Jay-Z Bans Cristal From 40/40 Club

 •  XXL Magazine  •  by XXL Staff  •  68 Comments

jay_close1.jpgIn response to recent offensive comments by the managing director of Louis Roderer Cristal, the manufacturer of the popular Cristal champagne, Jay-Z has announced that the drink will no longer be served at either of his upscale 40/40 Club sports bars. In a recent article in The Economist magazine, Cristal exec Frederic Rouzaud characterized the hip-hop community’s patronage as “unwelcome attention” and stated that the company views its association with hip-hop with “curiosity and serenity.” In a press release circulated yesterday (June 14), the rapper-turned-CEO commented, “It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal, Frederic Rouzaud, views the ‘hip-hop’ culture as ‘unwelcome attention.’ 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.” The 40/40 Club will henceforth only serve Dom Perignon and Krug champagne, the two brands Rouzad suggested rappers and their fans give their business to.

  • Cellus

    Thats wassup! Good shyt! Stop servin that BS, take a stand.

  • Katari

    Maybe since all liquor is made by some white company, Jay-Z should only sell water and Crunk Juice. I guess some people will think the boycott of Cristal is just as important as the bus boycott back in the day.

  • PAPOOSE

    i drink 2 bottles a day

  • Will T. Bagyou

    I only Drink Patron n e wayz, tha bubbly is for fags

  • D Money

    Smart move Jay!The dicks over at Cristal will notice an enormous decline in sales due to that haughty statement.Evidently,them crackers tryin to act like you ain’t on they ass.To see such young,poor black men rise to fame,superstardom,and Fortune 500 status,is obvious a blow to the jaw to the elite corporate world of all things European.Name dropping these companies,fashion and auto also,should cost those prigs,cause,if not,they’re getting free product placement,good PR with our culture,leading to”street credibility”.Unless they respect our music and culture,pay us for the publicity,whether through artist or some credible,life developing charity,fuck what I wear on wax,what whip I roll,what bubbly I sip,fuck all that shit.The audience isn’t really benefiting from this glam music anyway.Sure we can say it makes you hungry.But how many youngn’s gonna wanna go to school and work to live that life > the other 70% hit the block,hustle,murder,or rob.

    “You either slang crack rock or
    got a wicked jump shot”????

    HP commercial a good look Jay,at least it advertises something positive.

  • Will T. Bagyou

    …ok i drink 1800 too!

  • http://MINDSTATELA.COM ARSANIC

    SHIT TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH IT TASTE JUST LIKE ANDRE I MEAN COME ON DOGG IF YOU THINK YOU COULD TELL THE DIFFERENCE YUR FRONTIN LIKE A MUFUKER
    HIP HOP DUDES IS ENDORSING THIS CRAP AS IF THEY GOIN GET SOME KICK BACK LIKE IT LOOK COOL TO HOLD A BOTTLE OF PISTAL, THATS THEY SHIT FUCK THEM LIKE WE SAID FUCK TOMMY HILLFIGER BACK WHEN WE STARTED GETTING OUR OWN CLOTHING LINES NOW LOOK AT THE DROP IN HILL FIGER SINCE THEY AINT CLOCKING WHAT THEY USED TO IN THE 90S
    SO BIG UP TO JAY HE FINALY GOT THE PICTURE AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS OF KISSING THEY ASSES.

  • Will T. Bagyou

    f**k it i drink all tequilla’s, cristal is for the gay french

  • ripsta

    fuck cristal! jigga got his own liqour anywayz.

  • Trueog

    I hate and always have hated Jay-z for being a commercialized self proclaimed king of the underground….but finally he’s done something that supports our community and sticks up for this culture, i’m glad to finally see him grow up.

  • Da King J-Hosa

    fuck jay-z and his bitch ass….stupid ass trick

  • Jaymatic

    Wasn’t dat same nigga talkin all bout the in all his fuckin’ albums? damn, who the fuck Jay think he is?
    He even spit a verse like
    (I six model bitches and six bottles of Crist’)man, fo’real… Jay-Z needs to stoppin’ frontin’on the low, tho.
    runnin’ Def Jam dosn’t makes him the God of all this muthafuckin’ shit.
    I’m still gonna sip on the Crist’ till the day i D.I.E.

  • Lee

    Jay Z props go out to you for dealing with cristal’s racist remarks in the right way and not do some domb shit. Every one should ban this drink and we as people got to be more carfull where we put our money into.

