NEW YORK -- 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 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, 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, 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."
But why should a 200 hundred year old company originally created by Tzar Nicholas II and which produces one of the finest champagnes in the world have an aversion to violent, ignorant, misogynist thugs who have no appreciation for their product beyond its high price? I mean, isn't the whole point of spending $500 on a bottle of champagne that it tastes better when drunk staight out of the bottle with a straw or when poured on some stripper's tits?