Happy belated birthday, Jay-Z, who turned 55 on Wednesday.
The gift, though, is all ours. Marking the big day of the big man they call, amongst other things, the greatest rapper of all time, music’s wealthiest star and, simply, Hova (a play on Jay-Hova, as in Jehovah) is the publication of The Book of HOV: A Tribute to Jay-Z.
The luscious, coffee table-crushing tome from Paris luxury house Assouline is a companion to Brooklyn Public Library's immersive exhibition of the same name. Running from July to December 2023, the 360° homage to a local hero saw over 600,000 people visiting the Library, a 74 per cent increase on the previous year.
They learnt about the young Shawn Carter’s childhood in the borough’s Marcy Houses public housing project; about the history of hip-hop; and about the lyricism, progressivism, activism and entrepreneurialism of Brooklyn’s finest.
The book – widely available in Ultimate ($120/€120£/100) and Classic Editions ($2,000/€2,000/£1,600) – goes similarly deep over its eight chapters (the titles taken from Jay’s lyrics), 432 pages and 675-plus images.
Drawing from the prodigious archive of a prodigious talent, there are interviews, essays and iconic images galore: the guitar he played during his Glastonbury 2008 headline show; the floppy disc containing the remixes of ‘Hard Knock Life’; Daniel Arsham’s sculpture HOV Hands, celebrating the musician’s iconic gesture; and countless ineffably cool photographs of the man himself.
Tear up your old Christmas gift list now: for hip-hop fans, for music fans, for culture fans, The Book of HOV: A Tribute to Jay-Z is a must-have.
'Strangers sang together, swapped concert stories and debated their favourite lyrics,' writes Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library, in her introduction, recalling the scenes last year.
'As they waited in line, visitors looked up to the Library’s façade and marvelled at the words of a local poet proudly displayed on a public space – words that represented the often overlooked stories of so many in the borough, words that challenged us all to write a better future.'
You know what would also make a better future? A new album. How about it, Hova?
Visit Assouline.com for purchasing details
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