@ Large

The last night of CIAA was like reaching the light at the end of tunnel, being relieved then realizing you kinda want to bust a U, and do it again.

On tap for Saturday evening was Michael Vick and "Charlotte's Bad Girl" Kendra's Party With The Pros event (presented by Elite 5) and DJ Jazzy Jeff spinning at Halo (presented by J. Carter & Mike Simmons in association with The Sol Kitchen) and it was really a surreal kind of experience for a Charlotte native. I'll explain.

Party With The Pros took place at Grand Central; it was a venue I hadn't been in since my 8th Grade Social, and seconds after stepping inside, I realized NOTHING had changed in the venue since the last time I was there and Daniel Moose blew the crowd away with the "Cry Baby." It was the "hood" party I was beginning to think CIAA had abolished.

It was seriously like walking back in time to my senior year of high school and all that was missing was a 4X white tee and a wife beater. I'll admit it took some getting used to. No self-respecting (or sober) woman who'd attended a CIAA school would pull her pants down to show a tattoo next to her ... ladies parts, when "Tatted Up" played but at this party? Not only was it accepted, it was encouraged.

Adding to the social confusion was a DJ whose song selection didn't seem to have any rhyme or reason. Random crunk music, Maze, go-go, Bell Biv Devoe and I'm talking about in about a 6-minute stretch. It seemed like somebody was just scrolling through an iPod and saying, "Ooh I remember this."

Thankfully, he realized this wasn't working and got back to the hits. In this case that meant, Waka Flocka and Gucci Mane. The singles, the mixtape tracks, all of them and the crowd went ape shit to every song — this was NOT a grown folks party.

After the DJ dropped Yola's "I Ain't Gone Let Up" I had to stop being pretentious and realized I was being too judgmental of people who were exactly like me (10 years ago). I would've sat down during the go-go set too back in the day (anyone that grew up in Charlotte probably would). I mean, after you get past the multi-colored weave, crudely drawn hood tattoos and the too tight Baby Phat jeans, they were just partying (but I did leave just in time to avoid the pushing at the door like people were going to avoid paying $50 and just bumrush the joint ... that was a little dicey).

On the bright side, there was plenty of room to dance, mix and mingle. The bar was really fast and the women working the door were well-equipped to handle even the most ghetto patron. Trust me. Plus it was refreshing to not hear the same old school set for the one-millionth time that weekend and the house party vibe was kind of nostalgic.

Now, the difference between Party With Pros and DJ Jazzy Jeff spinning at Halo was obviously night and day.

A big thank you to Herb and Felicia Gray, Digital Divas and The 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte for putting together a fabulous ending to the CIAA weekend with their party at The Sunset Club. I loved the refreshing demographic of attendees at this event. This party definitely proved that you can be far removed from your college days at a CIAA school, and still know how to get down. Speaking of which, I think I’m still dancing. I am such a tool for not remembering the DJ’s name, but he did his thing — mixing old school R&B with new school rap with house music with, randomly, Hall & Oates and Wham! Yes, Wham! But it worked, and it kept the party going.

The cigar lounge area out on the terrace was a nice place to catch a break from the crowd inside, and the heated lamps did a lot to minimize the sharp cold air. The waitresses there could not have been any friendlier or more attentive. It really made a difference in terms of the overall atmosphere of the event.

I had not been in The Sunset Club since they remodeled the interior. While I liked the previous design well enough, their new set-up, though more cramped than before, certainly gives you options: hang out at the protruding bar, make your way around the dance floor, relax at a reserved table across the way, or as I said before, enjoy a nice stogie on the patio. It would have been such a bummer if my choice for a final CIAA party would have bombed. Glad it didn’t.

I couldn't have been the only one wondering how the hell a CIAA party was gonna go down in a movie theater.

Well, The Sol Kitchen managed to make it work ... kind of.

While the atmosphere was cool to begin with at Mez on Friday night, it didn't take long for things to get out of hand when people decided to park it in the hallway. Those who couldn't go up another level to VIP were essentially stuck by the bar and the stairs. Some people made the best of it and partied right where they were causing further traffic with people trying to navigate around grinding chicks and hollerin' guys to get to the other side of a very narrow space.

You literally had to get in where you fit in, whether that was a corner, the couch, the roof, or back to the bar.

I've never felt more in touch with my feminine side than waiting in line for the bathroom and checking myself out in the mirror  ... but it also created one of the highlights of the evening, when a woman in her early 30s let out an "Aaaaaaye!" and made a light jog from the bathroom to the dance floor in heels when "Big Booty Hoes" dropped. Classic.

