Liquid Gold: 7 of the Best & Worst Celebrity Drink Partnerships
Beyonce got us feeling all warm and fizzy inside when she announced this week that she was becoming “global partners” with cola giant Pepsi for a cool reportedly $50 million deal as well as her own custom soda can. Huge news for Mrs. Knowles-Carter and just one of many celebrity drink partnerships; some we loved and others, just left a bad aftertaste.
Peep the ones that quenched our thirst, and which came up flat, in the gallery above
Lil Jon and Crunk Juice
What exactly is “crunk”? According to the drink Lil Jon tried to peddle in the mid 2000s, the secret potion included “pomegranate juice, high fructose corn syrup, B vitamins and a proprietary blend of herbs.” Even though most of us chucked our supplies along with our Lil Jon albums, the drink is still keeping people buzzing overseas. Just last year, The Daily Mail UK cited Crunk Juice for “fueling a new generation of louts.” Yeahhhh
Jay-Z and Ace of Spades
You know a drink is baller when Jay-Z endorses it without even being paid to. Armand de Brignac or more colloquially known as Ace of Spades, is hip-hop’s bubbly drink of choice (Keep crying, Cristal). Jigga has name-checked the uber-expensive suds in tracks like “Show Me What You Got” ("Gold bottles of that Ace of Spades”) and “Success” (“All this Ace of Spade I drank just to piss out”) and even taking onstage swigs like at his recent Barclays Center concert series. During Hov’s fundraiser for President Barack Obama this year at his 40/40 Club in NYC, Jay’s well-heeled friends were greeted with a reportedly $280,000 tower of Ace bottles. Drink up.
Diddy and Ciroc
Hands down, hip-hop’s master of a good time is Diddy. When he started promoting Ciroc vodka, he took an existing brand and kicked it into overdrive. Now everyone wants to be a “Ciroc Boy” and the sleek bottle has become a mainstay in music videos and club appearances. Forbes listed Diddy as one of its top earners this year, with a huge chunk of his $45 million coming in from shares of ultra premium vodka.That’s something to celebrate…responsibly.
Dipset and Sizzurp
If Alize and Capri Sun had a love child, it might be something like Sizzurp. Regrettable name aside, the liquor was endorsed by NYC’s Dipset who loved them some purple in the 2000s. The cadre even put their music where their check was and put out a Sippin’ On Sizzurp mixtape (and bonus DVD) featuring Kanye West and The Game.
50 Cent and Vitamin Water
Only 50 Cent could make millions of people think that drinking sugar water would get them a chiseled, G-Unit physique. 50 Cent and Vitamin Water’s partnership in 2004 has been lauded as one of the most successful branding initiatives of all time. More than an endorsement, Fiddy took some 10% share in the company which equaled “a figure somewhere between $60 million and $100 million.”
DJ Pauly D and Street King
If you look up in NYC’s Times Square right now, you’ll see Jersey Shore’s Pauly D as the newest face of Street King energy drink. Between DJ gigs around the world and putting up with Snooki and The Situation, we’re sure that Pauly needs all the energy he can get.
Pharrell Williams and Qream
N.E.R.D.’s Pharrell Williams has always been an eccentric, avant garde artist. Because of this, we find it hard to believe that he actually guzzles down Qream, a strange, milky liquid in flavors like Strawberry Qream. "Qream was created for contemporary women who work hard and want to relax with friends at the end of the day" Williams said in a statement. "Women make up half the population and Qream is about celebrating that power." We think more women would just rather relax at the end of the day with Pharrell himself.
