Photos by Ma'atology and B Free Papparazi
The sign of the event that was in front of the Majestic Ballroom where the after party was taking place.
A high angle shot ofrom the hotel window outside down on Washington Ave.
We arrived around 11p.m. The crowd was a bit sparse due to people gettin prepped to atetnd after the celebrity b-ball game that let out around 10 that nite. As we waited for the throes of people and celebs to arrive, 104.1. dee-jay Krisstyle was setting the mood on the 1s and 2s and King Yella was setting up his camera pictures for purchase.
An hour into it around midnite, the crowd was picking up.
At 1 a.m.--the party got started as SLim and the array of invited celebs came through.
Pooch Hall, in street gear arrived as his fans get in pics early on.
Also arriving was actor Lance Gross and actress Meagen Goode, who hosted the event.
Dj Krisstyle gearing up for Jermaine Dupri to take over the turntables (What wasnt expected was his tirade toward the crowd which we will talk about later on). .
Some of the crowd
Durpi gettin in poppin on the 1s and 2s.
Soul Stylz's Cornell Boone and Tobi Collis were there.
There's the man of the hour, Slim.
Also there were promoter Ezekiel Obasi and socialite Renaud Chavoz Lucas.
Slim on the mic with the local and nat'l celebs where the V-VIP area was located.
Slim tells the crowd that he got the male celebs for the ladies and Goode for the gents (We will also tell what he told the crowd later on in regards to their behavior).
The crowd.
MTV correspondent DJ CLue takes a pic with fans including Collis.
A dapper Big Terrence on the mic.
Hall, Gross, Goode and Clue take a pic taken by King Yella. The guys participated in the b-ball game earlier that took place at the Chaifezt Arena.
Another pic of the celebs takin a pic with crowd members.
A dapper crowd. (And if you look closely, you can see the gent on the right checkin out on the sly the derriere of the young lady in white. LOL)
Slim's event assistant Yolanda Allen (right) takes a pic with socialite Priest.
There's legendary b-ball player Penny Hardaway minging with businessman Yomi Martin, they also participated in the b-ball game.
Hmm, wonder what Hardaway was thinking about?
A guest, Hardway and Martin take a flick in front of King Yella's Hollywood background.
NOTE: Overall the event was very nice and upscale. Around 200 or so attended the swanky affair. Folk paid $50 general admission and $100 VIP (for open bar service) to schmooze it up with the celebs. However, when they finally arrived, around 1am (Penny Hardaway arrived about 130am) , they had about 90 minutes to mingle and take pics with them. Well, pretty much thats all what occurred because the partiers were not intersted in actually dancing which got to Jermaine Dupri in a fit starting off by stopping the music several times saying, "I want the ladies on the dance floor."
Then he said, "I'm gonna stop playing music if the ladies don't get on the dance floor."
Then, Slim got the mic and said, "Security, close the VIP area. I want everybody out of there.
So security closed it off and the bartenders moved the moving bars to the main ballroom.
Then Dupri chimed, "I didnt want the VIP closed, I just want folk on the dance floor."
Then Slim said several times that even though the crowd got their good clothes on, they were not going to be bougie. Then said "This party cost too much money. It's time for yawl to get ghetto. Get ratchet."
Now we were also expecting the celebs to say a few words when Slim brought them up front to be introduced especially Meagan Goode, who was the actual host of the event--but that didnt happen.
But all the crowd mostly got was Jermaine gettin' even more irate and said that he's been coming to St Louis for 10 years and never seen where folk wasnt getting on the dance floor. (Thats the G rated version of what he said. he said a few "f" and "s" words along with his rant) He continued playing the tunes to entice dancing including playing, "The Dougie" and "Stanky Legg" (This seemed more of the Cha Cha slide kinda crowd).
A few folk got their dance on, but for the most part, people were there to network with the celebs.
Football star Chad Ocho Cinco who played in the b-ball game was a no show at the party. B-ball halftime entertainer rapper Lil Twist may have been there ,but we didnt recognize him if he was there(we think he walked passed us. LOL). We also didnt see local b-ballers Jahadi White, Larry Hughes or Darrius Miles (who also played in the bball game) but they may have gotten there and we just didnt see them.
After the party. Slim had taken the celebs to the East Boogie side to Bottoms Up Strip Club in Brooklyn. And from reports, Megan Goode was making rain on the female strippers than anyone in the group! LOL
Now our thing is this. Folk paid at least $100 to attend this event. We think the party started too late. Our thing is, if the b-ball game was held in the afternoon instead of in the evening (8 p.m. it actually started), that would have given people and celebs time to relax, change and attend the afterparty which could have got the crowd there at 11p.m.(The ballroom was scheduled from 10:30 p.m. to 2:00a.) --the usual time the STL go out to party. But the party actually started at 1ish and when the celebs got there people were wanting to see the celebs rather than dance. Maybe if the afterparty started at 11p.m. along with a Red Carpet set up, people woulda had a chance to take pics and all, get that out of their system, then people would have been ready to dance.
Second, we dont think people were really in a mood to dance especially after Dupri's cuss fest about folk not dancing. We can see him saying for folk to get on the dance floor. That's what's expected by a dee-ay to set the mood. But to berate the crowd throughout the nite was a shock (It wasnt like he wasnt gettin paid if folk didnt dance).
And for gettin ghetto--it's kinda hard trying to get ghetto in a ballroom. LOL But we can understand Slim's comments especially with him being the officiator of the event and wanting folk to have a good time (especailly after the money they spent to attend) as well as his rep as the guru of "tear-the-club-up" hood parties.
Oh well. We dont know about anybody else, but the nite was kinda dampered from Dupri's outburts.
We are just sayin.
To see pics from Loosecannon's BBall Celebrity game held at Chaifetz Arena earlier that day go to http://bfreepaparazzi.smugmug.com/STL-NIGHTLIFE/Celebrate-Basketball-Game/17170036_JHRknP#1301805891_RFNzBvP-A-LB
GOING ON SIMULTANEOUSLY:
The Bilal concert at Lola's was taking place. There was singer Coco Soul who hosted the concert.
DJ Nune (fourth from right) and the Horney Horns opened.
Neo soul singer Bilal walks up the stage for his set.
Bilal gave the crowd a treat performing songs from his repertoire including tunes from his latest CD, "Airtights Revenge."
Bilal takes a pic with singer Aloha at the event.
St. Louis-based singer Monya and the band started off her two hour set (with an intermission during the first hour) with a medley of hits by the late R&B/jazz singer Phyliss Hyman including "You Know How to Love Me," and "Living All Alone,"
