Visitors to the Brooklyn Public Library’s (BPL) main location just off Grand Army Plaza today, July 13, found the library’s doors locked – and its towering facade covered in lyrics by the rapper and producer of American records Jay-Z.
By GLP websitethe building will remain closed all day today for a “special event”, and security officers on site confirmed Hyperallergic that it was “a Jay-Z event” but could not say if the rapper would be in attendance. An anonymous source cited by local media hell gate reportedly said the library would launch an exhibit featuring a replica of Jay-Z and Juan Perez’s co-owned base studios tomorrow, July 14, although BPL said Hyperallergic details would not be made public until then.
This secret event aligns with the rest of the Brooklyn Public Library network summer program celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, the genre born right here in New York. Rumor has it that DJ Kool Herc pioneered the genre during a house party in the South Bronx on August 11, 1973, where he pulled out two turntables to isolate the “breakbeat,” and the rest is history. Bedford-Stuyvesant native Jay-Z, whose debut album Reasonable Doubt was released in 1996, has been credited with pushing the boundaries of rap and hip-hop through his own discography and as the company’s founder talent management and record label Roc Nation, which has supported the careers of Rihanna, Rapsody, Megan Thee Stallion and Lil Uzi Vert, to name a few.
This afternoon, many New Yorkers gathered outside the Central Library to take photos behind the barricades. Others who were unaware despite the website closure notice were disappointed not to be able to enter today. In the sweltering heat, a little boy’s face creased with sadness when a security guard told him the library was closed. There also appeared to be some confusion up front as people with IDNYC and passport office appointments for today were turned away by security, although the library clarified that these services were still accessible.
A frustrated potential customer, Michelle, a local who preferred not to disclose her surname, said she hoped to run errands and use the library printers today.
“It’s unfair that the library is closed for a private Jay-Z and Beyoncé event,” she lamented, citing local buzz and hints from security guards. She also pointed to their canon exclusivity when the couple rented entire floor of Lenox Hill Hospital when Beyoncé gave birth to her daughter, Blue Ivy.
“Tomorrow is another day, but it’s annoying that I don’t know about it, because I thought it was just a normal day,” Michelle concluded. It seemed to be a shared sentiment among those hoping to use library resources or cool down with a bit of air conditioning.
But for now, passers-by can enjoy playing some of Jay-Z’s greatest hits: “Hard Knock Life (1998), “Things That U Do” (1999), “Hovi Baby” (2002), “Dirt Off My Shoulder” (2003), “Encore” (2003), “So Ambitious” (2009), “Justify My Thug” (2003), “Beach Chair” (2006), “Sweet” (2007) and ” Smile” (2017).