  • http://www.myspace.com/ahmapoet Baub

    Quoting Jaymatic “runnin’ Def Jam dosn’t makes him the God of all this muthafuckin’ shit.
    I’m still gonna sip on the Crist’ till the day i D.I.E.”

    No disrespect, but it seems like your focus was pretty much on what Jay used to say about kkkristal back in his old days. Basically what he was saying is that he can afford to purchase that. The fact that a Black Man can say that, pisses off the average boujoi’s in the world, it makes them mad to see our people in those places of power. Now Jay is sayin that because of this man’s racist remarks, he is not going to support them anymore and encourage other people of color to do the same.

    To be honest, you sound mad ignorant, like the same house nigga sayin “mas, is we sick” you’re probably the spirit of an old slave whipping another slave fighting for freedom. Don’t be offended, this is nothing personal…just me spitting truth.

    One/Peace and Power: Baub

    P.S. KKKristal is not Christ.

  • http://www.LvL1ent.Com Aswad Ozzie L. Smith

    It is most unfortunate that in todays day & age, racist comments are still made. Comments made such as the one made by Cristal exec Frederic Rouzaud are a perfect example that “We Still Face Racism”.

    I commend Jay Z for “Taking A Stance” & recognizing “Racism Today”. We may not experience what blacks experienced years ago, but we still have a long way to go. And no matter how much money we make, we still face this ignorance & hate that our ancestors have faced.

  • http://www.esteves.org/blog/thoughts POPS

    interesting. i coulda sworn cris was popular becaue of jigga before he grew up. hmmm.

  • Tony R

    I was trying to get this Bubbles and Bling article to read the whole thing and I couldn’t find it. Just asked a researcher at my job to dig in on LexisNexis, and Economist has never published an article about Cristal in the past 6 months. I don’t
    think cats did their homework. Daaag I was giving Jigga mad props, too! Unfortunately and most likely this is a HOAX.

  • Cellus

    Okay, im pretty sure other liquor distributors and distillers think the same thing that the Cristal people think. However, they werent dumb enough to verbalize it to the public. In essence, their sales wont plummet.

  • Pingback: » Jay-Z vs. apartheid champagne - XXL

  • Slim Shady

    Im drinkin Budweiser rightr noe ifs yalzx cants tells my speech. dambn imn drank

  • Ian

    Cristal dead, they fucked up with that statement. I just hope Hip-hop as a whole follows Jay’s lead. If they don’t want to be associated with us then they’ll get what’s comming to them: thin pockets. Damn when you think about it Jay always starts a trend. He said niggaz need to wear throwbacks and we did. He traded throwbacks in for a button up and we did. He went from big pimpin’ to the grown and sexy and hip hop is slowly going that way. Them clowns are through now that they said that shit. they might as well have said “we don’t want those niggers drinking and promoting our stuff.”

  • C Dot Doz

    Damn I got spoiled drinking Cristal. Mirage Nightclub in Tampa,FL always have a couple of bottles waiting for me every time I go there. Because of these racists comments from the makers of Cristal,every club will lose out at the bar. That’s if the hip-hop community follows Jay-Z’s boycott. I guess it’s back to Moet & Dom for me & my peoples.

  • abvdlaw

    whatheefuk did ya’ll think???
    runnin’ around ordering this crap like you’re a baller and they’re calling you a n-i-g-g-e-r behind your back. what a dumbass. HEN is for real mean. VS $19.99 out the door, VSOP $34.99, XO $109.99, Paradis $349.99, Richard $1049.99………..

    and for your sucker-ass MARKS that are gonna miss Cristal (see MTV Cribs),
    fuckallya’ll……….

    POMONA CITY RIDERS, RIP-RIDIN……

  • http://donnyslaughter.com $ayso is Donny Slaughter

    I wanna see how many white muphuckaz that buy that shyt is gonna show their true colors by NOT boycotting!!!! And how many Uncle Thomas’ will keep on drinkin’ that monkey piss!!!! As for me, I never even tasted that shyt, only tha finest vines of Cognac, France can quench my soberred state!!!LMAO!!!

  • calimovement

    Glab Jay took up this issue.

  • Ibraaheem Abdullah Naazir

    About time….Jay Z leads the path on stepping up and saying no to those who don’t appreciate the culture. Gotta admit though, at least Cristal was real to say it, now others should say how they really feel so we can get rid of the parasites of Hip Hop and clean up our culture…It’s long overdue!!!

