Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges announced a few days ago that he would be opening a new restaurant venture in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport…
Things are going so great for the hip-hop EntrepreNEgro, that he decided to ditch Straits, his popular downtown eatery.
[READ: Ludacris Dumps Straits for Chicken N Beer…]
As with anything involving politics, Luda’s new venture is already sparking a bit of controversy.
People are already giving the deal the side-eye since the contractor for Chicken N Beer falls under a company ran by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed‘s former campaign fundraiser [it’s all about who you know anyway, right?] and to top that off,
Luda’s rapping counterpart, Jay-Z, who was spotted schmoozing with Mayor Kasim Reed in Atlanta last February, is reportedly livid about losing his bid to Luda!
Details below…
Creative Loafing reports that the contractor for Chicken N Beer is the Atlanta Restaurant Partners LLC group, an “out-growth” of Jackmont Hospitality, the concessions firm formed by late Mayor Maynard Jackson (the “Jackson” in Hartsfield-Jackson Airport) and currently led by Daniel Halpern, President/Chief Executive Officer and Founding Principal or the organization.
Halpern was Mayor Kasim Reed’s campaign fundraiser and one of his appointees to the Atlanta Housing Authority.
Again… it’s all about who you know. Who mad?
Oh. Wait… Jay-Z’s kinda upset about it. 😯
We hear Jay-Z is absolutely livid with Ludacris over his new restaurant, Chicken N Beer.
Word is, both Jay-Z and Ludacris were BOTH gunning for a prime piece of real estate inside Atlanta?s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, but the airport only had room for one new venture ? and Ludacris won!
Luda allegedly pulled some strings and got Mayor Kasim Reed of Atlanta to speak to the Atlanta City Council on his behalf. And poof, vamoose to Jay as Luda was granted the license to open his restaurant.
Sorry, Jigga, you can?t win them all! (source)
Seriously. Jay has New York, can’t he let Luda have ATL?
And again… it’s all about who you know. Right?