The Roots, The Roots, The Grammies, and more

Well I’m back from the Grammy Awards and boy what a time as it was all things ROOTS for me.

On Saturday morning I escorted The Roots bassist Leonard “Hub” Hubbard and keyboardist Kamal Gray to a brunch honoring Ludacris and Mary J. Blige. While there we ran into one of my favorite journalists, Billboard’s Gail Mitchell and R&B sensation Ne-Yo. They are in the shot below with Kamal. Everyone from actor Terrance Howard to LA Reid were there.(If you look to the right past the man with the white collar you can see Terrance's face!).















Here is a great shot of me and Gail!

Later that evening the band’s pre-Grammy concert “for the people” (as their manager Shawn Gee proclaimed it) and their 4th Annual Jam Session literally kept me up until 4am Sunday morning.

The concert featured Jill Scott, Akon and Lupe Fiasco who were all hanging out backstage getting ready for the SOLD OUT show! (I got a chance to meet Akon early in the day at the Grammy Style Sessions Studio and boy is he gorgeous!). After making sure our journalist friends got into the venue I ran over to the Key Club to get ready for the band’s 4th Annual Jam Session.

We had photographers and celebrities and journalists galore including Shore Fire clients Anita Baker (a personal request from ?uestlove) and Matisyahu made it and even jammed on stage with India Arie. There was also Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy who killed “She’s A Bad Mamma Jamma,” Queen Latifah who took us back and sang “U.N.I.T.Y.” and one of my favorite comedians Dave Chappelle crackin jokes.


?uestlove sent me on an errand to find Dave and I grabbed his hand to get him onstage. He teased me that my hands were soft and was wondering what kinds of lotions I used! ha! Here is a shot of him moments after I drug him to the spotlight.



Some of our journalist friends in the house included Josh Du Lac from the Washington Post, Chris Macias from the Sacramento Bee, Cori Murray from Essence, Octavia Bostick from All Hip Hop.com, Malcolm Venable from the Virginian Pilot, Ames Friedman from AOL and more!

In the restroom (I know that sounds gross but girls socialize in there!) I also got a chance to chat with Pauley Perrette who plays Abby Sciuto on NCIS on CBS. I love that show and she was soo sweet.

Although the band didn’t walk away with the two Grammys they were nominated for I know they still made their mark!

One funny note. I helped my colleague Aliza Rabinoff escort Anita Baker down the red carpet and can be seen in this photo of Anita and Mary J. Blige (that's me with the black and white jacket)! Mary told Anita the story of how she sang Anita's "Caught Up in the Rapture" in the karaoke machine at a mall where she was discovered. She cried telling Anita the story and I almost cried too it was so touching!