“There’s a knowing in being an artist,” says Jay-Z in one of the many videos of him currently on display at the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), located in Grand Army Plaza, in the center of New York’s most famous neighborhood. populous town. That the local man born in 1969 as Shawn Carter – but who now prefers to be called “HOV” – knows how to create memorable popular music and stay at the top of the entertainment industry without question.

But is a public library the appropriate place for a sanctuary dedicated to the glamorous life of a billionaire?

Whether the “knowing” HOV he refers to puts him in the category of artistic genius is a thorny debate that depends on the criteria one uses. But noticeably absent from The HOV Book exposition is any material that illustrates how the rap superstar came to learn anything. Indeed, little attention is devoted to Jay-Z’s life before he rose to stardom in his late twenties.

This absence is all the stranger because Brooklyn’s largest public library is where generations of children from all walks of life learned to read and open up to the world. But visitors to THE Book of VMO won’t come away with knowledge of the books, world leaders, or even the musicians who inspired young Shawn Carter.

The show’s opening last week raised further questions about its target audience. On a hot weekday, the busy library was closed to voters in preparation for a celebrity-studded party hosting the rapper and his VIP friends.

In the wake of the introduction which welcomes the spectators, the New York Times called the exhibit an ode to “the extravagance of ambitious celebrities”. Others may view it as closer to a home museum, with trophies (e.g. Emmys and BET Awards), random memorabilia (a soccer ball signed by Rihanna), photos of Jay-Z with various famous people (like Tom Brady), and cover photos of him in rich magazines (including cigar lover).

Note that on the other side of the East River, the main branch of the New York Public Library currently houses a exhibition of Charles Darwin’s lettersduring a performance at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture presents the art of incarcerated people. These more traditional exhibits adhere to the longstanding mission of a public library.

Not all of The HOV Book simply celebrates the commercial success of Jay-Z. A “chapter” of the exhibition in the youth wing of the first floor of the BPL is titled “Advancing Policing and Prison Reform.” While the cases of Meek Mill and Kalief Browder might be familiar to most adult viewers, the items on display – posters for Mill, the Peabody Award that Jay-Z and company won for their Documentary 2017 about Browder — are presented without any substantive details.

Given that at first glance they appear to be displaying selections from the BPL’s book collection, it’s not certain that attendees will notice the 10 nearby shelves in the youth wing that display a handful of “From the Jay-Z’s library”. These are mainly art books, including Disfigurement of Basquiat (2019) as well as books by or about contemporary black artists, including Rashid Johnson, Henry Taylor and Clarence Major.

Such books provide a snapshot of Jay-Z’s current intellectual radar. Much of what else he has in mind surfaces in his music. On the other side of the first floor, a section called “Did It All Without a Pen” allows visitors to listen to hundreds of albums from the BPL Music Collection which include the original songs Jay-Z sampled throughout. throughout his career. This is the closest thing to illumination in the exhibition.

Passing in front of his youth, THE Book of VMO does not highlight another venerable public institution in Brooklyn that contributed to Jay-Z’s intellectual development: George Westinghouse High School in downtown Brooklyn. Jay-Z’s classmates included Busta Rhymes, and at the time Biggie, DMX, and Wu-Tang producer Oliver Grant also attended the school (as did the late actor Michael K. Williams). Such a legacy deserves to be celebrated.

Instead, The HOV Book beats the success of a man who does not suffer from a lack of hype. The exhibit came precisely when New York City Mayor Eric Adams was threatening severe budget cuts to public libraries, only to backtrack amid popular outcry. Alas, THE Book of VMO So this is unlikely to be the last time the Brooklyn Public Library will host a vanity show for a billionaire.