Hip-Hop Blog Round-Up: Cristal Responds to Jay-Z; Jacob Pleads Not Guilty; 50 Cent Makes Forbes' 100

Hey, remember that post where I said that Frédéric Rouzaud may have shot himself in the foot by talking down on hip-hop? Well, apparently the Cristal M.D. read my blog and decided it wasn't a smart move after all. The hip-hop blog world is now buzzing with his rebuttal to Jay-Z's boycott statement.

"A house like Louis Roederer would not have existed since 1776 without being totally open and tolerant to all forms of culture and art, including the most recent musical and fashion styles which -- like hip hop -- keep us in touch with modernity."

Word has it that The Economist's article was taken out of context as both Eskay (Nahright.com) and Clyde Smith (Prohiphop.com) have noted. Interestingly, hip-hop journalist/author Adisa Banjoko (Lyrical Swords) has added a venerable twist to the debate. Banjoko points out that there's no reason to applaud Jay-Z's boycott, since Hov is only making a business move that does nothing for hip-hop at large. In case you missed the entire drama, Clyde has all the episodes on one page for ya.

From cristal to bling bling. Jacob Arabo, known to followers of the bling culture as Jacob the Jeweler, was recently arrested for money laundering and drug-related charges. He plead not guilty. I'm surprised no one called him out for trying to sell ugly diamond-encrusted shoes at cutthroat rates. But, the Rhymes with Snitch blog observes that someone's lyrics might have pointed to Jacob's arrest.

On a final note, congratulations to Mr. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson for his inclusion on Forbes' 100 Celebrity List for 2006. Sean "Diddy" Combs was ranked #79 while Half Dollar nabbed the #8, having garnered $41 million in the past year.

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