  • http://................... Tayja

    i commend jay-z of course but ironically the makers of cristal did the hip-hop community a favour — by showing their true colours — imagine the other major brands that benefit from the support of hip-hop that have yet to show themselves for who they really are — let’s be real and face the issues at hand — when Black people are affluent and can partake in the purchasing of the same expensive brands/products as non-Blacks or non-ethnics for that matter, it becomes “unwanted attention” but this should not warrant shock as the hip-hop community is always being built up and torn down. we may have MONEY & POWER but in regards to RESPECT — quite questionable.

  • screw music nigga

    i myself i drink a lot of fiji water

  • central park

    that bull shit

  • http://realestniggas.com Grand Avenue

    c’mon now jay. im with you all day: fuck cristal. but they aren’t being racist, they’re being culturist. there are more than one race associated with hip hop.

  • Philly Black

    Jay-Z is a talented artist, but during his rap career it would have been more significant if he took more relevant political stances on more pressing issues than about some damn alcohol the average cat doesnt drink anyway. I applaud him for taking a stand, but throughout his whole rap career he hasnt really ever said anything relevant. One thing about many of the greatest emcees of all time is that they all dropped some knowledge & took risky political stances when it may not have been popular to do so. Nas, KRS-ONE, Chuck D, Ice Cube, Eminem, Tupac, and some others. I’m glad Jay’s taking a stand, but he’s never really dropped any socially significant joints or took a significant stand for anything in the past. Hopefully if he comes back in the game he’ll put people on some real game in addition to the party shit.

  • that boy noah

    I WOULD DRINK IT IF I COULD AFFORD IT BUT I CANT AFFORD IT SO I DONT DRINK IT…………….NOT FOR LONG THOUGH.

  • http://www.ananzi.co.za PHONY YAYO

    LUK NIGGAS,IDON BUY DIZ SHIT..JAY IZ GOT HEZ OWN PERSONAL ISSUEZ WIT CRISTAL EN HEZ DRAGGIN EVRIBODI IN2 DEM…MAYBE DEY DDNT WANNA SPONSOR HEZ PARTY OR SUMTHIN..

    IT MAKEZ SENSE FOR JAY TO TAKE SHOTS AT CRISTAL CUZ DUDE GOT HEZ ARMADALE THING GOIN ON…

    BUT ONDA OTHA HAND DAT BITCH Frederic Rouzaud SHUD FUCKIN DIE ASWEL CUZ RAPPERS HAV ENDORSED HIZ BRAND YEARS..

    BUT U CANT BLAME HIM FOR NOT WANTING HIPHOP TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH HIZ BRAND…

    GGGGGGGG-UNOT

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  • Capo

    Armadale is Dame shit. It crazy to try an push free marketing away. Everything hip hop is involved makes more money than they planned cause everyone want to be like the rappers. Buick is even using snoop. hip hop is where it is right now.

  • Bonedagger

    Sorry to say this, but the only reason Hip Hop folks sip Cris is because its the most expensive brand. I think Cristal owners themselves are quite aware of that. I don’t honestly think most people in Rap even like champagne, its just a thing, like diamonds. It’s all perfectly tasteless elitism.

  • Dj Kilo

    You know you niggas aint gonna stop (trying) drinking that Cristal! I mean the ones who could affor it won’t! Besides Mickeys 64 oz is still 2.25$ lol!

  • doomzkid

    Who gives a shit.

  • jojochicago

    Thanks for standing up Jay! thats real shit! fuk that crys! them niggas never heard of all yall rap cats and BMF? yall was pouring it up! never mind my fellas from the hood who did our thing at the clubs and on holidays and b-days! i prefer that Moet myself. too bad u put that shit in yo rhymes huh?

  • jason

    i would not want mine shit all in the rap world .come on .blacks are actin like jack asses if blacks start actin like real people maybe they will get respect but they dont respect them self…

  • sha from st.louis

    I think that cristal shit was gettin a lil played out any way and Jay-z being a trendsetter and a major player in this rap shit can make a change by taking a stand by banning that shit when he practically made it more famous than it was and to add to the fact i heard the cristal shit aint all that good anyway that why they be pouring it out. big up to “THE KING OF THIS RAP SHIT” HOV!

  • Hov-Hater thats right i hate. Im a hater.

    “Fuck Gay-Z with his Cristal stand”. Why does everything A white person say about the so-called black community have to be racist. I recall Gay-Z back in the day stating he does’nt like white people getting into hip-hop. I now boycott GAY-Z, Fleeyonce Cockelfella Records.

