The dinner will be limited to just 100 guests, who each will pay $40,000 for the honor of dining with Obama and what promises to be a star-studded list of music industry bigwigs. Obama has had big fundraisers with Hollywood stars over the last few months, George Clooney hosted one at his house in Los Angeles in May and Sarah Jessica Parker hosted another at her place in Manhattan in June.
In addition, Tyler Perry did it big at his studios and his home in March for Obama. But this will be the first chance for the R&B, hip hop and rap communities to rally around the president and lay out some big bucks in this case, $4 million for his re-election cause.
Since Republicans like Sarah Palin tried to create controversy over a rapper as tame as Common being invited to the White House last year Fox News even called him a “vile rapper” it will be interesting to see whether Republicans try to cause a scene over the Beyonce and Jay-Z guest list at the 40/40 Club. And even more interestingly, one wonders if Jay-Z might decline sending out an invitation to his more controversial rapper friends to protect Obama from conservative criticism.
