No more popping bottles of Cris

I know this is old news at this point, but Jay-Z is officially boycotting Cristal, the ridiculously over-priced champagne that has become as common in hip-hop lyrics as the words bitch and bling. The boycott stems from what Jay calls "racist statements" that were made in The Economist by the company's managing director, Frederic Rouzaud.

I think this boycott is long overdue and not because Rouzaud appears to be an idiot, but because the hip-hop community gives way too much free publicity to products and usually get nothing in return. You can't listen to rap music today without hearing at least one product being mentioned. Rather its Bentley, Cristal, Moet, Jacob the Jeweler, or even white tees, rappers are notorious name-droppers and do it to prove how much they have, and how much better than you they are because they have it.

Everyone has danced, sung and probably had a drink while listening to the song by Diddy and Busta called "Pass the Courvoisier." In 1998, sales of the cognac were at an all-time low but in 2001 when the song hit the airwaves, sales jumped 30%. The San Francisco Gate reported that it was the largest increase the 300 year-old brand had experienced since Napoleon III named it the Official Supplier of the Imperial Court. How is that for a plush increase?

Back in 2002, Nelly released "Air Force Ones" and all of a sudden everyone had to have a pair. Sales for the shoe increased sharply, but it wasn't until after the success of the song that Nelly inked a deal with Nike to release his own limited edition shoe. While he did get something out of the deal, there are countless other entertainers that don't have the business savvy to do something similar. I would argue that the majority of the hip-hop artists that name-drop these products don't own any stock in the company or receive any sort of financial remuneration for all of the free publicity that money can't buy. So my question is, why do they continue to do it?

If I were a popular entertainer and I knew that if I liked something millions of young people would go out in droves to buy it, I'd be very careful about what I say. Suppose I made a song that said "I got red shoes in my bedrooooom, I'm the sh*t cuz I got red shoes in my bedroom," you better believe that I would cut deals with every company and manufacturer that produced red shoes (which I love by the way, and I can say that freely b/c no one gives a damn about what I like and don't like). And I would even go as far as to own stock in companies that produced products specifically for bedrooms, like sheets and nightstands...just to be on the safe side. I would never let my power and influence make more money for other people than it made for me. Wise up, rappers! Realize that when you brag about your Air Force Ones, your Benzes, and all your bottles of Cris, unless you are wise, you are only contributing to the bottom line of Nike, Daimler Chrysler and Louis Roederer--not your own.