  • OScar

    jay aint a king, he couldnt hold the torch…. money still fuckin up people’s interests ….

  • Donte’

    yo thats whats up. hip hop been endorsing cris all this time and now they say hip hop is unwelcomed attention. Damn hip hop endorsed this bullshit for free all these years.Damn Jay had it in is video “Big Pimpin” throwin on the girls, Damn Fat Joe and R.Kelly had a Cristal fountain. I say Cristal makers and execs are assholes and should be dealt wit.

  • littlerockslim

    Jaymatic I guess u white. Jay is taking a stand. Plus why would he sell the drink if they don’t like black people anyway. Jason(Uncle Tom)how u know how black people act and black people don’t respect themselves. Probably u believe the papers and believe society who always down black people anyway. But actually the fact of the matter is that the white man see potential in the black man before the black man sees his own. That’s why they wanna keep us in poverty and divided. Because they know we are just as intelligent as they are and we have the God given talent to make something out of nothing. Be proud of who you are and start standing up to these racist crackers because they think they can say shit and get away with it. So stop hatin on Jay and get your mind right.

  • http://www.myspace.com/elrockwell El Rockwell

    Jay is right to do this. Why support a biz that is very vocal about not wanting to support you? When I first read that the dude from cristal made the statement(about 3 weeks ago) I knew he would catch some flack for it. I didnt figure it would be Jay, but he seems the only prominent black figure smart enough to capitalize on ANYTHING.

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  • UninvitedGuest

    I like the fact that Jay-Z put it out there that he’s not supporting that shit anymore. Personally, I think that rappers need to stop talking about shit the average fan can’t afford anyway. What The Fuck – Niggaz living in the projects trying to front like they are living good drinking expensive champagne. Does that make them any better off? Yo, past new years, I got me some CHEAP ASS TAYLOR Champane – I think it was $4.00 a bottle, and It tasted good and I got fucked up as well.

    But one thing I will say, these white fuckers are dicking themselves in the ass. Because just like other industries that shitted on hip hop they will come begging in the end. The Sneaker and Fashion Industry dissed hip hop back in the 80′s and in the 90′s Hip Hop came out with its own brands. Hip Hop will Have its own champagne and start moving all that white owned shit out of the clubs and then they will come running like bitches. They better recognize.

  • Hov-Hater thats right i hate. Im a hater.

    Yo CrackRock Slim Don’t talk about it Be about it. Make your so-called people take responsibility instead of using the white man as an excuse. I always say the white man is the dumbest man & thats because we fucked up by bringing all the slaves over on those ships back in the day. Now it’s the white people of America today who have to deal with the problem’s of blacks. So next time your blaming the white man for all your problems. Just be grateful your here & not dying of AIDS in Africa P.S. maybe you could go back & help your so-called people clean up Africa I mean your people have only had 10,000 years. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!

  • http://xxlmag.com E-man (South c)

    Nigga,when will this skin color shit stop and people open they eyes to realise that we all shit,stink,live,die,get buried,rot decay the same way as any other living thing,People should know that we are all equal.If they doing this because hiphop is a so called black inferior sports ground then why dont they face the players and stop hating on the game.

  • DAT NIG

    all i got to say to this is that where were the cristal mugs when they were profittin off a rappers droppin their name? if j wanna take it out his clubs its all good, if u own dat shit y wouldnt u to some comments up top.

  • Maxim (South C – Nigga)

    Yeah like ma nigga E-man said,
    we all the same just different color, if u cut us don’t we bleed, if strungle us don’t we choke? so whats this racist stuff got to do with us having bad services. fuck those mo’fuckaz!

  • buckmarley

    i only drink guiness so i aint burthered

  • mexican thug 06

    yo wht jay has lots of balls man cause he knows he cant live without cristal

  • New Orleans Gyrl

    Man, look jay if u feel u waz disrespected in any way u handle it like u wanted 2, u a fucking grown ass man, but sum people jus dont understand, dey like da white man 2 put dem down and dont stand up 4 demselves. I’LL HOLLA!!!!

