The Ned Celebrated Its First Anniversary—With A Little Help From Ja Rule

The Ned is one! And to mark the milestone, the most connected man in hospitality, Richie Akiva, threw a fête to remember for over 500 party people. For the uninitiated, The Ned NoMad, helmed by Akiva, is a member’s club that has welcomed everyone from Rihanna to Anna Wintour during its first year of business.

The hotspot didn’t do things by halves to celebrate its first birthday either. Guests arrived to find copious amounts of Moet Chandon champagne, notably being served in chilled flutes attached to a model’s gilded ball gown. To satiate the crowd, The Ned’s chefs had prepared all their favorites (shout out to the shepherd’s pie—a nod to The Ned’s British roots), while an old school candy counter kept things sweet amidst courses of passed caviar, cotton candy-wrapped foie gras, oysters, truffle parmesan popcorn, and lobster rolls.

For one night only, the ceilings of the club were transformed with countless gold metallic balloons, metallic streamers, sheer metallic drapery, and disco ball accents while jazz performers, 1920s-inspired showgirls, contortionists in glittering bodysuits, an illusionist and his white doves, and a live band kept the energy upbeat.

And then, the rumors were indeed true: a blast from the past was about to take to the stage. The crowd of VIPs clamored to get a better look as DJ Clark Kent and Akiva introduced iconic hip hop artists Fabolous and Ja Rule, who gave renditions of their dancefloor-filling tracks back-to-back.

Among those who turned out and turned it up were Mayor Eric Adams, Fat Joe, Famke Janssen, Julianne Hough, CT Hedden, Giancarlo Stanton of the NY Yankees, Imaan Hammam, Giveon, Jahleel Weaver, Duckie Thot, Davis Burleson, Lexi Wood, Kaylee Russelman, Shea Marie, Sultan bin Fahad bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz and Princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, Fatima Cuellar, Madeline Danzberger, Khadija Cherkani, Christa B. Allen, Rachel Winters, Mike Young, Jourdain Fisher, Sam Woolf, Jus Ske, Bloody Dior, Bloody Osirus, Badius, Fish Money, Michael Braun, Helly Nahmad, Shawn Pecas, Jason Binn, TJ Atoms, Jeremey Tahari, Sergio Farias, Honey Bxby, and many others. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough…DJ Stacks kept the after party going in the Magic Room way past 2AM. We wouldn’t expect anything less!

See inside the evening, below:

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