Consider, for example, his description of hip-hop impresario P Diddy, with whom he launched a hugely successful cologne last year: "He's a unique business. He's a celebrity. He's a brand. He's a cultural movement. What I mean by that is that anyone under 35 years old listens to R&B; and hip-hop music. Whether he is the most talented musician or not, he is at the epicentre of the creation of that world. Young people view him as a lifestyle."

He goes on: "In a funny sort of way, he's the hip-hop Ralph Lauren. Because many, many years ago, Ralph Lauren created a brand and a lifestyle that people sort of aspired to be part of. [P Diddy] is modern-day aspiration."