It’s always refreshing and gratifying to see rappers go beyond hip hop and start businesses of their own, serving as the extension of their passions. One such rapper has been Jadakiss, who is really passionate about his coffee and the proud owner of Kiss Cafe. Now, the rapper has something brewing beyond coffee; a one of a kind cultural confluence in collaboration with the comedian Hasan Minhaj.
Jadakiss started Kiss Cafe with his father Bob Phillips and son Jaewon Phillips about four years back, celebrating family values and love for caffeine. In tandem there was Hasan Minhaj, who invested and grew Kolkata Chai Co. (Co-founded by two Bengali brothers, Ayan and Ani Sanyal), which was a pivotal moment itself in terms of South Asian influence growing across the globe with the promotion of India/ Pakistan’s rootedness in chai (or tea, certainly never ‘chai tea’ as its often misrepresented). The two cultural connoisseurs have now come together with an exciting collaboration: the very special Kiss Cafe x Kolkata Chai “Instant Classic” bundle available on Kolkata Chai Co’s official website.
It is an exciting bundle that consists of Kiss Cafe’s medium-dark arabica blend, Kolkata Chai’s smooth signature chai concentrate, and a barista-style handled frother. Each item is enjoyable on its own, but what could be better than a Dirty Chai recipe which is included with it!
To celebrate this rare cultural inter-mingling, the brands also organized a block party together at Kolkata’s 60 Kenmare St storefront where fans could try out exciting drinks inspired by the collaboration. It also featured artists like DJ Sharad of The Heavy Hitters and Bangladeshi rapper and partner Anik Khan. And of course, the legend Jadakiss himself. Among the attendees were some prominent personalities like Biggie’s son CJ Wallace and Dave East as well.
Speaking on the collaboration, Hasan Minhaj recounted his early impressions of Jadakiss, saying, “My earliest memory of Jadakiss is, funny enough, The Lox’s ‘Money, Power, Respect’ video. That was my introduction to The Lox, Jadakiss, DMX. I was in the eighth grade…I brought a CD from Tower Records, and it was the explicit [‘Money, Power, Respect’ CD single].” Check out some moments from the event captured by the talented Gokul Madathil below!
