LOS ANGELES — So where was Big Boi when Outkast won their first award of the night at the Grammys? On his way to the Staples Center.

Big left the arena after rehearsal so he could get fresh to def for the awards show, but he didn't make it back in time to join Andre 3000 in accepting their award for Best Rap Album. The Album of the Year winners were in sync the rest of the night, though, along with members of their Dungeon Family and some of their admirers and friends.

The post-Grammy affairs on Sunday night were off and running almost as soon as the show's final curtain dropped. Jermaine Dupri hosted a shindig at Pearl, Prince performed at the House of Blues and various record labels celebrated their artists' wins at locations across the city. But leave it to Big Boi and Dre to have the night's flyest soiree in terms of both attitude and altitude.

The Hollywood Hills mansion hosting the party put George and Weezey's deeelux apartment in the sky to shame. Getting to it meant a 10-minute trip up a spiral road, and after arriving at what at first appeared to be the top, visitors still faced a steep driveway bigger than most hills.

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Past an elevator and up a second flight of stairs, another part of the shindig was in full swing. Common soaked up the scene as partiers played pool and Xbox games and while Outkast's dancers stepped to 'Ol Dirty Bastard's "Brooklyn Zoo." In yet another lounge area, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson sipped drinks and shared laughs with friends.

Just outside of there, on the tent-covered outdoor basketball court that served as a dance floor, Paula Abdul tried to squeeze her tiny frame through the crowd toward the gambling tables off to the side. There, Prince's ex, Apollonia, could be found playing blackjack. As DJ Mark Ronson spun records like Usher's "Yeah" and Twista's "Slow Jamz," everyone at the crunk table, including the dealer, threw their hands in the air.

Jack Osbourne briefly stopped by to see them get down but opted to walk around like his sister Kelly. Meanwhile, DJ Twinz, David Alan Grier and video director Dave Meyers were taking full advantage of the dance floor as cuts like Prince's "I Wanna Be Your Lover," Teena Marie's "Square Biz" and N.O.R.E.'s "Nothin' " filled everyone's ears.

When Ronson threw on 50 Cent's "In Da Club," it had special meaning for producer Rockwilder — it was his birthday.

Outkast and the rest of the Dungeon Family partied like it was everyone in their crew's birthday. When the DJ played an Outkast set that went from "Roses" to "Hey Ya!" to "So Fresh, So Clean" and then to "Elevators (Me and You)," Sleepy Brown led the charge, standing on a chair and encouraging his family to raise their glasses in the air in triumph.

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