Cash Money celebrated the past year and the year ahead at its 4th Annual Pre-Grammy Party in West Hollywood on Saturday night. Cash Money boss Birdman was joined by his YMCMB family including Jay Sean, Busta Rhymes, PJ Morton, Christina Milian, DJ Khaled, and brother Slim, who introduced their newest acquisition, the Aziatix.
Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj were no shows, but a tipsy Drake stumbled across the carpet in red leather pants and a denim shirt, Kelis sparkled in a track jacket, and Ashanti rocked a fur coat.
The liquor was flowing and the VIP was overflowing as guests partied until the early hours of Sunday at the Vegas-themed event. DJ Greg Street manned the turntables and Ace Hood grabbed the mic to perform his single “Bugatti.”
On the eve of Music’s Biggest Night, music’s biggest stars once again gathered in the ballroom at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to celebrate their peers and enjoy a night of performances at Clive Davis’ Pre-GRAMMY Gala.
The music mogul remembered Whitney Houston, who died one year ago in the same hotel, and played a rare performance of the late legend performing “All the Man That I Need” as Whitney’s brother and sister-in-law, Gary and Pat Houston, looked on.
Afrojack lightened the mood with his opening performance, Emeli Sandé won over the celebrity crowd, and five-time nominee Miguel thrilled with “Adorn.”
Usher paid tribute to his mentor L.A. Reid, who received the president’s merit award, with performances of “Burn” and “Climax,” while Jennifer Hudson joined her idol, Gladys Knight, onstage for a duet.
There were plenty of couples in the audience including Ciara and Future, John Legend and fiancée Chrissy Teigen, Brandy with her fiancé Ryan Press, Pharrell with his fiancée Helen Lasichanh, and Katy Perry with John Mayer. Wiz Khalifa left his pregnant fiancée Amber Rose at home, but chilled with his friends Miley Cyrus and Juicy J.
The star-studded crowd also included Frank Ocean, Diddy, Swizz Beatz, French Montana, Akon, Estelle, Ashanti, Elle Varner, Janelle Monáe, and Jill Scott.
There will be plenty of stars onstage at the Staples Center on Sunday, but who will be in the audience? The seating arrangements for the 55th Annual Grammy Awards have been revealed.
Hip-hop’s royal couple, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, score the best seats in the house next to Grammy performer Justin Timberlake and his bride Jessica Biel, while The-Dream and Tyrese fill in the rows behind them.
Young Money’s Drake and Lil Wayne grab side-by-side seats in front of the legendary Quincy Jones, with five-time nominee Miguel one row back. Best Short Form Music Video nominee M.I.A. (“Bad Girls”) takes a seat in front of Best Rap Album nominee Rick Ross.
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz will catch a contact high from Snoop Lion, who is positioned in front of his “Young, Wild & Free” collaborator Bruno Mars. Lupe Fiasco will be surrounded by country superstars Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Hunter Hayes, with Melanie Fiona behind them.
See which celebs will be rubbing shoulders on Music’s Biggest Night.
It was an all-gold-everything moment when Trinidad James met up with Ciara backstage at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on Friday. CiCi bared her abs as she posed with the hip-hop sensation and snapped pics with Meek Mill and Grammy host LL Cool J while doing press in the radio room.
Meanwhile, two-time nominee Big Sean bounced through to promote his upcoming album Hall of Fame. He showed love to Fall Out Boy, Ne-Yo, Miguel, and Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, while B.o.B signed a guitar for charity.
L.A. Reid and Tricky Stewart welcomed their newest signee Ginny Blackmore to the Epic Records family at a pre-Grammy showcase at Beachers Madhouse at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood last night.
Ciara was introduced to the New Zealand native and caught up with her other labelmates including Leah LaBelle, Karmin, and Gilbere Forte, along with producers Polow Da Don and Afrojack.
Nicole Scherzinger reunited with “X Factor” alum L.A. Reid and enjoyed a performance from Blackmore at the event, which was held during Grammy week.
“What a reception. Thanks to everyone for letting me share my songs tonight. Sure know how to make a girl feel special!” tweeted a grateful Blackmore.
The 27-year-old singer-songwriter, who fell in with R&B after seeing Lauryn Hill in Sister Act 2, has written for Christina Aguilera (“Sing for Me”). Listen to her debut single “Bones” below.
After appearing in court with Chris Brown earlier in the week, Rihanna got back to work, gearing up for her big performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. She ran through rehearsals with Bruno Mars and Sting, who will share the stage with her at the Staples Center on Sunday. She also met up backstage with Damian and Ziggy Marley, posting the photo on Instagram.
RiRi, who performed with Coldplay at last year’s show, is nominated for three awards at this year’s ceremony including Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
On Thursday night, she rubbed elbows with her Roc Nation family including Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Melanie Fiona at Solange’s House of Blues show.
The Grammys will air live on Sunday on CBS with performances from Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean, Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Miguel, Wiz Khalifa, Taylor Swift, and more.
With just days to go until Sunday’s ceremony, the Grammys are adding more performers to the already star-studded lineup. Miguel will hit the stage with Wiz Khalifa at the 55th annual awards.
2 Chainz caps off a remarkable year by heading to the Grammys this Sunday, where he is nominated for three awards including Best Rap Album for his debut Based on a T.R.U. Story. With friends and family surrounding him, the “I’m Different” rapper celebrated his nominations at a private party at Vanquish nightclub in Atlanta last night.
He thanked his team and loved ones, while reflecting on his success.
“When I made this album, there was no way in the hell I thought I was gonna get a Grammy nom,” said 2 Chainz. “I’m just very honored. I didn’t do anything different from making my mixtapes. I just basically go to work every day. Practice makes perfect. I think I’m a product of hard work.”
He also shouted out his former label DTP. “Without them, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “Definitely no hard feelings on my end.”
But he won’t be too disappointed if he doesn’t win. “Whether I get a Grammy or not, I’m gonna continue to strive for excellence and be an example to my community.”
