Suds N' Roderer

So, easing back into the Brooklyn life we bring you the Best. Beef. Ever. Talented and apparently pretty cool rapper who happens to want to wreck my neighbourhood against snotty French champagne merchant. What's weirder is that the first diss went out not from the studios of Hot 97 but the pages of the Economist. I'll quote from All Hip-Hop here:

Frédéric Rouzaud, the managing director of Cristal, stated that the company observes its association with the rap world with "curiosity and serenity."

Despite importing over 50,000 cases of the champagne per year, Rouzaud was less than thrilled at rappers' fondness for the posh drink.

"What can we do?" Rouzaud told The Economist. "We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business."

The article further labeled the constant Cristal patronage by rappers as "unwelcome attention."

Jay-Z has responded by branding the comments racist and promising to stop serving Cristal in any of his business ventures, including, presumably, the Atlantic Yards Nets arena.

Now, the deliciously snotty M. Rouzaud has probably done his calculations, and has decided that he can live without the rappers' contribution to the 50,000 cases he shifts in the US. He's assuming, I'd imagine that by appealing to the lower instincts of his white clientele he'll make up the loss. And make no mistake, no champagne house ever lost money by appealing to the most disgustingly snobbish and antiquated instincts of its customers. But it's hardly a very enlightened way to do business.

But to Mr. Z we say boo-goddamn hoo. I'll show you a proper boycott. Stop trying to flatten my sodding bar.