Also classic was people really trying to go old school side door into Mez, something security shut down easily. Please believe a couple made it through in the shuffle though, including a guy I hadn't seen since high school. (Hey, that's the West Charlotte way.)

The Grammy-award winning producer 9th Wonder and his True School crew stayed busy throughout the weekend and were surprisingly current in their music selection. Anybody familiar with 9th knows his love for hip-hop doesn't really go past 1997 but at all their parties, they kept it new and they rocked.

Other than ruining a new pair of shoes (seriously, they are almost grasscutting shoes now), it was a good time, if you didn't mind having your personal space violated and a few, kinda hot and obnoxious chicks in the mix.

I suppose I should have figured out that if someone has already gotten Tazed by security before even getting inside the party, that’s a pretty good indication of what to expect once I got through the door.

Friday night I hit up Star Power 2010 at The Blake Hotel, which featured Doug E Fresh with DJs Trauma, Biz Markie and Boney B. By 10:00, the crowd huddled together at the bottom level entrance to The Blake Hotel had grown to such massive proportions that cars could not even drive through the main entrance of the parking deck. That sight was perhaps the least of all the assaults (Doug E. Fresh performed later on) on my eyeballs at this event. Granted, the music was great because the legendary Biz Markie was the maestro, but I thought surely one could get arrested for indecent exposure for wearing a see-through mini dress over a bra and panties in public. Guess I was wrong. The contrasting elements at this party were interesting. Ladies dressed like summer were surely about to freeze in the wind outside. Men in fur coats were surely about to pass out from what became a sweatbox inside. By the time we left at 12:30 a.m., the crowd outside had all but disappeared, and people were being admitted inside with ease. Come to think of it, that’s an occurrence I noticed at more than one event. For some reason, 11 p.m. seems to be the requisite hour of party arrival, but apparently if you can stand to wait a little longer, the process at the door will be much smoother. Note to self.

Such was the case over at Suite where rapper Nelly was hosting the second party I was checking out for the evening. It was around 1 a.m. when I got there, and despite being in possession of a VIP pass, I would have been able to buy a ticket and walk right on in. Of course, you only would have been paying for an hour’s worth of partying at that point, but that’s between you and your bank account. I actually tried to navigate through the club, but it was simply an impenetrable wall of beautiful people. So, I headed for VIP. Observing an event from the vantage point of a celebrity’s VIP section is interesting — like you’re in a very animated fish bowl with people swimming in vodka instead of water. Even before Nelly came in, people in the crowd were kind of just staring in our general direction. I mean, I get why. They were waiting for a star to arrive. But it was still kinda creepy.  Once he did arrive, it was non-stop flashing bulbs and full-on ogling. I know that’s to be expected, but to be an indirect recipient of some of it — I don’t know how celebrities constantly do it. Moving on. Even though Nelly hasn’t had an album out in a while (he announced that his new one comes out in June), he apparently is still very relevant and well-liked. He managed to make a live party even more hype with energetic performances of hits like "Pimp Juice" and the controversial "Tip Drill." (Google: “Nelly tip drill controversy” if you don’t know why.) Afterward, Nelly was good enough to take some photos and meet people after the lights came up before quite literally disappearing with his entourage.

The Deal: Bestfriendz, Dynasty 5 and Pinkies Up Productions present TIP-OFF Thursday at Whisky River.

The Good: Pinkies Up Productions, Bestfriendz and Dynasty 5 collaborated last night to kick off the CIAA party weekend, and what a kick-off it was. It was immediately clear upon walking in that the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd had arrived with just one focus: to have a good time. No standing around trying to look cute here. Whether you were walking to the bathroom, trying to order a drink or relaxing in a chair at a reserved table, everyone was head-bobbing, shoulder-bouncing and arm-waving to the backdrop of DJing prowess on display by DJ Skillz. He mixed it up, playing a nonstop, body-rocking variety of current hits like the ubiquitous "Empire State of Mind," old school hits like "PYT" by Michael Jackson, and older school hits like "Candy" by Cameo. Despite the somewhat cramped conditions, which actually were decently navigated with just a little bit of patience, there were no attitudes, no altercations and an all around air of good vibes. And for those looking to rip it up on the dance floor, you weren’t out there long before you had a dance partner joining in with you.

