January 13, 2011: Vol. 34, No. 2

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January 13, 2011 / Brooklyn news / Downtown / Brooklyn Restaurants

Empire wing of mind! Jay-Z invests big in Downtown chicken joint

By Andy Campbell

The Brooklyn Paper

He’s not a businessman; he’s a business, man — and that’s why rapper Jay-Z’s investment in Downtown’s newest wing joint has already put it on the map.

The King of Brooklyn just dumped some cash-money — and his famous name — on his cousin’s three-month-old chicken wing spot, Buffalo Boss, near Flatbush Avenue Extension.

And since word got out this week, the Jay-Z’s wingman cousin has seen a 60-percent increase in sales.

“It’s like ‘the Oprah effect,’ but it’s ‘the Jay-Z effect,’” said Buffalo Boss owner, Jamar White, the singer’s first cousin. “Business is booming because of [Jay-Z’s involvement]. We got a lot of attention real fast.”

White wouldn’t disclose exactly how much was invested, but funding is a moot point once Mr. Z’s instantly recognizable moniker is tied to a business.

Take the Nets for example. The rapper formerly known as Shawn Carter was an original one-percent shareholder in the team — yet was paraded around by the ailing team’s ownership like he was the managing general partner. Jay-Z now owns a tiny fraction of that fraction — yet he’s still the public face of the Brooklyn-bound team as it prepares to move to the Barclays Center in Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards mega-development.

It’s not clear that Buffalo Boss even needed the PR boost, given the quality of its fowl digits, as our investigative team discovered on Wednesday.

There were plenty of varieties, including honey BBQ, teriyaki and the allegedly hot “N’Sinerator” wings — and an order of 10 is just $8. And for dessert, there’s a deep-fried Twinkie ($3), which goes down easier than a Brook Lopez jumper.

So there’s no question about the quality of Jay-Z’s wings. And even though you’ll likely never see Beyonce’s thighs in the joint, Buffalo Boss’s offerings will soon have you singing, “If you havin’ sauce problems, I feel bad for you son/I got 99 problems and a wing ain’t one.”

Buffalo Boss [554 Fulton St. near Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown, (718) 624-2677]. For info, visit www.buffaloboss.com.

Updated 05:43 pm, January, 13 2011: Fixes an earlier typo.

←Bay Ridge: Grimm takes over — and first vote slams constituents, critics charge

→Park Slope: Ain’t it ‘Grand’? Prospect Hall plans 11-story hotel

Reader Feedback

meh from around says:

Oh Sanquisha - I see what you did there. Clever.

Jan. 13, 2011, 9:37 am

Johnny from Williamsburgh says:

He's a talented artist, producer and talent scout but he's not a singer. Saying "the singer's cousin" is not right and also, the editor missed something. Mute means silent, or one who is unable to speak. You meant to say "moot point" not mute. Should fix that.

Jan. 13, 2011, 10:46 am

Robo from Ft Greene says:

Andy, What is a mute point? Is that like a moot point?
KYS

Jan. 13, 2011, 11:06 am

Andy from The Brooklyn Paper says:

You win — typo fixed. That said, a "mute point" is the point during a wing-n-Twinkie lunch when you can't talk anymore. And that, my friends, is an innovation in modern journalism.

Jan. 13, 2011, 1:22 pm

Holla! from Ft. Greene says:

Not going!
I'll continue to use Wing Wagon.

Jan. 13, 2011, 1:26 pm

Tyson Sanders from The Sun Ain't Yellow says:

.80 cents a wing is not cheap.

Jan. 13, 2011, 1:35 pm

Omari Nyota Wakweli from Charlotte, NC says:

Its great to see my African-American brothers doing it BIG. We need more of this kind of investment to happen so that more local jobs will be created. This is what must happen to ensure that our children are motivated to go to school, start businesses, and build strong and better communities!

Jan. 13, 2011, 1:35 pm

Kalahari Dessert from Ft Greene says:

Hey, give the brother a break. According to him, he never smoked crack, just sold it in the neighborhood. While he was thinking up his rhymes, he probably never considered the Columbians and Mexicans that inadvertently got killed because of his "business." With the passing of every day, this "hero" more and more guarantees that he will sell his soul for a buck—By Any Means Necessary. A scary dude for youth to look up to.

Jan. 13, 2011, 3:01 pm

Moshe aron kestenbaum from Williamsburg ODA says:

Save the geeze

Jan. 13, 2011, 8:53 pm

tony from P.S. says:

Wow! Will Brooklyn Papers be offering other Brooklyn merchants free advertising if the wrap it up with a celebrity mention and send it in to your star f*cking staff?

Jan. 13, 2011, 9:39 pm

Blaquana from Brownsville says:

Who is the racist in the brooklyn paper staff who is censoring all the comments from the black community? Every time I log on, insight from their part of brooklyn is routinely removed. Is this a sign that this paper is part of the racist establishment? Where is Sanquisha's comment? Typical I guess.

Jan. 14, 2011, 1:48 am

Andy from The Brooklyn Paper says:

Tony - I urge you to check out our GO Brooklyn section, which offers a comprehensive list of the hundreds of restaurants — celebrity featured or not — that we avidly cover every week. If you don't have the free hours to look through this entire list, you can search the GO Brooklyn section for your neighborhood, type of food, etc.

Also, if you have a new restaurant in Brooklyn and want us to feature it, give me a jingle.
718-260-4506

Thanks for reading!

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/sections/go/dining/33/

Jan. 14, 2011, 2:51 pm

Toquana-marie from Brooklyn says:

I'm black, but I don't like this chicken house.

Jan. 19, 2011, 3:27 am

Monica aka Moe from Bedford stuyvesant says:

It's sad to see people downing someone that's not pushing drugs into a fiends mouth any longer. We are suppose to embrace Jamar and Jay. That's just why some if you ignorant blacks can not get anywhere I'm goin to continue to use wing wagon (@Tyson and holla) you two guys ineed to get the hate out of your blood. Whilyou two r slackn Jamar and Jay will b STACKN!!!

Feb. 6, 2011, 10:37 am

Monica aka Moe from Bedford stuyvesant says:

*Typo if is suppose to be of

Feb. 6, 2011, 10:42 am

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