LETTING THE GAMES BEGIN WITH DEF JAM

Def Jam's All-Star Weekend kick-off party—held at Milk Studios Hollywood—brought out the sponsors and the star power.

2 Chainz headlined, closing the night with cuts from his newly released The Play Don't Care Who Makes It EP. The hip-hop heavyweight also made a big announcement, revealing that his upcoming fifth studio album, Rap or Go to the League, will drop sometime this year.

The night’s performances were kicked off by the talented DaniLeigh, who delivered with popular songs "Life" (from the IG #danileighchallenge) and "All I Know” f/Kes.

She was followed by hard-hitting wordsmiths JadaKiss and Fabolous, who did songs from their current collabo, Friday on Elm Street, along with other classic hits from solo albums.

Sponsors Patron, Xbox, Essentia, Heineken and Drai's proved to be a winning combination. From custom paintings to the gaming area—made to test your NBA 2K18 skills on Xbox—and even an arcade basketball game—set up to test that flick of the wrist—the event had much to offer.

The performing area was designed like an extravagant players locker room, with stage and DJ included. Hip-Hop legend D-Nice put the “P” in “Party,” welcoming the likes of World Famous Kid Capri, DJ Envy and super-producer DannyBoyStylesXO. We have absolutely no idea how someone from HITS got past security. Also, the next morning we felt anything but extravagant.