When I received the invitation to attend Pop et Hip Hop, I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a slow weekend of polite pours and cellar tours.
Hosted by Hautes Côtes, a Burgundy-based boutique travel and event company, the event set out to deliver a one-night celebration that brought cult Champagne producers and hip-hop culture together in the same historic space. In the Champagne region. That alone said everything.
The region itself carries a reputation that needs no embellishment. Champagne has long stood as a shorthand for prestige, a place where luxury feels codified into the soil. Say the name and you picture quiet vineyards, fluted glasses, cool limestone caves, and tasting notes murmured in reverence. But on this June evening, the energy shifted. Instead of classical quartets, there was The Beatnuts. Instead of exclusivity, there was movement, rhythm, and a sense of presence.
The Pre-Game Dinner
My Champagne journey began the night before the event, with a Paulée-style pre-game dinner at L’Assiette Champenoise, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Reims. It was a standing dinner where bottles were passed around. Small plates, elevated and endlessly creative, circulated with ease. I didn’t know anyone when I arrived, but that didn’t last long.
I spent the evening moving through conversations that flowed as easily as the Champagne — talking with French and American producers, Canadian and Hong Kong-based wine experts, and travelers who had come for the culture as much as the cuvée. At some point, I crossed paths with Jermaine Stone, aka the “Real Wolf of Wine” and host of the Wine & Hip Hop podcast as well as the Pop et Hip Hop event, who told me, “You’re part of the crew now.”
We toasted, traded stories, and laughed like people who’d known each other longer than just a few hours. The energy was relaxed, real. No one was putting on a show. People were just connecting over food, music, and some truly incredible bottles. By the time I left, I was fully locked in. The next day couldn’t come soon enough.
The Main Event
The next day, as the sun slipped behind the stone walls of Prieuré de Binson, the energy shifted into something electric.
The scene was alive, tables overflowing with pours from Jacques Selosse, Billecart-Salmon, and Pierre Paillard. There were bottles people usually chase down or cellar for years, now being passed from hand to hand, poured freely between strangers who felt like longtime friends by the second glass.
Everywhere you turned, there was movement. Conversations rose over basslines and hooks played beneath shouted toasts. Laughter and stories flowed in French, English, and Spanish.
When The Beatnuts stepped on stage, the tempo kicked up. Heads moved as soon as the beat dropped. We danced surrounded by stone walls that had seen centuries, but the energy felt current. Hip hop set the tone, gave the night some weight, and made the space feel more relaxed and open.
People could just be themselves. Champagne producers, stylists, DJs, artists, sommeliers, and cultural curators from across Europe and the world moved through the night with ease.
The beauty of Pop et Hip Hop lived in the details — the way people found each other in the crowd. The way legacy labels flowed into a soundtrack shaped by culture, and how no one had to shift or shrink to be there. Hautes Côtes pulled off this event and created something expansive. A space where Champagne history and Black cultural power stood side by side, not competing, but building something richer together.
What It Means For Black Travelers
Champagne has long been associated with a kind of old-world Europe that rarely reflects the diverse cultures that comprise the region today. But this event reminded me how quickly that can shift when intention meets access. Black tastemakers were present at Pop et Hip Hop, and they were defining the mood. The artists, DJs, guests, and winemakers in the crowd, many of whom were just as excited to be part of this new energy, created a vibe that felt organic.
The beauty of it is that Champagne, as a destination, has the range to hold both tradition and evolution. You can still visit the historic maisons, walk through the caves, sip vintage rosé in a white-tablecloth setting – but now there’s also room to experience the region through a different lens. A lens that reflects a fuller, more global picture of who enjoys Champagne and how. And Black travelers are just as much a part of the heart of it.
Pop et Hip Hop reminded me that cultural celebration and luxury can exist in the same space, without compromise. That joy doesn’t have to be quiet to be respected. For any Black traveler thinking about Champagne as a destination: go. Take up space. Book the vineyard tour, stay at the five-star hotel, dance at the afterparty, and ask questions at the tasting.
Where To Stay When In Champagne
If you’re planning a trip to the Champagne region, there’s plenty to love beyond the labels.
The region’s hospitality scene is anything but one-note. I split my time between two standout hotels — both worth bookmarking depending on the kind of trip you’re after. I spent one night at L’Assiette Champenoise, where the pre-game dinner for Pop et Hip Hop was held. Just outside Reims, this family-run Relais & Châteaux property is helmed by chef Arnaud Lallement, whose cooking has earned the restaurant three Michelin stars. If you’re serious about food or simply want to experience world-class hospitality with a personal touch, this is a standout choice.
The next morning, I checked into the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, which sits on a hill overlooking the vineyards of Épernay and the Marne Valley. It’s hard to describe how peaceful that view is until you’re standing in front of it. Waking up there felt like coming down gently from the night of the main event.
I had a facial the next morning at the spa — one of the best I’ve had. The entire space is designed for calm, featuring indoor and outdoor pools, jacuzzis, steam rooms, and quiet corners where you can sit and look out over the vines.
Meals at the hotel’s Le Bellevue Restaurant & Terrace were thoughtful and beautifully presented. Every part of the stay, from the views to the service, felt restorative. After the energy of Pop et Hip Hop, this was the perfect reset.
