Jadakiss & Actor Hasan Minhaj Throw NYC Block Party For Coffee-Chai Collab

Hip-Hop star Jadakiss teamed up with comedian Hasan Minhaj to throw a block party in Lower Manhattan on September 21, drawing out several of New York rap’s biggest names to promote their limited-edition coffee-chai collaboration.

Launched in 2022, the original success of Jadakiss’s Kiss Cafe received investment interest from hip-hop mogul 50 Cent. Kiss and Minhaj’s “Instant Classic” bundle was influenced by their family-oriented businesses.

Jadakiss founded Kiss Cafe with his father, Bob Phillips, and son, Jaewon Phillips. Minhaj became an investor and business partner in Kolkata Chai Co., founded by Bengali brothers Ayan and Ani Sanyal.

The limited-edition bundle contains Kiss Cafe’s medium-dark Arabica blend, Kolkata Chai’s signature concentrate and a handheld frother.

A crowd gathered outside of Kolkata Chai Co.’s storefront on Kenmare Street. Lines extending down the block. The gathering included Dave East, C.J. Wallace, Jaewon Phillips, and comedian Usama Siddique.

For Minhaj, the collaboration also marked a meeting with an artist he admired long before business entered the picture.

“My earliest memory of Jadakiss is, funny enough, The Lox’s ‘Money, Power, Respect’ video,” Minhaj said. “I was in the eighth grade.”

Hip-Hop’s Jadakiss & Comedian Hasan Minhaj Drop Instant Classic Coffee-Chia Collaboration With NYC Block Party In Lower Manhattan

Minhaj said Jadakiss’ “Jenny From The Block” collaboration with Jennifer Lopez captured the spirit of the new partnership.

“This is a New York partnership,” he said. “It’s a combination of two different cultures.”

Jadakiss sees the project as something larger than a limited coffee release. He hopes it encourages other family businesses to work across cultural lines.

“Maybe this can spark a flame in some other families to do some things,” he said. “We’ll do some more collabs with some other Black and brown families.”

For Minhaj, working with Jadakiss carried a personal significance.

“It’s an honor to team up with my childhood hero,” he said. “It’s not only for the culture, but to have two cultures collide and make something new.”