The rap legend created history when he became the first Black male recording artist to have at least ten double-platinum solo studio albums.
The announcement comes after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) updated its certifications last week, elevating Jay’s 2009 album
The Blueprint 3 to double-platinum status with 2 million album-equivalent sales, and elevating his 2003 record The Black Album to quadruple-platinum status with 33.5 million album sales.
While he is the first Black male to accomplish this milestone, he is just the second Black artist to do so.
Mariah Carey, the most commercially successful Black female solo artist of all time with over 11 albums selling over 2 million copies in the United States, was the first Black person overall to achieve double-digit multi-platinum album status in their career.
Beyoncé and Whitney Houston, who have six and seven multi-platinum albums, respectively, are the closest Black female performers to that feat.
JAY-Z’s two collaboration albums, 2004’s Collision Course with Linkin Park and 2011’s Watch the Throne with Kanye West, have sold at least two million copies, in addition to his ten multi-platinum solo albums.
The Brooklyn Public Library debuted the Book of HOV exhibition last week, displaying the hip-hop legend’s preserved and never-before-seen objects and masterpieces from his career.
The show was characterized in a news statement as “a tribute to Carter’s global impact as a musician, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and disruptor.”
“It was also built as a surprise for Carter and as a celebration for both his hometown of Brooklyn and the broader hip-hop community around the world,” according to the statement.
“The immersive experience will include iconic artifacts, awards, rare photos, legendary magazine covers, and more that span 27 years since Carter’s illustrious debut album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996,” according to the statement.
The overall purpose of the exhibit is to provide an illuminating and instructive look into Carter’s rise from the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, New York to an international sensation.”
Aside from his music career, the show will highlight his financial ventures, such as his work as a co-owner of the Brooklyn Nets, creating TIDAL into a successful streaming platform, and transforming Armand de Brignac champagne and D’USSE Cognac into multibillion-dollar luxury brands.
The library has not stated when the free exhibition will end, but according to the press release, it will be accessible to the public for a “limited time.”
