The Cigar Icons Of Music
Many singers will often demure when it comes to cigars, but when one looks at it, there are some of the biggest names in the history of music, and some of the biggest stars of today, who enjoy a cigar to celebrate, to relax, and to appreciate. While some of these superstars have been in our previous installment of our Cigar Icons series, like Jennifer Lopez, and Madonna, the music industry is chock full of icons who have turned to the cigar to light up their nights, burn off some stress, and carry away some of their ideas for their chosen craft. Here are just a few of them who have decided to make the cigar their vice of choice.
Sean “P.Diddy” Combs
Diddy does it big, whether it’s a “White Party” in his house in the Hamptons, or a black tie New Year’s Eve bash in Manhattan, the self-styled king of New York, and star of the Making the Band series, and founder of Bad Boy Records can’t stop–Won’t stop!–on being the life of the party, and part of that celebration is enjoying a fine cigar. Whether in deep reflection, or out on the town, Diddy favors bigger, bold cigars, of Churchillian length, that serve as an extension of his larger than life personality, and his big ambitions for the future.
Dizzy Gillespie
While the bent trumpet may be the thing one most immediately associates with Dizzy, he certainly enjoyed a cigar while trying to compose his next master work. Improvisation was the name of Dizzy’s game, and in many senses, his own heritage, and his status as a bit of a citizen of the world, are no better reflected than in his love of cigars. Perhaps he was introduced to it in his travels and work with Chano Pozo, or perhaps it was just on the club circuit in his younger years, but Dizzy, who could be as intense as he was talented, could often be found deep in thought with a cigar in his mouth, enjoying a smoke while finding the “notes behind the notes.”
Jay-Z
Recent Cigar Aficionado cover boy has made naturo Churchills part of his image, both in public and private. While the Jigga Man is a married man, he has been spotted with a variety of smokes on hand while out with his wife, fellow megastar Beyonce (who has yet to officially change her name to Sasha Fierce). Hova isn’t afraid of lighting up, whether in his New York office at the end of a meeting, or in a downtown club, and one assumes if he had his way, the multi-faceted, multi-platnium Sean Carter, would light up courtside at his own NBA team’s home games (Mr. Carter is part owner of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets, who are still contemplating a move to Jay’s native Brooklyn), a la Red Auerbach. The blueprint for Jay-Z obviously includes a fine cigar at the end of the day.
Kanye West
For a man so frequently perceived as a tempermental egomaniac (re.: genius of the hip-hop), Kanye is not often found enjoying one of his prized Cubans, a Cohiba Siglo I, that Mr. West can enjoy while celebrating, and living the “Good Life.” Like his fellow Roc-A-Fella alumni, Jay-Z, Mr. West has come to enjoy his cigars while out on the town, and was recently spotted lighting up with Emmy-Award winner Jeremy Piven, whom he met while making a cameo appearance on the HBO hit series “Entourage.” Kanye West, who is known as something of a “snob,” simply enjoys the priviledge of celebrity and wealth, and want to have the best, and for Mr. West, the self-professed College Dropout, that includes lighting a Cohiba while hobnobbing with Hollywood’s finest, and continuing to produce some of the best, if most contentious, music in the game today.
Elvis Presley
The King of Rock & Roll himself. Elvis was a man who lived his life to the very fullest, and while his star was extinguished far too soon, he certainly lived to the max while he was around. Though often painted as a hip-swivelling sex machine who kept his share of company with the ladies, Elvis was also known to be a man’s man, who enjoyed kicking back with his buddies in their “Memphis Mafia” clique. One of the ways he enjoyed to relax with friends, whether on his own plane, or on long tourbus rides, was with a cigar. The Colonel’s habit first, Elvis certainly made it his own, where once he bummed fat Churchill’s from Mr. Parker, Elvis preferred a slender, longer smoke, like lanceros and petit coronas, much like JFK did in his day. The King was a one of a kind star, and even in his love of cigars, was always the American Original, true to his Tupelo roots, and a man’s man.
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