Friday, June 16, 2006
What rhymes with "Cristal?" It no longer matters.
Jay-Z announces he's boycotting Cristal champagne, no longer drinking it himself, or selling it in the clubs he owns, following comments by the maker's director that are pompous at best, and at worst, racist, according to Jay-Z.
Update 6/20 - Found a response from Cristal. According to them:
I do blame him for touring with R. Kelly though. He really should have known better.
In The Economist, Rouzaud said the company viewed the affection for his company's champagne from rappers and their fans with "curiosity and serenity."In other news, Larry the Cable Guy assured Budweiser they were "still cool."
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."
Update 6/20 - Found a response from Cristal. According to them:
"A house like Louis Roederer would not have existed since 1776 without being totally open and tolerant to all forms of culture and art, including the most recent musical and fashion styles which -- like hiphop -- keep us in touch with modernity," it said.Reading that - I still think it's pretty clear there's a bunch of ambivalence over Cristal's appeal to the rap crowd - they have to think it diminishes their brand's upper end appeal to be constantly associated with the uncouth ruffians of hip-hop. Whether they're racist or just arrogant, I don't particularly blame Jay-Z for getting PO'ed.
I do blame him for touring with R. Kelly though. He really should have known better.
