Barclays Center is already a Brooklyn institution — a big part in thanks to Jay-Z.
Now the hip-hop mogul is giving a glimpse into the rise of the newly-christened Brooklyn Nets arena in Where I’m From. The 24-minute in-depth documentary — which Jay’s Life+Times website released to ring his 43rd birthday this Tuesday — features behind-the-scenes footage Barclays’ construction, Hova’s backstage rehearsals and his back-to-back shows to officially open the venue in October.
Celebuzz is breaking down the five best moments from the Where I’m From.
1. Jay-Z drops by the Barclays construction site
As the arena’s grand opening neared, Jay scouted out the building, laying eyes on the thousands of never-before-sat-in seats that would soon fill with Brooklyn Nets fans. The rapper even chatted with some construction men. “How’s it looking,” Hova asked. “Beautiful,” responded one worker.
2. The ever-cool Jay-Z is palpably excited.
Amidst shots of his Barclays setup reaching it’s full glory, Jay-Z sits in awe of the grandiose stage. “What do ya’ll think of this stage?” he addresses his music-making colleagues. “Is it the f***ing craziest sh*t you’ve ever seen? Where do you go from there?”
3. Old lady asks Jay-Z, “Are you famous?”
Ahead of the final concert of his 8-show run, Jay hopped on the New York City subway out to Barclays. During the ride to Brooklyn, the millionaire music mogul sits down next to Ellen Grossman, a 67-year-old woman who did not recognize Jay. “Are you famous?” she asked as a swarm of fans scream in the background. “Yes. Not very famous, you don’t know me,” Jay-Z responded with a smile. “But I’ll get there some day.” After introducing himself, a light bulb lit up for Grossman: “Oh, you’re Jay-Z! I know about Jay-Z.”
4. Beyoncé’s split-second appearance.
Jay-Z’s superstar singer wife makes a brief cameo around the 15-minute mark, as she’s seen walking just behind her husband ahead of his show. But notably absent is Beyoncé’s on-stage appearance — the power couple teamed up during Jay’s final concert.
5. Jay-Z’s grand entrance.
For his first-ever concert at Barclays, Jay emerged from off-stage shadows to a sold-out show. As the spotlight hit the hip-hop star, his prodigy Young Guru rapped Jay’s “Run This Town” verse.
