At the Met Ball, you come hard, or you don't come at all. Held each year at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the event is known as the "Oscars of the East Coast," and Monday night (May 7), the hip-hop and R&B communities came with requisite fierceness.

The highlights: Beyonce flaunting her post-baby curves in a sheer gown with a long purple tail, Rihanna slinking down the red carpet in a painted-on crocodile-skin number and Solange lighting up the night in sunshine yellow.

On the other end of the spectrum, Alicia Keys went twinsies, more or less, with husband Swizz Beatz, rocking a black pantsuit not unlike his tux. Speaking of penguin suits, Kanye West picked a good one, as did Bruno Mars, though we sure miss that pompadour.

Check out our gallery and let us know what you think.

See Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys & More Walking the Red Carpet at the 2012 Met Gala

%VIRTUAL-MultiGallery-154873|141082|138054|146197|138993%



Watch Beyonce's "Me, Myself & I" Video
if(typeof AOLVP_cfg==='undefined')AOLVP_cfg=[];AOLVP_cfg.push({id:'AOLVP_74886367001','codever':0.1,'autoload':false,'autoplay':false,'displaymnads':true,'playerid':'89761511001','videoid':'74886367001','width':476,'height':357,'playertype':'inline','stillurl':'dynamic','videolink':'#','videotitle':'dynamic','videodesc':''});

More From TheBoombox