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The mysterious Jay Gatsby was known for his illustrious parties and the untouchable guests that would attend but would remain unseen himself which would afford him the magnanimous infamy that he managed to acquire. As I passed under the magnificent arches along the long dirt driveway, I suddenly found myself relating to the character of Nick Carraway as a humble writer attending a party of such a grandiose scale. Once I got out of my uber, I was immediately enchanted. The visage and the courtyard were literally an image from a romance novel.

What could be more engrossing than the visage of a castle? The actual contents that said castle held. Multiple open bars, a gigantic terrace, self-playing pianos, a gargantuan library and more beautiful people than one could imagine in one space. This is, of course, not to mention the litany of celebrities that were in attendance.

The first night of the event was a little hectic as the stars came to drop off their luggage and party. Cuba Gooding Jr was in rare form and Ja Rule was not in much of a talking mood. Sisqo remained mostly incognito whereas “Hoopz” was not shy about having a good time and left it all on the dancefloor. Floyd Mayweahter appeared close to midnight with an entourage so deep that he was virtually impossible to see. One only knew it was him because of the overwhelming number of security guards that kept him surrounded. And just as quickly as he appeared, he vanished; Maybe he took notes from Gatsby himself.  I spent most of my time speaking and drinking with the attendees only to learn that everybody was somebody important and each particular somebody did something that would motivate most people.

The second day was a little more contained. The day started fairly early with a golf tournament which was the highlight of the event. The A-listers partied on the green for well over four hours and didn’t have much to say about winners or losers of the game itself. One could assume that it simply did not matter as they all were having a great time. Once they made their way back to the castle, the bars opened and it was time to turn up. More people were willing to entertain the media teams and more obscure celebrities found their way into the spotlight. Kool & The Gang were in attendance giving samples of Kool’s very own and very smooth champagne. I had the very special pleasure of speaking with some very fundamental people in the music industry; from producers, artists, managers and lawyers from Da Inphamaus Amadeuz to internet sensation iamthmpsn. There was also a great number of hip-hop royalty to be found from Freeway, to Memphis Bleek and Nature just to name a few. Even the HipHopGamer of HOT97 was seen working the room.

All in all it was an absolute grand time that matched the sheer opulence of The Great Gatsby. It became increasingly difficult to remember that not only was it not my castle but that I would also have to get my uber before the last train home left. It was a phenomenal event that raised funds for phenomenal causes in a grandiose way; one couldn’t ask for much more.