Music, Fashion Head Africa Festival

Male model Tyson Beckford brought the beefcake -- but apparently no shirt.

Nigerian-born, California-based jeweler Chris Aire brought $450 million worth of baubles and a small army of security guards to protect them.

And Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z brought the ruckus, inspiring a couple of hundred people -- including a few twiglike fashion models -- to rush the stage as Nigeria's ambassador to the United States looked on.

Nope, not just another night at the Kennedy Center. Not even close.

The scene was the Africa Rising Music and Fashion Festival at the performing arts center's grand old Concert Hall, where African fashion and American hip-hop intersected Friday night to promote economic progress in Africa. "Africa Rising is a new opportunity to showcase Africa," said Ambassador Oluwole Rotimi.

But the event, which filled the stately 2,518-seat hall, with tickets selling for $45 to $400, was ultimately more about music and mode than message, as performers and models dominated the night.

Organized by Nigerian media mogul Nduka Obaigbena, it was one of four Africa Rising festivals scheduled around the world this year. (The first two were in Nigeria; the fourth will be staged at London's Royal Albert Hall in October.)

The five-hour festival began with a set by Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour and included three fashion shows as well as a sweaty 45-minute performance by American soul singer John Legend. Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek and a shirtless Beckford, an American model made famous by his Ralph Lauren ads, both received the rock-star treatment (squeals, flashbulbs) when they worked the catwalk that extended into the first 12 rows of the orchestra.

It was Jay-Z's house, though: The crowd -- wearing a mix of dashikis, dark suits and three-sizes-too-large T-shirts and baggy jeans -- chanted the rapper's nickname, "Hova" (as in: Jehovah), throughout the night, until he emerged for a show-closing performance. When he began "Say Hello to the Bad Guy," fans flooded the aisles and pushed toward the stage.

The aisles were cleared well before Jay-Z's 75-minute set concluded, but the rapper enjoyed the view from the stage just the same. Surveying the hall during his final song, he said: "Beautiful building. We worked it."