In Detroit last week at a fundraiser concert to raise money for the water crisis in Flint, Michigan producer/rapper Timbaland refused to perform after he was given Dom Perignon champagne instead of the ‘Ace of Spades’ champagne he so desperately wanted.
Let’s run through a quick history lesson on this bubbly spirit real quick: the Armand de Brignac champagne is known in popculture as ‘Ace of Spades’, and the company that makes the ‘Ace of Spades’ is owned by rapper/mogul Jay-Z. Jay-Z used to be a HUGE proponent and defacto brand ambassador of Cristal Champagne until Cristal shat all over the rap community for drinking their champagne. After that Jay-Z said ‘fuuuuuuuck you’ to Cristal and went on the hunt to find the world’s next elite club champagne, which for several years now has been the ‘Ace of Spades’. This is what Timbaland wanted to drink at his charity event for the Flint Water Crisis, but instead he was given Dom Perignon, one of the finest champagnes in the world.
Being the little diva that he is Timbaland threw a hissy fit and refused to perform AT THE CHARITY EVENT because he didn’t get the right kind of champagne. The reason Timbaland didn’t get ‘Ace of Spades’ isn’t because it was too expensive, it’s because the club where the charity even was being held simply doesn’t stock the ‘Ace of Spades’. Instead they offer up Dom Perignon, an equally exquisite champagne varietal. Timbaland had 2 bottles of the ‘Ace of Spades’ written into his entertainment rider which were of course replaced with the Dom Perignon, because that’s all the club had.
It doesn’t end there though, Timbaland and his crew ran through a comical amount of VERY EXPENSIVE booze before the producer/rapper refused to perform and left the club with his entourage. The New York Daily News has the exclusive:
Despite the mix-up, the hip-hop producer and his entourage polished off an entire arsenal of booze in the club’s VIP seating, including two bottles of Patron, three bottles of Ciroc, two bottles of D’usse and one bottle of Disaronno Originale Italian Liqueur.
“They had about 15 bottles of liquor and champagne, which is extremely excessive especially for a charity event,” Jaworski told the Daily News. “They seemed more concerned about getting every drop of liquor.”
On top of Timbaland’s excessive alcohol demands, his entourage failed to tip and exceeded their hospitality rider during the fifth stop of his “King Stays King” mixtape tour.
The contract paid Timbaland in advance to DJ a half hour set and perform five to eight songs before a crowd of about 300 concert-goers. After the booze fracas, Timbaland — the stage name for Tim Mosley — reluctantly took to the stage after 1 a.m. and “just stood there” in defiance. He nodded his head to the beat as another DJ performed.
It must be fun to have zero situational awareness and/or conscience…right? To show up at a charity event to raise money for people who REALLY, REALLY need clean water to drink and instead drown yourself in ridiculously expensive booze and let your entourage go crazy and not tip. That must be super fun, right?
For more on Timbaland’s night in Detroit you can click here to head on over to the NYDN.