Jay-Z encourages boycott by hip-hop community of Cristal champagne

By Marcus Franklin
Associated Press
(June 19, 2006) Rappers have long proclaimed their love for Cristal, frequently mentioning the high-end champagne in songs and popping the corks of the clear, gold-labeled bottles in music videos and at nightclubs.

But the makers of Cristal don't seem to feel the same way about hip-hop -- at least that's how one rapper-turned-record executive Jay-Z sees it.

Now president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Records, the multiplatinum rapper has decided to boycott his once-beloved bubbly over comments from Frederic Rouzaud, managing director of Louis Roederer, the company that produces it.

In the Economist magazine, Mr. Rouzaud said the company viewed the affection for his company's champagne from rappers and their fans with "curiosity and serenity."

Asked by the magazine if the association between Cristal and the "bling lifestyle" could be detrimental, Mr. Rouzaud replied:

"That's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business."

The comments left a bad taste in Jay-Z's mouth. The rapper said he would pull Cristal from his small chain of popular sports lounges -- where bottles of Cristal sell for $450 and $600 -- as well as from his personal flutes.

"It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal, Frederic Rouzaud views the hip-hop culture as 'unwelcome attention,'?" Jay-Z said. "I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands including the 40/40 Club nor in my personal life."

Jay-Z plans to replace Cristal -- which a club spokesman said it could never stock enough of -- with Krug and Dom Perignon at the Manhattan and Atlantic City locations of his 40/40 Club. (There are plans for clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, according to the club's Web site.)

Mr. Rouzaud did not return a message seeking comment. But it was the writer of the article, and not Mr. Rouzaud, who used the phrase "unwelcome attention." After Mr. Rouzaud's comments about Dom Perignon and Krug, scribe Gideon Rachman wrote: "Both Dom Perignon and Krug have had their share of unwelcome attention, too."

Still, Jay-Z spokesman Ron Berkowitz said his client remains offended.

"They're trying to distance themselves from the hip-hop community," Mr. Berkowitz said. "The hip-hop world certainly helped elevate the presence of Cristal. At the end of the day, isn't the goal for any company to sell bottles?"

Cristal, which Roederer considers its "jewel," began appearing on the lips of many hip-hop devotees following an onslaught of mentions in rap songs starting in the 1990s.

Jay-Z's adoration goes back to at least 1996, when he rhymed on the song "Can't Knock the Hustle": "My motto, stack rocks like Colorado/Auto off the champagne, Cristal's by the bottle."

Others with a fondness for Cristal include Sean "Diddy" Combs, Kanye West and Trina.

According to Agenda Inc., a brand strategy agency that tracks mentions in Billboard's top 20 songs, Cristal ranked No. 8 in 2005, behind brands such as Mercedes, Nike, Bentley and Rolls Royce.

Louis Roederer was founded in 1776 and is still family-owned, according to its Web site. Cristal was created in 1876 exclusively for Tsar Alexander II. Roederer stopped making the champagne after 1917 but started again in the 1940s.

Boycotts aren't new to hip-hop. In 2003, Pepsi agreed to give $3 million to charity after Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons threatened a boycott because the soda company canceled an endorsement deal with rapper Ludacris in the wake of complaints from commentator Bill O'Reilly.


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