A huge homage to Jay-Z, produced by his company, takes over Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library. Might there be contradictions?
There's a giant Jay-Z exhibit--or is it more a tribute/homage--taking over the Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library, called The Book of Hov. Heck, they closed the building for a day--as HellGate reported--so the library could have a huge party to help with fundraising.
It's likely to be a huge hit with Jay-Z fans and many Brooklynites, though it should be noted that it's produced by Jay-Z's company Roc Nation--so it's more of an "authorized exhibit," not an actual work by a curator who might explore Hov's contradictions.
Hey, was Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah unavailable? She wrote an illuminating 2010 essay for the New York Observer, He Shall Overcome: Jay-Z Is $450 M Beyond the Marcy Projects. Where Does He Go From Here?, noting that there was truth to the criticism that Jay-Z was a "marketing device" for developer Bruce Ratner's Barclaays Center:At the groundbreaking in March, Jay-Z brought the crooked-arm language of the left to bear, saying the project is “so overwhelmingly in favor of the people: the job creation, the housing that’s being built.” It was time again for shout-outs, and this time he dedicated them to “Brooklyn–we did it again,” and to Biggie Smalls. Jay-Z is a natural orator; he can say much or nothing, and it not only sounds good, it also sounds heartfelt.Well, as I wrote, you can't hustle a hustler, and Jay-Z made bank too, opening the arena with eight concerts.
"The Book of HOV exhibition is curated and executive produced by Roc Nation."https://t.co/E0dNS87DB8 https://t.co/CIAFOOqu4j
— Norman Oder (@AYReport) July 14, 2023
No mention, as per @HellGateNY that #BrooklynPublicLibrary was closed to public for a day?
— Norman Oder (@AYReport) July 14, 2023
Search online exhibit: no results for:
Mikhail Prokhorov
Bruce Ratner
drugs (beyond "JAY-Z used his pen to condemn the war on drugs")
or even "bricks" (as in "to billboards")
1/2 https://t.co/2zcrOCrtUv
Note that exhibit's reproduction of #BarclaysCenter arena, which Jay-Z opened in Sept. 2012, is all object... while actual building is:
— Norman Oder (@AYReport) July 14, 2023
1) festooned w/advertising/promotional signage
2) ringed by housing mostly out of reach for those who thought arena could bring affordability pic.twitter.com/l1wMbZ2KJi
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