50 Cent Plays Surprise Set at Pop-Up Shop in New York
It was technically a surprise performance, but nearly everyone who jammed into “Poppi World,” the soda brand’s pop-up shop in New York’s SoHo district on Friday night, knew what was coming: a performance from superstar New York rapper and “Power” star 50 Cent.
The store, which is open through Sunday, was filled with a young (and expensively dressed) crowd as well as loads of celebrities: Emily Ratajkowski, Jasmine Tookes, Jake Shane, Camille Kostek, Devon Windsor, Brooks Nadar, Georgia Fowler, Leah Kateb, Emily Didonato, Kevin Love, Suni Lee, Patrick Ta, Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, Rebecca Minkoff, Maria Georgas, Kelsey Anderson, Serena Page, Kordell Beckham, Remi Bader, Monet McMichael, Michael Rainey, and others, according to the announcement.
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50 Cent raps "21 Questions" during Poppi's pop-up shop in New York.
pic.twitter.com/CNeG0mwNN8— XXL Magazine (@XXL) September 7, 2024
While many of the above were presumably backstage, “Love Island” stars Olivia Walker, Kaylor Martin and Kendall Washington worked the audience, posing for selfies and watching 50 Cent’s performance from the floor (although considering Washington’s towering height, some may have wished he’d watched from the side). All took in the store’s elaborate design, which was outfitted floor-to-ceiling with the brand’s vivid cherry-red colors, logos and messaging, in a way that was visually loud but also tastefully executed. The crowd picked up loads of free swag while sipping on complimentary drinks.
While brief, 50’s tight 30-minute set found him reeling off around 20 of his biggest hits, including the on-message “Candy Shop” and “Window Shopper,” along with “P.I.M.P.,” “21 Questions,” “Many Men,” “AYO Technology” and closing out, of course, with “In da Club.” The young crowd surprisingly sang along with many songs that were older or nearly older than they are, although a fair number were wordlessly waving and woo-ing for their phones and friends.
The set ended promptly at 9:30 but the DJ fired up the turntables again and the crowd rocked into the night.
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