From Yahoo! News:

Beyonce’s beau is switching brands of bubbly.

Cristal, the champagne that has been name-checked in songs by rappers like Lil’ Kim, Snoop Dogg, Sean “Diddy” Combs and 50 Cent, no longer has a place on Jay-Z’s table. The Def Jam Records president announced Thursday that he would be boycotting the beverage, both at home and at his chain of nightclubs, due to comments made by a Cristal executive that he found offensive.

Frederic Rouzaud, the managing director of Louis Roederer, Cristal’s parent company, told the Economist magazine that his organization viewed the hip-hop world’s affinity for its champagne with “curiosity and serenity.”

For an article titled “Bubbles and Bling” featured in a summer 2006 issue, Rouzaud was asked whether Cristal’s image as a symbol of a flashy lifestyle was detrimental to the brand.

“That’s a good question, but what can we do?” he said. “We can’t forbid people from buying it. I’m sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business.”

Although that doesn’t exactly sound like a direct slam, Jay-Z read them as fightin’ words.

“It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal, Frederic Rouzaud, views the ‘hip-hop’ culture as ‘unwelcome attention,” the rapper-turned-industry mogul told the Associated Press. “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.”

Random thoughts:

1. We’re guessing Rouzaud meant no ill-will in his remarks. The reporter likely framed the question in a negative way, and Rouzaud allowed this framing to put him on the defensive, which is reflected in his comments.

2. It probably doesn’t help that Rouzaud’s first language is French; little subtleties in language can make a big difference.

3. Um…not sure that it’s good for Jay-Z that his girlfriend’s name — not his — made the lede of the story.

All in all, more proof that media training is worth the price.

Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Jay-Z