Before Jay-Z took the stage on September 11 at Madison Square Garden, the sponsor of the concert, Absolut vodka, hosted a reception at the Garden's private clubhouse. I accepted the invitation not only because I knew the concert would rock - and it did! - but because I was curious to find out how Absolut vodka positions itself these days.

When I started my career in the mid-1990s, Absolut was the only brand I knew to ask for when I ordered drinks with my girlfriends. But when those outings turned into dates and toasts over promotions and engagements, it seemed like there was always a new fancy or unusual vodka to try (potato? organic?). Still, in my mind Absolut remains tried and true, with that royal blue lettering and beloved clear bottle. When ordering flavored vodka, I've never asked for any other brand.

Headed to the reception, though, I realized my Absolut knowledge was sadly out of date. I could not recall what had replaced the legendary ads featuring artist-decorated bottles, the campaign that had cemented my loyalty: In high school, I plastered the pink walls of my bedroom with those ads, carefully torn from my parent's magazines.

In the comfy confines of the Garden's wood-panelled clubhouse, I quickly got up to speed thanks to Alisa and Kris Wixom, who both work on the Absolut campaign for TBWA Chiat/Day New York.

NASCAR is getting an injection of style this season courtesy of luxury menswear line CAVI. The brand, known for its distinctive designs as worn by the likes of Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and 50 Cent, has partnered with up-and-coming NASCAR star Chase Austin, outfitting Austin and his pit crew with stylish custom uniforms and adorning his Xxxtreme Motorsport No. 7 racecar with the fashion line's logo (above). Austin and the car debuted the new look the other day at Macy's in Indianapolis. From its signature crest to bold colors and prints, tailored fit and innovative design, CAVI has "re-conceptualized the standard for contemporary sportswear, developing a lifestyle fashion brand that embraces both luxury lifestyle and reflects class."

You gotta hand it to Jay-Z. Despite taking a 57% pay cut -- down from $82 million in 2008 to $35 million in 2009 -- he's still the Hip-Hop Cash King, according to Forbes. (Cash Queens, aka the women, can be found on their own list, which focuses on all women in music, not just in the hip-hop genre.) Diddy squeaks in as the #2 cash king, with $30 million, and Kanye West is #3 with $25 million. Both of these gents also are down several million from last year.

Many of the artists on the Hip-Hop Cash Kings list earn a good chunk of their income through licensing and endorsements, but gone, at least for as long as the economy is uncertain, are one-time mega deals in the $100 million-plus range. This is what knocked 50 Cent out of first place in 2008 down to #4 this year, with "only" $20 million.

In Pictures: Hip-Hop's 20 Top Earners

Champagne sales overall are down but one brand has found that a little celebrity endorsement can go a long way. Armand de Brignac, the brand adopted by Jay-Z, has found great success thanks to the rapper's promotion. Jay-Z was a fan of Cristal until 2006 when Frederic Rouzaud, the managing director of Louis Roderer Cristal was quoted in The Economist calling the namechecking of the Cristal brand in hip-hop songs "unwelcome attention." Jay-Z found the remark racist. He called for a Cristal boycott and switched his allegiance to the new brand Armand de Brignac, part of Cattier Champagne. He featured the distinctive gold bottle with the Ace of Spades logo in his video to his single" Show Me What You Got" in 2006.

Since then the brand has taken off, showing up in celebrity gift bags and becoming a new symbol of extravagant taste. The Independent reports that demand is so high that the winery could sell their 60,000-bottle production run several times over. The brand will reach its maximum production of 82,000 within three years. The Armand de Brignac Cuvees are priced from $300 per bottle and come in three varieties, Champagne Rose, Champagne Blanc de Blanc, and the Brut Gold. Luxist blogger Annie Scott sampled the Brut Gold earlier this year.

At the beginning of this year, we saw the announcement of J Hotels, the first hotel from rapper Jay-Z to be located in New York City. Now as the year ends we learn that the J Hotel is not to be. The NY Times reveals that developer Charles Blaichman, who was behind Soho House, cannot secure financing for the hotel. Blaichman is now trying to rent the former Time Warner Cable warehouse after failing to raise $370 million for three luxury hotels. Hotel Chatter predicts that the J Hotel will rise again but I'm wondering if celebrity hotel projects might be doomed for the time being.

Forbes has just released its annual list of the world's highest-paid rappers, and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has catapulted to the #1 spot with $150 million in earnings over the past 12 months - more than double that of rival Jay-Z at No. 2.

When Forbes inaugurated the Hip-Hop's Cash Kings list last year, Jay-Z was firmly at the top. But 50 raked in over $100 million after taxes on a single deal earlier this year, the mag notes, when his stake in Glacéau (parent co. of VitaminWater) was bought by Coca-Cola as part of a $4.1 billion takeover.

