This weekend is Wrestlemania 41. I can’t pretend to be a huge wrestling fan. Sure, I’m following the trends and I see how the league has risen to new heights by merging with UFC and going public under Ari Emanuel and Dana White’s leadership. And of course I loved the sport as a kid in the early days when the original superstars like Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, and Jimmy “Superfly” Snucka came off the top rope.This year, the event spans two days with countless brand touchpoints and fan activations.I’m siked for it and glad to be in Vegas for a slightly different reason: the 10th annual Walemania, our one-of-a-kind hip-hop-meets-wrestling classic.I’ve known the co-founders, Wale and Kaz, for a long time. I was Wale’s agent for many years after first connecting with him on Myspace through his manager at the time that I met on Friendster. I worked with Wale helping to build out his live strategy from his first mixtape to putting out his third album that debuted #1 on the pop charts and we sold out countless shows all across the world. My friend Kaz, the wrestling and sports impresario, burst on the scene when he was the first to book a buzzing young superstar-in-the-making, Drake, at SUNY Purchase, which got the whole industry's attention at the time. Since then he’s steadily built his reputation as a host, personality and visionary.In 2019, I agreed to come on as a partner and co-executive producer of Walemania and it’s been an amazing experience working alongside these two. It takes a village to do something like this, but luckily we have some great partners and champions, including our Show Producer Andria Parides, Content Consigliare Brandon Pankey, Online Brand Builder Meech Golden, Kazz Law & Wale’s management team at EQT, his dope team at his new label Def Jam, and of course our home team at Nue amongst many others.For year 10, the amazing team at Netflix is presenting the night and we promise to have huge cameos, celebrity guests, surprise performances, a live podcast of Spotify’s The Masked Man Show, and much more.I love the format of this show. It’s part party, part exclusive live content, and part splashy performance. It brings together moments and collaborations that will never happen again on any stage. In this day and age, where everything happens online, this is one of those experiences true fans, really need to see in person.Being in Vegas for Wrestlemania weekend keeps me on the pulse and sharp. Sometimes, it's good to have an outsider's perspective, with clear set of expertise, when building projects and IP with collaborators that are very in the know.Wrestling is something core to Wale’s personality. It's a niche that he has loved authentically. Over time, he has built amazing inroads into this world. It’s a great lesson for artists to follow their passions and invest their energy with communities that matter to them.It’s been a joy to change roles – from agent to partner & co-producer – and help Wale make this crazy idea come to life. This year, we have the good people at Brooklyn Bowl and Live Nation on board as our venue and promoting partners. Although it’s going to be a packed house, you can still get tickets here.
BEATS
Coachella’s Growing Subcultures: The Festival Beyond the MusicCoachella, the iconic music and arts festival held annually in Indio, California, has long been synonymous with music. But in recent years, it has evolved into something much larger—a cultural crossroads where fashion, brand activations, and networking often take center stage over the festival’s actual performances (Variety).
Is This the Year Bad Music Deals Die? BeatBread’s ‘Deal Comparison Tool’ Aims to Help Artists and Indie Labels Vet Competing OffersFor those artists and indie labels lucky enough to have multiple funding offers, beatBread now offers a potentially game-changing tool for weighing competing options. Surprisingly, beatBread’s initial results show that most artists and indie labels (60%) would likely sign a sub-optimal deal before thoroughly vetting their options (Digital Music News).
Bon Iver Releases New Album: SABLE, fABLEToday, Bon Iver begins a beautiful new era with the release of SABLE, fABLE. Out now on Jagjaguwar, the project's first album in six years is both a hard path of healing, and a lush story of love, embodying the clarity, focus and honesty that comes when your eyes are locked with another's (Shorefire).
Spotify's Latest Campaign Is a Love Letter to FandomFandom is real—just ask any fan who has waited in a Ticketmaster queue with hopes of scoring summer concert tickets. Spotify taps into such potent fan energy with its latest campaign celebrating folks who can’t get enough of Chappell Roan, Doechii, Olivia Rodrigo, Oasis, Rosalia, Seventeen and Turnstile (Muse by Clios).
How Public ‘Finsta’ Accounts Became the New Album Rollout MethodIn late March, a new Instagram account believed to belong to Young Thug called @UyScutiiiiii posted a picture of Young Thug holding a Miami Heat jersey, with “Uy Scuti” on the back. The post’s caption read: “Today,” (Rolling Stone).
Wasn't Travis Scott's Erewhon Drink Inevitable?Travis Scott's Cactus Jack x Erewhon shots were only a matter of time. Scott is having a hand in Coachella 2025 and, as such, his branding is pretty much inextricable from this year's edition of the festival, down to the sponsorships (High Snobiety).
Sleepy Hallow to Perform New Single in ‘The Hallow Heist,’ a Concert Created in FortniteBrooklyn rapper Sleepy Hallow has announced “The Hallow Heist,” an immersive concert event in Fortnite, developed in partnership with Sony Music and his label, RCA Records (Yahoo).
Mic Drop for Easter: TikTok Rapper Nova Starr Spits Truth About What Kids Really Want This Spring in ‘MGA Presents: EGG$$$$$'Concepted and produced by VIRTUE Worldwide and Pulse Films for a second time with MGA Entertainment, the campaign turns Easter and springtime shopping on its head with a 360° entertainment and shopping experience (Globe Newswire).
BYTES
It’s Coachella weekend, so Matt is joined by Dave Brooks, the senior director of touring at Billboard, to discuss all things music festivals. David gives us the latest on Coachella: how it's been doing lately, how much money headliners make, and whether it's still the most culturally relevant music festival in the world.
Where are you really going? It’s the question that turns a vacation into self-transformation. Travel brand Away goes inward for its latest campaign, ditching idyllic beaches and hotel pool shots in favor of something more personal: the kind of trip that changes you. In partnership with hit HBO series "The White Lotus," Away launched a new campaign directed by real-life couple Grammy-nominated artist FKA twigs and filmmaker Jordan Hemingway (Design Rush).
WaleMania is teaming up with Netflix. The streaming platform has announced that it is presenting WaleMania X, which is happening on April 17 at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas. The event will also feature a live version of The Masked Man Show, as well as guest appearances and a performance by Wale himself (Okayplayer).
‘Fast Company’ global design editor Mark Wilson goes behind the scenes with the band in Budapest to decode the disciplined chaos of their genre-defying visual experiments (Fast Company).
This week's newsletter was carefully curated by the Nue Agency staff and our editor Rachel Meisner If you think we missed something this week or have any suggestions/comments for next week's newsletter, let us know!