The Bad: Major drama at the door is not unusual when you have large demand and limited space for any event. However, we could have easily been spared wasted chunks out of our lives if the doorman, albeit a nice enough guy and the self-proclaimed guardian of “the list,” had just implemented one simple idea: communication. It was evident that the confusion was not the fault of Pinkies Up, Bestfriendz or Dynasty 5. They knew what was going on and who was supposed to be where. All the doorman had to do was ask them — preferably with haste. From several reports, similar confusion lasted well into the night. Though I did not get his name, a big shout-out to the gentleman with one of the party promotion companies who was standing inside the lobby area and worked to clear up the issues and offered a concession. Additionally, Whisky River seemed short-staffed and a bit disoriented, perhaps not ever having dealt with such a massive crowd before. Well, they have a whole year to figure it out. And please, chill the champagne.

As far as the partygoers themselves, the occasional arm grab by those trying to get your attention as you minded your business walking through the club got to be quite annoying, and the apparent butt grope, as experienced by my cousin, was unreal. (Yes, unfortunately at least one person thinks that is acceptable to do). However, most of the people were polite and acted like they had some home training.

The Pretty: My sorors sure know how to throw a party. In addition to those “pretty girls” of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the place was full of beautiful, fashionable people rocking sport jackets and scarves, stilettos and skirts, sweaters and slacks. Although the failed attempts by women in skinny jeans at riding the mechanical bull was, in fact, not so pretty, it was cool that so many dolled up ladies were at least good sports about trying it. All in all, this party was a great way to jumpstart the weekend of festivities still to come. Should Pinkies Up Productions, Bestfriendz and Dynasty 5 repeat this event next year, I suggest you fall through it. Good music. Good people. Good times.

I can honestly say that Suite Dreams (at Suite at the EpiCentre, if you didn't catch that) saved my night last night.

It's always a good sign to see fairly cute girls in line at the club ... that usually means the hot ones are already inside (and probably stalking professional athletes). There were a few familiar faces from Madden, including the Panthers Tank Tyler, rockin' to Durham's DJ Bro-Rabb. (None as big at Terrell Owens at Luna last night though.)

The party, sponsored by The A-List & The Sol Kitchen, was a beautiful blend of the up-and-coming and middle-aged and accomplished, but it somehow meshed well. Bro-Rabb made sure that nobody felt left out. There was old school, Maze, Prince, Michael Jackson, new school, Drake, Trey Songz, along with West Coast hits, House and Go-Go. He had energy like Martin Lawrence in House Party — I mean literally dropping a record, doing his dance, doing his scratches and even making it rain his mix CDs!

Heated tents let people enjoy the rooftop without freezing their balls off and  the hostesses were hustling with those bottles.

More ironic to me was the fact that no one really seemed to mind being extra close to the person next to them. The dance floor was JAMMED PACKED!

It was probably the darkest Suite has ever been (feel me?) and you know what, I could kinda get used to this.

Let's hope they don't start bullshitting on the dress code after CIAA is over — I'm pretty sure my jeans and Nike Blazers won't be up to snuff afterward.

Wednesday kicked off CIAA week/end in Charlotte but no one seemed to be shaking off the party rust last night.

After leaving the Chrisette Michele show at The Fillmore, the first stop was Alive, (actually I stumbled into Prevue first) where Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. and Fourth Elements had plenty of room to move around. A crowd of all ages, generally older, came to the mix and mingle, but DJ Phalse iD came to party. I was in for a dope old school set but I don't know if the crowd was really  was into it.

Pop Life at Luna was the next stop and like every week, the keyword 'free' assured that shit would be packed. (See photos here.) Add Skillz The DJ + 9th Wonder to that mix and things got dumb packed! Even with an added tent area for overflow with two full bars, capacity was met and exceeded.

Saw a couple of fresh "CIAA weaves" ruined as the ladies waited in the heavy rain (that turned into a wintry mix) in line. Skillz The DJ was on fuckin' fire! I've seen Pop Life rock before but not like this.

Things got kind of out of hand, though, after the Fire Department came through and announced 280 people INSIDE needed to be OUTSIDE for the party to continue — only about 30 left.

In the confusion, more like a clusterfuck, by the door, a Grammy winner had to go get someone to tell the security guard who the fuck he was, among other things, and some dude got jacked up by security and carried out. There was my cue to move on. But everything before that, except for the crowd being packed like the subway, was AWESOME.

Last stop of the night was Dharma Lounge. It wasn't a CIAA party but like all the best things in life, it was free and poppin'. One of the cool things about Dharma is even in the winter the patio is packed and on the inside people dance like nobody's watching.

A couple of people followed me from Luna to Dharma and after adding a little color to the party, literally, they blended seamlessly into the mix with Buckmasterrr blending electronic and hip-hop hits. Cheap drinks ($1.50 High Life, $2 Tallboys + $3 House Liquor) meant even the most budget-conscious partygoer had a drink or two.

Good times.