Is there anything better than celebs who like to give back?
Last night our boss man, Uncle Rush held his 13th annual Art For Life event at his East Hampton estate, with proceeds going to the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.
PHOTOS: First Look! Russell Simmons Debuts His New Lifestyle Line, “Tantris”
Art For Life was founded by all three Simmons brothers (Danny, Russell and Rev) and helps underpriveleged kids get access to the arts which we all know is so important in helping children blossom.
Soledad O’Brien played host for the evening, introducing the night’s honorees, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon who praised Russell Simmons for all the work he and Rush Philanthropic do.
Star Jones did a fabulous job as the auctioneer, getting the crowd to break the Art For Life record, raising over $2M for Rush kids.
Some of the top donators were Tyler Perry, who graciously donated $100,000, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Patrice Motsepe with $150,000, Ron Pearlman and Alan Patricoff. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Congressman Greg Meeks, Gov. David Paterson and NY State Senator Malcolm Smith were also generous with their donations.
Some of our favorite faces graced the red carpet included Grant Hill and Tamia (who were honored at the event), Rocsi Diaz, Melanie Fiona (who also performed), Babyface, LA Reid, Jill Zarin, MC Lyte, Tika Sumpter, Kevin Liles, and, of course, the entire Simmons clan including Angela, Diggy and Rev Run.
PHOTOS: Russell Simmons’ Star-Studded 12th Annual Art For Life Benefit
Some of the best moments from the event include Rev Run’s blessing over the food, where he decided to spit a few lines, Anita Baker‘s soulful performance, Trayvon Martin‘s mom Sybrina Fulton and brother, Jahvaris Martin‘s presence (they got lots of love from partygoers), Diggy’s performance, he was introduced by Russell Simmons as “the most famous person in the family,” and Salt-N-Pepa‘s performance where they showed they still got it as they performed classics like “Shoop,” “Whatta Man,” and “Push It.” And, as they closed out their set, Pepa even gave our boss man a little dance he won’t forget. It was just kind of epic.
The night was hugely successful and it looks like some celeb partygoers enjoyed themselves as well.
Congrats to the boss man! To learn more about Rush Philanthropic and Art For Life click HERE.
Check out some pics from the star-studded event in the accompanying gallery.
