The BET | Hennessy V.S Inauguration Takeover Inaugural Ball Presented by AT&T [PHOTOS]

By Charles Ellison, UPTOWN Politics Contributor

Who says politics and hip-hop don’t mix? It was definitely mixed and remixed at BET and Hennesey V.S.’s star-studded Inauguration 2013 ball on Monday night. Entertainment A-listers mingled with America’s political elite in a night featuring everything from Hennessy-sponsored drinks and ATL hip hop Godfather Jermaine Dupri scratching vinyl, to sightings of larger-than-life pro-athletes (current and retired) and cable network headliners. The big treat: a healthy dash of old school lyrical sensations MC Lyte and Big Daddy Kane, both looking as if they never aged while spitting rhymes fluently throughout the night. Doug E. Fresh also bounced about the stage afterwards, but nothing seemed to shake Kane’s “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’,” perhaps the seniority showing a bit as everyone drank the Kool Aid of hip hop’s Golden Age.

Politics, of course, reigned supreme – you could bump into D.C. City Councilman Vincent Orange or there was legendary former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb in the flesh. Actor Jeremy Wright, perhaps attempting to reprise his Senator’s role in “Ides of March,” appeared in good company while actress Lynn Whitfield was a smart phone camera favorite that night. Sisters were at their finest while brothers were in a perpetual state of sharp. While much-needed dancehall and soca were noticeably absent from Dupri’ slight crate of tracks, the night did not didn’t disappoint.

D-Nice