Don't Get Gassed

“Hi Elle! This is _____ from MTV, we’re throwing a birthday party slash welcoming party for Cipha Sounds tomorrow night. I saw your pic and would like to extend an invitation to you. Are you up for it?”

If you’re a New Yorker, I don’t have to school you on who Cipha is, but as many of my blog readers aren’t from NY, a quick run down goes like this: he’s a highly accredited DJ, a radio personality on both Hot97 and Sirius channel Shade 45, VP of Rockafella’s Rock La Familia, and now VJ for MTV’s Direct Effect. I hope that’s everything, but you can always go to www.ciphasounds.com and read more there.

Ok, enough of the promo, I just wanted to familiarize you guys.

So of course I said, “Sure, I’m down.”

Casting director: “Great, come in club gear and if you can tolerate heels for 4 to 5 hours, wear ‘em.”

What, Dear God, was I getting myself into? Not to be mistaken for some video hoe or groupie, I chose my outfit as if I was going to any other club on any other night- cute, but not over the top. I then call my girl Tanja, fellow industry head who gets amped by all things celebrity, to spread the news. Turns out, she had received an invite as well. Now I felt relaxed, I’d have a partner in crime.

Come the morning of the event, Tanja calls me. She can’t go, has to meet with her real estate lawyer. I panic. Sure, I’m social, but being in an environment like that without a solid person to converse with? I had to have a wing person and I was sure the MTV crew wouldn’t mind another pretty lady as long as I didn’t bring a parade with me. My first call goes out to Marj of course, but it’s half assed because I’m already aware this isn’t Marj’s thing. She’s become super lowkey, I guess that’s what marriage does to you. She denies me and right at that moment I get a call from Clarissa, former director of the Latina NY pageant and new VP of Latina World. By default she is my next invitee, and although she could kill me for telling her last minute, she agrees. And exhale.

At 5p.m., the time I had told my self to be out of my office building by, I was still doing travel arrangements for my boss. Lucky for me, nothing in the entertainment world ever starts on time. So, although the invite was for 6:30pm, there was no one there until 7, and even then that equaled me, Clarissa and maybe 5 people. I met the casting director who told Clarissa and I we can come see Direct Effect whenever we’d like. Great! I’ll be there next month!

With no one in the club (Stereo), the place was freezing. I kept asking Clarissa to do a nipple check on me, but my little hunnies were keeping themselves unnoticed. After a half hour people started to flow through the doorway and some of the girls we saw…wow. Something became very visible to me very quickly – there were two kinds of women at this function: the ones like me and Clarissa who were there to just chill and possibly network, and the glorified hoochies with their weaves, short skirts and 6 inch heels who were there in hopes of finding quick love in all the wrong places.

One girl, dressed to the T like she thought she was in a music video, asked the casting director, “So will I be escorting celebrities?” He looked at her like she had three heads, “No, you’re basically here just to have a good time and party.” She looked downright distraught, and momentarily, I felt bad for her. I asked her if she knew where the bathroom was. She replied, “to hell if I know” with her nose in the air. Well then, fuck you to kingdom come then, to hell with my pity for you. LOL.

Over the next hour the crowd became larger, Clarissa and I had settled below the DJ booth outside of VIP. Although we had the bands to get into VIP, I just wasn’t into it. If I don’t officially know someone in VIP, I’m not going to act like I do.

The infamous Q-Tip began to DJ and the party began to pick up towards the momentum it would carry for the rest of the night. Cipha filtered in and wandered through the crowd. I ran into Manny who, as irony would have it, recognized me from myspace where, more ironically, he had sent me a friend request without at first realizing that we sort of knew each other in college. Manny and his friends joined me and Clarissa at our spot and before we knew it we were surrounded by various record execs and musical artists and rappers. The music was tight, a combination of old skool and hip hop funk. The vibe was just right.

Then it dawned on me that although I know a few of Cipha’s colleagues, I’ve never actually met him directly (and I don’t talk about them because they are “private” people lol). What better night right? I looped the club and finally came across him walking by himself. After tapping his shoulder, and grabbing his attention I introduced myself, told him I was a fan for years, congratulations on landing the show and an early happy birthday wish. He hugged me told me thanks and asked my name again. Then he asked where I was from, and why did I have no clue what that meant? So I said Brooklyn and he laughed. I’m thinking now he meant who did I work with. He asked me something I can’t remember then got pulled away to video tape. I returned to Clarissa and the crew that had formed.

I sipped on my Amstel, watch Clarissa dance around with an incredible amount of energy I could never possess after a long work day. Cipha circled around to the area I was sitting and that’s when all these introductions and pictures began. I grabbed a pic with Cipha and said something about him not knowing my name, to which he replied “It’s _____ (my real name), I remember that kind of stuff I’m not an asshole”. Got me right here (pointing to heart) – he’s definitely on my cool celeb list for sure. So here comes the onslaught of pics:

Clarissa

Manny of Xequtive Board Entertainment

Cipha

Clarissa and Qtip

Qtip and Cipha spinning at the same time

Daytona (love his style) - www.myspace.com/daytonabx

Cipha and Miss Info -how cute is she?

Kevin - I want to say he's Cipha's road manager, but he was so funny and switching up everything I said that it was hard to keep track. Cool dude, nonetheless.

The DEY is coming ....

At midnight things began to shut down. I said goodbye to all those I had met, including Cipha and walked out with Clarissa and some friends to find transportation home. As I rode the express bus home I did the shake thing I do when I get excited and smiled at the evening of fun and networking I had just experienced. Something tells me so far so good, Elle… now keep it up!