Jay-Z Book Reading Scheduled for New York Public Library

Jay-Z has been referring to himself as the "greatest writer of the 21st century" for some time now, but with a new memoir on the way, he's about to have a chance to really back up that claim. The long-awaited 'Decoded' is actually in the pipeline for a November 16 release date and Hov will preview the book the day before in a rare non-music appearance at the New York Public Library.

"It's too much," Jay-Z said when asked about his book recently. "For the book, I was interviewed, people close to me were interviewed. So I was learning a lot of things I didn't know as a child, It's not anything I haven't said in the past, in songs. It's just more detailed. A song is three minutes long. A book doesn't have to rhyme, and it has no time limit, so you can say exactly how everything went."

To our knowledge, this is the first time Jay-Z has actually given a literary reading throughout his storied career. Add that to his concerts with Eminem at Yankee Stadium and Comerica Park in September, and Hov is having a pretty busy year. As of now, there is no official word on tickets for the New York Public Library reading, but keep your eyes peeled. We'll be sure to update you when we have the scoop.