PCM digital tape of Jay-Z’s debut single, “In My Lifetime” from 1995; a Roc-A-Fella gold chain; and a Rocawear bomber jacket.

The exhibit also includes a replica of Baseline Studios, the Manhattan sanctuary where Jay-Z recorded. the plane and the black album as well as the 2022 open letter from Roc Nation and the Midwest Innocence Project urging the Department of Justice to investigate the Kansas City Police Department.

Attendees included Lil Uzi Vert, Babyface, Victor Cruz, Jerrod Carmichael, Fat Joe, Jayson Tatum, Ella Mai, Angie Martinez, Charlamagne tha God, Tamika Mallory, June Ambrose, Kevin Liles, Steve Stoute, Michael Rubin, Stephen Hill, Zane Lowe Tinashe and Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez.

The showcase comes the same week that Jay-Z earned two Emmy nominations for his work on Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show. He is nominated for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), an award he won for last year’s halftime show, and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special.