This isn't to say that Jay-Z's doing badly; he recently signed a 10-year deal with concert promoter Live Nation worth $150 million. Meanwhile, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Kanye West clocked in at Nos. 3 and 4 with $35 million and $30 million respectively.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--The condo Jay-Z has been renting at the Time Warner Center is set to be sold for $27 million. Jay-Z has been renting the four-bedroom penthouse for around $40,000 a month since 2005. Jay-Z is renovating a penthouse on Hudson Street in TriBeCa.
--Real-estate broker Kirk Henckels and his socialite wife Fernanda Kellogg have sold their three-bedroom apartment at 88 Central Park West above apartments owned by Sting and Robert De Niro for $4.6 million.
--Catesby Kilmer, the Hamptons socialite who went to jail for embezzlement and had to sell her Southampton home for around $1.7 million, a bit below the $2.25 million asking price.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
Week of 12/31/06
--L.A. Lakers forward Lamar Odom becomes the latest Los Angeles sports figure to move to Manhattan Beach. He has purchased a house for $2.7 million.
--A home which once belong to Benny Goodman is now the home of film score composer John Frizzell. He and his wife, Stacey, bought the former Goodman home for close to $4.7 million.
--Actress Jaime Pressly has put her Tarzana residence on the market at close to $1.4 million.
--Author Jack J. Miller, who wrote the novel "Millionaire City," has picked up a a weekend home in Lake Arrowhead for $1.2 million.
Week of 1/7/06
--Cher has put a Palm Springs home on the market for $2.495 million. It's our estate of the day later today.
--Actor Chad Allen has sold his Sunset Strip-area home for $750,000.
--A Los Feliz home once owned by actor Cary Grant has been sold for $3.2 million.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
Former San Diego Padres star Tony Gwynn and his wife, Alicia have put their Indiana home on the market for $725,000. The listing is here.
--Larry Bird and his wife Dinah have put their Naples, Florida home, shown above, on the market for $4.8 million. Check out the listing for the very impressivie four-bedroom waterfront home with a home theater and a bar with a salt-water aquarium here.
--Tyco International's former chief executive L. Dennis Kozlowski, who is in jail, has cut $3 million off the price of his Nantucket, Mass., estate. It is now listed at $19.95 million, he bought the home in 1997 for $5 million.

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Ryan Gentles, the manager of the Strokes, has bought a penthouse at the American Felt building, also the home to the band's drummer, Fabrizio Morretti for $1.8 million.
--Real-estate broker Michael Shvo has purchased a new apartment at 15 Broad Street, otherwise known as "Downtown by Philippe Starck."
--Film producer Verna Harrah, the widow of Bill Harrah, has sold her 64th-floor apartment at the Time Warner Center for around $25 million. She bought a penthouse at 110 Central Park South which was listed for $13,350,000.
--Film Forum has paid $6.3 million in late November for a five-story townhouse at 3 King Street. The purchase of the building was made possible by two donors one of which is keeping the top two floors for her personal use. Other floors will be marketed as one-bedroom luxury residences and the townhouse's two bottom floors will be used as office space for Film Forum administration.

After denouncing Cristal, the luxe drink of choice of rap artists for many years, Jay-Z was left with a tough decision as to which champagne could replace it as a sign of opulence in rap/music culture. It appears that the artist has decided to (unofficially) endorse Armand De Brignac now, featuring it in one of his new songs as "gold bottles with the ace of spades." It seems like a good choice based on the bottle alone.

Armand De Brignac has been produced by a family owned vineyard for over two hundred years and has only just started to be imported from France. It is said to have notes of flowers, citrus, dried fruits and brioche.

[via vox / image flickr]

Rapper Jay-Z supposedly retired a few years back but now he's back and apparently his new video will get the added boost of a bit of supercar eye candy. Check out this pic found on ONTD which shows both a Ferrari and a Pagani Zonda being put to use in Jay-Z's new video. Jay-Z's not letting just anyone drive the car, it looks to be Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel of the Ferrari.

For her 25th birthday, Beyonce Knowles got a very pricey gift from boyfriend Jay-Z. He picked out a 1959 Rolls Royce convertible with an estimated value of $1 million dollars, though the full amount he paid for the car will probably be known only to him and the dealer.

Even with a steep price tag, the gift doesn't quite measure up to the $5.4 million necklace Mariah Carey got from her prince, but it's safe to say that Beyonce could have done a lot worse than this car.

If  you ever plan to hang out with Jay-Z don't order Cristal. The popular rapper has announced that he will no longer serve Cristal Champagne at his 40/40 club and will lead a boycott against the popular bubbly. The boycott is in response to comments made by Frederic Rouzaud, the managing director of Louis Roderer Cristal in The Economist. Rouzand made it clear that he is no fan of the brand's association with hip-hop, describing the namechecking of the brand in songs as "unwelcome attention." Jay-Z has issued a statement saying that Rouzand's comments are racist and that he will no longer support the brand.

[via ONTD]