MIAMI — Musicians, actors and fashion icons descended on Miami for a whirlwind week of glamorous parties to celebrate some of the world’s best artists during Art Basel.
Drake and Lil Wayne took over the 24/7 ultra-club E11EVEN MIAMI for the Bootsy Bellows pop up on Friday. Lil Wayne took centre stage but Drake jumped up with him for an impromptu performance of “Jumpman” and “Fake Love.” The two did a few songs together and Drake, whose hits include “Hotline Bling” and “Passionfruit,” gave a little bow to Lil Wayne while praising the rapper for inspiring him.
Rapper 2 Chainz followed Drake and joined the two on stage. The party went into the early morning hours and NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. even joined in.
Grammy nominated rapper Cardi B performed Thursday at one of the most exclusive parties of the week, TIDAL X: Moschino, hosted by famed fashion designer Jeremy Scott. She was joined by rapper and producer G-Eazy. Diplo, Joan Smalls and Paris Hilton. The following night, Cardi B hit up popular LIV nightclub for a show.
At the former Versace mansion, HBO’s “Insecure” actress Issa Rae hosted a party to announce the finalists of Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series’ annual arts competition. Guests included Olivia Culpo, frequent Basel attendee Eva Longoria and Mark Ronson. Partygoers drank gin cocktails from neon glowing light bulb glasses and took 3-D images in a tricked out photo booth.
Over at the exclusive 1 Hotel South Beach’s The Beach Club, Barry Sternlicht and Richard LeFrak hosted a poolside party attended by Will and Jaden Smith and Owen Wilson. Guests dined on ceviche jars, poke rolls and mini matcha cakes.
The late night crowd headed to nightclub Rockwell, which teamed up with 1OAK for a three-night pop-up that included performances by hometown rapper Rick Ross, 2 Chainz and a party toast Miguel’s new album “War & Leisure.” Ross ended his performance by ordering a bottle of champagne to be delivered to every table in the nightclub. Guests such as Major League Baseball’s National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton, actor and former basketball star Rick Fox, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Over at the nightclub ORA, 50 Cent took the stage before a raucous crowd that included boxers Danny Garcia and Jean Pasquale. The rapper performed 12 songs from the DJ booth including hits “Candy Shop” and “In Da Club” and his own rendition of Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow.”
In Wynwood, music producer Swizz Beatz who founded The Dean Collection, hosted a three day event with Bacardi giving artists free space to exhibit their work, along with a rare deal that gives 100 per cent of sales directly to the artists as part of his No Commission theme. The art aficionado, who is married to Alicia Keys, has talked about the plight of struggling artists and his desire to promote them. His wife has said art brought them closer when they first started dating.
“It’s a good time to be on the fighting side of creative freedom. Fearless voices linking together to create a movement. It takes courage, risk and a view of the future others cannot see. This is what new frontiers are made of, this is why No Commission was born,” said Swizz Beatz, whose real name is Kasseem Dean.
The three-day party was one of the most popular of the week with hundreds lined up outside to hear Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Busta Rhymes, Maxwell and Chronixx. Leikeli47 performed her hit “Money,” and Swizz performed a special DJ set. Celeb attendees included Michael B. Jordan, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Major Lazer’s Jillionaire.
Also in Wynwood, actor Gerard Butler checked out artist’s Peter Tunney’s Gallery and took a tour of the iconic muraled Wynwood Walls. He was also spotted riding around town with Tunney in his Lady Bug golf cart.
On Tuesday, the Wynwood Walls hosted an exclusive dinner and after party to unveil 12 new art installations created for Art Basel while Jermaine Dupri performed.
Art Basel Miami Beach, the prestigious extension of the annual contemporary art fair in Basel, Switzerland, didn’t officially open until Thursday, but the fair has become so popular that it’s spawned dozens of others around Miami along with star-studded parties days in advance. The lavish festivities even brought out members of the royal family on Wednesday.
Sarah, Duchess of York, and daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie celebrated the opening of Art Basel at a party hosted by art powerhouse Hauser & Wirth at 1 Hotel South Beach to honour acclaimed American artist Mark Bradford, whose works include ‘Pickett’s Charge’ at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington DC. Princess Eugenie is a director at Hauser & Wirth.
Guests included singer Ellie Goulding, Owen Wilson, Wendi Murdoch, Ricky Martin and Diplo. The evening began with drinks on the private beach of the newly launched Beach Club with music by Bad Apples Brass Band and ended in a rooftop dance party where Ronson took to the decks for a late night DJ set.