50 Cent's liquor promotion leads to Astoria sidewalk partying
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Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File
By David Brand
They weren’t “in da club,” but crowds of maskless partiers drinking outside an Astoria bar certainly had 50 Cent’s blessing.
A July 13 Instagram video posted by the South Jamaica rapper-turned-actor shows people promoting his new liquor brand while partying in and around Brik Astoria, a bar penalized by the city Sunday after hosting huge crowds in defiance of social distancing orders.
The minute-long video features maskless men embracing, women dancing against one another and shots of a large crowd congregating outside Brik. The event was billed as a “Branson brunch,” with attendees sipping 50’s Branson Cognac from Brik-branded cups.
“Branson is a life style, we stay lit,” 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, wrote in a caption accompanying the video.
The Power star’s publicist did not respond to an email or phone call seeking comment.
The person who answered the phone at Brik Tuesday morning hung up when asked about 50 Cent’s Instagram video. They did not answer the phone when contacted again.
Videos shared widely on social media Friday and Saturday showed crowds cramming the Steinway Street sidewalks outside Brik and other bars participating in the city’s Open Restaurants program.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the crowds “unacceptable” and vowed to crack down on the large gatherings.
