Arts & Culture

House of Stoli Pre GRAMMY Party Honors Nominated Hip Hop Producers Cool and Dre

Cash for your car

It was a who’s who of the music industry last week at West Hollywood hotspot, E.P & L.P, where an invite-only event was held in honor of hip-hop producers, Cool & Dre. The North Miami rap duo was celebrating their three Grammy nominations as producers of Fat Joe and Remy Ma’sAll the Way Up” featuring French Montana and Infared.

cool-and-dre

Producers Andre “Dre” Christopher Lyon and Marcello “Cool” Antonio Valenzano of Cool & Dre attend the House of Stoli Event Hosted by Stoli Vodka at E.P. & L.P. on February 8, 2017 in West Hollywood, California.

Nominated for both best rap song and best rap performance, the 2016 club hit was given the ultimate endorsement when Jay Z jumped in on the remix, boosting the single into top 10 territory on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and into Grammy history.

House of Stoli sponsored the exclusive VIP event Wednesday night, February 8, and while several expected big names were no-shows, guests included many familiar faces. Just about anyone you bumped elbows with at the cozy rooftop lounge were industry insiders, and the tight space made it easy to strike up conversations, a perfect combination for Hollywood networking.

Notable guests included hip-hop artist, Kent Jones, dreamy-eyed music producer/model, Don Benjamin, his girlfriend, musician and social media influencer, Liane V, and veteran video vixen and co-star of Bravo’s “Blood, Sweat & Heels”, Melyssa Ford.

Melyssa Ford

Melyssa Ford

Also in attendance, sans fiancé Christina Aguilera, was actor Matthew Rutler, as well as the beautiful J Sutta, formerly of the Pussycat Dolls.

Christina Aguilera’s fiancé, Matthew Rutler

Christina Aguilera’s fiancé, Matthew Rutler

Throughout the night guests sipped Stoli Vodka specialty cocktails from twisty straws and signature Styrofoam cups, posed at the House of Stoli animated photo booth, and munched on a diverse selection of passed apps—from gourmet short rib and fried lambchop hors d’oeuvres, to punchbowls full of seasoned fries everyone savagely grabbed from. The energy was friendly, playful, and refreshingly non-pretentious for a Hollywood VIP event.

Marcello “Cool” Antonio Valenzano and Andre “Dre” Christopher Lyon have had a successful career producing for the likes of DJ Khaled, The Game, Ja Rule, Nas, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, and Wale, in addition to the “All the Way Up” artists. Inspired by Jodeci and Boyz II Men, the two met in high school and have been producing together for 16 years. And after 2016 it’s safe to say there are no plans for them to slow down.

PHOTO CREDIT: (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images)
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About the author

Aubrey Stevens