"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.
______________________________________
When the news broke of Rakim's departure from Aftermath, we knew it would stir up real talk in the streets. If one looked closely, the writing on the wall foretold the split, with "the god" patiently waiting in the background while Dre pumped out his more marketable acts including Em, D-12, 50 Cent and Truth Hurts. Some folks suggest it was Rakim's ego and inflexibility to concede to today's music-making formulas that drove a wedge between the two. The streets are wondering what three record labels are currently negotiating for the vet's hand and at what cost?

A source at Aftermath said that the split was based on musical differences and that neither Dre nor Rakim was content with the direction the tracks were going in. There's no word yet on where the Rakim album, tentatively titled Oh My God, will land or whether any of the Dre-produced tracks recorded so far will be included.

Rakim, considered by many to be one of the greatest rappers in hip-hop, signed with Aftermath three years ago after Dr. Dre made public a desire to work with him. In that time, Dre has been busy overseeing the careers of Eminem and 50 Cent and working on solo material. Recently he signed Ice Cube and Eve to Aftermath with hopes of producing their upcoming albums.

At the BET Awards in June, Rakim seemed excited that the two had finally found time together in the studio. "Me and Dre, we about to do full-steam on it," Rakim said. "Hopefully we should have a single out towards the end of the summer, and the album will follow shortly after that. We finally got everything on track like we wanted."

______________________________________


It seems Ja Rule is getting no love domestically or internationally. Last week, Ja left South Africans with a bad taste after dissing local artists while on tour there. This week, Ja Rule's five Western Canadian concert dates were mysteriously canceled - prompting many to wonder whether the "Ja-haterosis" disease has spread across the globe.

Rule was originally scheduled to take the stage at Edmonton's Sky Reach Centre on July 25th, when the event was moved to another venue called "The Joint." Then, the event was totally canceled. A Def Jam/Universal spokeswoman claims to have no clue why the tour was canceled. However, fans are able to receive reimbursements at the point of purchase.

Per an unnamed source, he was suppossed to be in Skyreach Center with a capacity of 18,000. They couldn't sell the 8000 minimum tickets to hold the show there.

Then they moved it to the Joint - capacity 3000. They couldn't sell the 1000 minimum tickets to hold a concert and make it profitable.

The event was cancelled.

(On MTV, but they don't care, they'll have a new Nigga next year - Ice Cube)
_____________________________________
Lloyd Banks has left G-Unit according to his publicist Ron Holland of 3c Entertainment. Supposedly there was a controversy backstage and an altercation between 50 and Lloyd in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday July 11th when 50. Jay Z, and Missy were performing. Supposedly 50 was buggin out and Lloyd and him had some words and as fists were about to fly, it was broken up. Lloyd will finish the tour and has made peace with 50, but he said he is going solo now. " I hold no ill will towards Curtis Jackson, he put me in the game and he is always gon be my dog but this is a business decision. If any disses starts, it will have to start from them but I will respond if I have to. The only thing I can say or compare it to is when in 1991 Ice Cube left NWA ". Lloyd is currently looking at recording on a new label.