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Truth Seeker
Hip-Hop Saves The Cognac Liquor Industry
The Wire / Daily Hip-Hop News
written by Carl Chery (carl@sohh.com)
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"We weren't expecting cognac to be associated with those type of people," said Jean-Marie Macoin, a 55 year-old Cognac producer after viewing Busta Rhymes' "Pass The Courvousier" music video. To the mortification of many in the close-knit Cognac industry, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z and the Hip-Hop community have helped to resurrect a perishing Cognac industry with an ongoing obsession for lyrics praising Courvoisier and Hennessy.
To most, Cognac symbolizes getting wasted - a far reach from the ideals of the small French community of approximately 20,000 where Hip-Hop's favorite liquor originates. An economic crisis in 1998 caused Cognac's #1 market, Asia, to dramatically reduce demand for the liquor -- almost wiping out the Cognac industry. But it was rappers who eventually brought the bottle back to life.
Emcees as diverse as Common and Snoop have long lauded Cognac as a drink of choice, with more recent references in last year's hit single Pass The Courvoisier which featured a video showcasing Busta, Pharrell and P. Diddy partying it up in a bar filled with beautiful women and hundreds of gleaming bottles of Courvoisier. Songs like "Courvoisier" have produced a following among urban youths, who have been known to mix the liquor for new concoctions such as "Thug Passion" and "French Connection." Jay's newly opened 40/40 Club even includes a "Remy Room" in salute to Remy Martin, his favorite Cognac brand. "Cognac is a classy, sophisticated and really smooth thing to drink," Jay-Z told The Wall Street Journal.
The Cognac industry is now prospering thanks to nearly tripled Cognac exportations to the U.S. in the last 10 years. Furthermore, Americans have spent approximately $1 billion on the French liquor last year. Interestingly, Cognac's surging U.S. sales are parallel to Hip Hop's mainstream growth. Americans imported 3.7 million cases of Cognac last year, 36% of the worldwide market compared to 1.3 million in 1993. According to The Wall Street Journal, Hennessy, America's biggest Cognac brand with 53% of the market, claims that young blacks represent 60% to 85% of U.S. sales.
Though America's infatuation with Cognac has salvaged its industry, the flip side is that French grape growers responsible for Cognac are dumbfounded upon witnessing rap's use of the brand. "It's not quite the same world," Anne-Sophie Louvet, a 44-year-old woman who cultivates her great-grandfather's 113-year-old vineyards told The Wall Street Journal. "In this region, you don't show your wealth if you have some, and you don't talk about money," she added.
Last April, Courvoisier took steps to educate 900 farmers on the U.S. Market, part of the lesson featured a presentation of the aforementioned Pass the Courvoisier video. "They didn't know what to make of it, a Courvoisier spokewoman told The Wall Street Journal regarding the farmers' extreme shock. In hopes to further familiarize themselves with their biggest consumers, Hennessy will fly half a dozen grape growers to tour New York City night clubs this fall where they will get a chance to get lifted Hip-Hop style.
The Wire / Daily Hip-Hop News
written by Carl Chery (carl@sohh.com)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"We weren't expecting cognac to be associated with those type of people," said Jean-Marie Macoin, a 55 year-old Cognac producer after viewing Busta Rhymes' "Pass The Courvousier" music video. To the mortification of many in the close-knit Cognac industry, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z and the Hip-Hop community have helped to resurrect a perishing Cognac industry with an ongoing obsession for lyrics praising Courvoisier and Hennessy.
To most, Cognac symbolizes getting wasted - a far reach from the ideals of the small French community of approximately 20,000 where Hip-Hop's favorite liquor originates. An economic crisis in 1998 caused Cognac's #1 market, Asia, to dramatically reduce demand for the liquor -- almost wiping out the Cognac industry. But it was rappers who eventually brought the bottle back to life.
Emcees as diverse as Common and Snoop have long lauded Cognac as a drink of choice, with more recent references in last year's hit single Pass The Courvoisier which featured a video showcasing Busta, Pharrell and P. Diddy partying it up in a bar filled with beautiful women and hundreds of gleaming bottles of Courvoisier. Songs like "Courvoisier" have produced a following among urban youths, who have been known to mix the liquor for new concoctions such as "Thug Passion" and "French Connection." Jay's newly opened 40/40 Club even includes a "Remy Room" in salute to Remy Martin, his favorite Cognac brand. "Cognac is a classy, sophisticated and really smooth thing to drink," Jay-Z told The Wall Street Journal.
The Cognac industry is now prospering thanks to nearly tripled Cognac exportations to the U.S. in the last 10 years. Furthermore, Americans have spent approximately $1 billion on the French liquor last year. Interestingly, Cognac's surging U.S. sales are parallel to Hip Hop's mainstream growth. Americans imported 3.7 million cases of Cognac last year, 36% of the worldwide market compared to 1.3 million in 1993. According to The Wall Street Journal, Hennessy, America's biggest Cognac brand with 53% of the market, claims that young blacks represent 60% to 85% of U.S. sales.
Though America's infatuation with Cognac has salvaged its industry, the flip side is that French grape growers responsible for Cognac are dumbfounded upon witnessing rap's use of the brand. "It's not quite the same world," Anne-Sophie Louvet, a 44-year-old woman who cultivates her great-grandfather's 113-year-old vineyards told The Wall Street Journal. "In this region, you don't show your wealth if you have some, and you don't talk about money," she added.
Last April, Courvoisier took steps to educate 900 farmers on the U.S. Market, part of the lesson featured a presentation of the aforementioned Pass the Courvoisier video. "They didn't know what to make of it, a Courvoisier spokewoman told The Wall Street Journal regarding the farmers' extreme shock. In hopes to further familiarize themselves with their biggest consumers, Hennessy will fly half a dozen grape growers to tour New York City night clubs this fall where they will get a chance to get lifted Hip-Hop style.
