By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN — Hip-hop superstar Jay-Z received a glowing reception at the New York Public Library Monday night, as he sat down to discuss his life and his literary debut.
For nearly two hours, Beyonce's Grammy Award-winning hubby entertained the sold-out crowd at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, sharing stories about his parents' split, his family's record collection, discovering rap and navigating the music industry.
Public intellectual Cornel West and Paul Holdengräber, the Director of Public Programs at the NYPL, took turns asking questions, and could barely contain their excitement as they fawned over the rapper. West declared him a "great major poet" and described "Decoded," which hits bookstores Tuesday, as "one of the most extraordinary books I have read in the last decade."
The rapper interspersed perceptions on race and violence with touching personal stories and nuggets of insight into some of his most famous lyrics, including the controversial "99 Problems," which contains the refrain "I've got 99 problems but the bitch ain't one."
As it turns out, the song was inspired by a close-call when the rapper was pulled over by police on suspicion of weapons possession, with drugs hidden in the car. Police tried to search the car with a canine unit, but it was busy on another job, so police let them go.
As Jay-Z drove away, he watched the canine unit zooming to where they'd left.
The bitch in the song? A reference to the drug-sniffing dog.
Greyson Cruz, 39, who lives in Harlem, left the talk impressed by the rapper and business mogul.
"He explains it in music — the struggle of growing up in the Marcy Projects," Cruz said.
"I’m looking at life a little differently today."
Tiffany Brathwaite, 27, who lives in Brooklyn, said the evening felt more like a concert than a talk.
"It gave me a greater appreciation of hip-hop and black culture," she said.
Harry Belafonte, who was one of several celebrities on hand, was equally enamored.
"It's just nice to see a young man who has found his platform and has made it so powerful," Belafonte told DNAinfo.
"It reveals in him a deeper humanity," he said.