  • the kid

    that’s whats up jay stand up for this hip hop culture
    thats always getting bashed

  • bigwilli

    i call on da army to stop sellin dat crap in da clubs and class six, troops r dyin to keep peace and drinkin crystal when day roll back to da hooch wit da tax free dollas.
    also homeless bros will no longer sip from empty crystal joints, trash man no longer pick up yo shit if crystal bottle in yo trash cans, black store clerks will not ring up yo shit if you front cystal at counter, and finally mexicans will no longer pick grapes to make da shit…proud vet

  • Buck

    I drink sweet Lichido
    It raise my libido
    Get me all crunk
    Fo’get that Cristal junk

  • buff bagwell

    yeah screw whitey

  • littlerockslim

    I’m a hater you need to check your history. Jay ain’t blaming the white man for his problems, he just responding to the exec’s offensive comments about hip hop and therefore Jay is refusing to sell cris in his clubs(he can sell what ever he wants to when he wants to). Get your mind right before you try to give a world history lesson. Africans didn’t need the white man, but the white man came over to Africa and took the slaves away. Picture this Africans didn’t have diseases such as AIDS until they came into contact with the white man. In other words, next time you type some some shit get your mind and facts right.

  • Hov-Hater thats right i hate. Im a hater.

    CrackRockSlim once again making the white man your crutch. Your people are the one’s who sold there own people to the white man so there’s your world history lesson. Get off the Roots brainwash ‘”Yes a lot of what was in there was true, But how come they never showed The Africans selling the Africans to the I prefer European-Americans. & ask yourself this once again how come every black run society is in ruins.

  • Qustom Queen

    GOOD LOOKIN OUT JAY… SO THEY SAID WE SHOULD ONLY DRINK DOM P? IGHT… THEN THATS WHAT WE WILL DO… TAKE MONEY STRAIGHT FROM THEY POCKETS AND PUT IN TO THOSE WHO HAV SHOWN LOVE.
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  • A Smart Brutha

    …We might as well boycott Gulfstream IV’s while we’re at it. What regular hip hop fan can honestly afford that crap anyways? I for one, work a full-time job, take several vacations a year and have NEVER had a drop of Cristal in my lifetime. I swear modern hip hop culture is geting more ridiculous as the the day is long. Jay and Puff lost. (thumbs down to this ignorant shiz-nit)

  • Diablo

    What happened to Armadale?

  • Cassius C Cassanova

    You stupid niggers! You honestly think that if one stupid big lipped niggah’ decides to boycot Crystal then its going to make any significant dent in their profit? They charge $400 for a bottle of sparkling grape juice, thats a hundred times more than the average nigger could afford for a drink in a nightclub. Ask yourself truthfully hommies… how many times have you gone into a club and ordered “a bottle of your finest champagne”? I’m pretty sure I know the answer and anyone who can afford to buy a bottle arent going to give a shit what Jay-Z has to say about it!!

  • lol

    Cristal is for rich white people, im glad jay z finally sees hes not a rich white person, hes a black who got rich off music and paid smart white people to make him more rich so he can pretends to be rockafeller (yes thats a person you ghetto trash, Gay z didnt make it up).. Finally he is understanding what he is..thank the lord!

  • http://www.oysterwatch.ca ROLEXMONGER

    I don’t know what to make of all the uptightness over a company’s sovereign right whom and whom not to endorse. Rappers are bad news. It is not that all of them are bad people, or even that the music (if one can call it music, more like jungle beat on a hot Sierra Leone night) is bad – I love Snoop Dog and Two Live Crew, and Ice T is a genius, but generally you guys give a bad name to your own race cause you do more to reinforce the negative images that we white folks have been trying to overcome about you. My favourite Canadian is Oscar Peterson. He is black as the ace of spades, and he wouldn’t be caught dead endorsing any of you, cause he thinks that your music sucks and that you are a bad influence on young black people trying to come up out of the muck. My advice to all the rich young rappers and Crissy is to grow up and stop blaming society for your own ills. Remember what JFK said about personal responsibility and stop boycotting white men who think you are a joke. Maybe you really are.

  • JWho?

    Maybe it’s that the “rich white owners” of Cristal have a little problem with the people who “promote” their products. Would you hire an advertising company to promote your product, while simultaneously using ideas such misogynistic speech, murderous and violent recollections, and lighthearted talks of drug use? I think that’s what they were talking about, not the color of Jay-Z’s skin. I used to give Jay-Z a lot more credit than that. Because he is, in his words, “I’m a Business…Man!”.

  • http:///user/view/900812 Britt Oiler

    There some fascinating points in time in this post but I don’t know if I see these center to heart. There may possibly be some validity but I’ll take hold opinion until I explore it further. Exceptional write-up , thanks and then we want a great deal more! Put into FeedBurner too