Written by | Ray Cornelius
Outkast member Antwan “Big Boi” Patton hosted his annual Holiday Soiree at the legendary Stankonia Studios last night in Atlanta. The private event benefited his Big Kidz Foundation, which provides “culturally diverse experiences in the fields of humanities that will positively affect literacy, mathematics, public speaking and artistic inclination.”
BET 2012 Music Matters artist Clinton Babers II provided acoustic holiday sounds as well as DJ Smooth, who played ole and new school hip-hop. There was also a silent auction and tons of food and decadent desserts.
“Tonight’s event is our annual holiday celebration and the last event of the season for our “Saving Lives through the Arts” campaign. This campaign raises funds to support arts programs in Atlanta and Savannah and services about 5,000 youth. A number of arts programs have been eliminated because of school cut backs, so that is where Big Kidz steps in because we understand the importance of the arts,” said Lester.
Lester went on to explain that the foundation was planning to expand its reach in 2014 with the hopes of taking Big Kidz global. When talking to Big Boi about his foundation and the evening’s celebration, he said that it’s “more than just giving away turkeys” but really creating the next generation of leaders.
“Big Kidz Foundation does more than just provide toys and food. We offer year-round programming for the kids who are interested in dance, art, and music. It’s about broadening their horizons and letting them know that life is much bigger than their neighborhood. The world is a big place and they play a big part in it,” said the Grammy-winning rapper.
When I asked Big Boi about his alleged 2014 reunion with Outkast partner Andre 3000, he explained that “he didn’t know what the f*ck I was talking about!” (LOL) However, he did mention something about releasing some new music and possibly starring in a few films but remained “closed mouth” about the projects.
I guess we’ll have to wait until next year to see what happens…
Check out some photos below from last night’s event:
Big Kidz Foundation Cake
Big Kidz Foundation Gift Tree
Big Kidz Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Lester
Outkast is rumored to be reuniting next year at Coachella
BET 2012 Music Matters artist Clinton Babers II
Silent Auction items
DJ Smooth
Blame it on the alcohol
Big Boi cuttin up with comedian and radio personality Griff
Photo Credit: Megan Alodie for RayCornelius.com