September 11, 2007 - Las Vegas was buzzing with pre-awards show energy Saturday night. Parties were scheduled all over the city, but two of the most notable happened almost simultaneously, under one roof. 50 Cent and Kanye West have been stirring up the music world recently with rumored feuds and challenges on who will sell more records on their same-day release September 11th. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino brought them both together for one action-packed evening, creating one of the most remarkable nights in Vegas history. 50 Cent performed an exclusive poolside show presented by the Pontiac Garage music series and Kanye West performed at Rolling Stone Magazine's 40th Anniversary Party in The Joint.

"Because of our deep roots in music culture and our history of outstanding events, we wanted to plan something truly unforgettable," said Phil Shalala, Hard Rock's vice president of marketing. "We worked closely with teams from both artists' camps to make sure it was done on the same night. Some people doubted it could happen, but it did and it was a complete success."

The Hard Rock applied the same strategy to create an unforgettable experience when planning the entire weekend. Over a 3-day span, in addition to the West/50 Cent shows, the hotel presented concerts from Incubus, The Bravery, Linkin Park, Angels & Airwaves and Snoop Dogg. Numerous celebrities stopped by the property to party in staple hot spot Body English, attend the Rolling Stone celebrity poker tournament, the Star Lounge gifting experience and an official album release party for 50 Cent.

Attendance estimates came in at 55,000 for the overall weekend. 20,000 people filtered through the doors on Saturday alone. According to Shalala, "This is definitely one for the books. We broke all-time attendance records here." This weekend's turnout surpasses other recent memorable high traffic events including NBA All Star Weekend, New Year's Eve, Hard Rock's 10th Anniversary and even Rehab opening day.

Shalala adds, "Yes ... the strategy definitely worked."

Here is a flick from behind the scenes at the Kanye West vs 50 Cent cover shoot.