The champagne was flowing as G.O.O.D. Music kicked off the VMA festivities with a swanky soirée hosted by Moët & Chandon on Wednesday night. While Kanye West was in New York, his crew including Big Sean, Common, and Teyana Taylor held things down at a private 50-person dinner and after-party at West Hollywood’s Bagatelle restaurant.
Other guests stopping by to celebrate the upcoming release of the G.O.O.D. Music compilation, Cruel Summer, included Ne-Yo, NeNe Leakes, Jennifer Williams, Jesse Williams, Eva Marcille, and Lance Gross. DJ Wonder worked the turntables until 1:30 a.m., spinning hits from the G.O.O.D. folks and their Def Jam labelmates.
The event is part of the Moët Rosé Lounge Series, a private three-city, celebrity hosted supper-club tour reserved for local tastemakers and media.
The Roc wasn’t the only crew in the building at Jay-Z’s “Made in America” festival in Philadelphia. Following his headlining set on Saturday, the hip-hop mogul surprised festivalgoers by bringing out Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music.
“Philadelphia, since you treated me so nice tonight, and you were so good to me, I’ma be good to you tonight,” said Jay before the G.O.O.D. fellas took the stage.
Pusha T, Kanye, and Big Sean came out to their remix of Chief Keef’s “I Don’t Like” before segueing into “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” “New God Flow,” and “Cold.” Big Sean performed “Dance (A$$),” followed by Common with “The Light,” and 2 Chainz joined in on the finale with “Mercy.”
But it wasn’t over yet. “I think we got time for one more,” said Hov before ‘Ye returned for an encore of “Ni**as in Paris” as fireworks lit up the sky.
Just in time for summer, Common cozies up to Colbie Caillat under the palm trees in the video for “Favorite Song,” a feel-good single off the pop singer’s latest album All of Me. The Chi-town MC hit the boardwalk of Venice, Calif., for a beach party with skateboarders.
“I had really wanted to work with [Common] for a long time,” Colbie told Suite101. “When we were in the studio, he was so sweet, very smart and focused. He co-wrote the song with me and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, who also produced the song. It was a great session!”
The stars came out to support Kanye West at his second womenswear show at Paris Fashion Week. From G.O.O.D. Music’s Big Sean to chic couple Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz and Bad Boy’s Diddy and Cassie, the front row was a who’s who in entertainment and fashion. Other star sightings included Katy Perry, Common, Shyne, Rosario Dawson, and Teyana Taylor.
Kim Kardashian strutted in the $5800 knit heels that Kanye designed with Giuseppe Zanotti and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour returned to show her support. “I’m very fond of Kanye,” she told the WSJ.
Following the runway presentation, Azealia Banks, Waka Flocka Flame, Mos Def, and DJ A-Trak performed for the fashionable crowd, who went go-karting in their designer duds. “That was the most fun I’ve had this year!” tweeted Banks.
J. Cole stepped off the sidelines and onto the court at Friday’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The Roc Nation rapper, who will perform at Sunday’s Sprint Pregame Concert, showed off his skills with a slam dunk while playing against the West’s Common and Ne-Yo. Just before the buzzer rang, Cole blocked Common’s shot. “LOL! He’s gonna pay 4 that!” the Chi-town MC later joked. The East won 86-54.
Common breezes through Philly with two new freestyles on Cosmic Kev’s “Come Up Show.” The Chi-town lyricist rhymes over something old (Jay-Z’s “Streets Is Watching”) and something new (French Montana’s “Shot Caller”). Check his flow.
Common knows how to make a girl feel good. The Chi-town MC brought a female fan on stage during the after-party for his new film LUV at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. He dedicated his freestyle over Beyoncé’s “Party” instrumental to the lucky gal. “We can put it all together/ You know the weather/ Me and Jasmine we can find forever,” he rapped.
Common almost crossed paths with his rival Drake during his trip to Park City, Utah, for Sundance. While Drizzy was performing at Park City Live, the Chi-town MC attended the premiere of his new film LUV at the festival on Monday evening (Jan. 23).
The drama follows an 11-year-old orphan who discovers unpleasant truths about his uncle, played by Common. He posed for portraits with the cast including Meagan Good, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, and Danny Glover, and later performed at the after-party.
The rapper-turned-actor’s movie career is flourishing, with upcoming roles in Pawn with Forest Whitaker, Disney’s The Odd Life of Timothy Green, and a movie by the Farrelly brothers.
