The aftermath of last week’s Verzuz battle continues to be a thrill. The showdown between The Lox and Dipset has the whole industry buzzing.Even though everyone wins with Verzuz, especially the culture, Jadakiss took control of the evening from the start and won big.I was inspired by Jada’s level of preparation and focus. He’s obviously a gifted rapper, but to see him come in there with that clarity and relentless competitive spirit was like watching a legendary athlete who’s still got it. That kind of love and respect for the game is a wonder to behold.On Saturday, Hot 97 played Jada’s “Who Shot Ya” freestyle over and over again like a new king of New York had been crowned. To boot, the performance had a potentially massive career effect: The Lox, right after the battle, flew to Atlanta to record with Kanye for his much anticipated album, Donda, and to attend his listening party. This characteristically shrewd move by Ye has everyone even more excited than they already were.The next day, The Lox got the key to the city of Yonkers.With a long history of working with members of both groups, I have a personal connection to all of them, I’m a fan. I wrote about the Verzuz effect last August, but watching the battle live at the world’s most famous arena definitely took Verzuz to another level and brought me back to the days when NYC topped the charts.What has me really pumped, though, is how epic the watercooler convo has been. It’s transcended all aspects of mainstream culture. This battle became the dominant news story in music this week without anything elicit; just raw rap shit.Scrolling Twitter the next morning was a treasure hunt of digital treats. There were so many worthwhile memes, comments, insights, and stories. We seem to all have a connection to these artists, which made this an epic moment we could enjoy as a community.I’m guessing a mainstream network will give Fat Joe a commentator role following his viral recap of the night. It was funny watching Kevin Hart and Snoop anchor the Olympics this year, but Fat Joe is still my favorite voice in entertainment. It’s remarkable that his dissection of the battle has been almost as discussed as the battle itself. He was there, boots on the ground at MSG, wearing a mask and loving every moment. He’s a true champion of the NYC “brand.”Next up is a Lox show in Brooklyn as part of Budweiser’s celebration of Biggie. I’m sure there’s a ton more happening behind the scenes, too. The spotlight is on them and they have the catalogue to back it up. They’re charming and still feel relevant. I know this moment is going to bring some fantastic options to the table, and like Jada always said, “options are a beautiful thing.”
BEATS
Nft Platform Makersplace Raises $30M from Investors Including Eminem, Paul Rosenberg And Sony MusicSan Francisco-based NFT platform MakersPlace has raised $30 million in a Series A round led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Pantera Capital. MakersPlace most notably facilitated the $69.3 million sale of Beeple’s EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS in partnership with Beeple and Christie’s. (Music Business Worldwide)
Nike’s Travis Scott x Fragment Collab Continues with a Jordan 1 Low SneakerTravis Scott and Fragment’s long-awaited Air Jordan 1 arrived last week with little time to prepare for, and you easily could have gone into the weekend not knowing they had already dropped and sold out. Fortunately, there’s always another sneaker right around the corner to hone in on as the next so-called “must cop” — but we didn’t expect the three-way collaboration to produce another so quickly. (Input Mag)
Warner Boss Steve Cooper Talks Tiktok and Peloton Revenues, The Rise of Virtual Artists, And The Value Of Record LabelsIt’s been just over a year since Warner Music Group floated on the Nasdaq on June 3 2020, following a delay to its IPO caused by uncertainty over the Coronavirus pandemic. (Music Business Worldwide)
Timbaland’s Beatclub Teams with Fintech Firm Horizon Fintex to Let Fans Buy and Trade Shares in Music, NFTSTimbaland and Gary Marella-founded beat marketplace Beatclub has partnered with Horizon Fintex, a FinTech company that powers digital stock exchange Upstream and fan engagement platform Global Fan Exchange (GFX). (Music Business Worldwide)
YouTube's $100M Shorts Fund to Challenge TikTok Goes LiveThe fund will reward creators for their most engaging and most viewed short-form videos over the course of 2021 to 2022, with the goal of quickly scaling creator activity on YouTube’s new short-form video platform, Shorts, to better rival TikTok. Today, YouTube announced the fund is officially launching and creators will begin to receive their first payouts in August. (Tech Crunch)
The Latest TikTok Trend Is… Vietnamese Music About the Countryside?Multiple Vietnamese tracks have become popular globally on TikTok, but the most surprising hit among young Americans is a twangy song that’s often considered “old people music.” (Pitchfork)
Tyler, the Creator Talks Growing Golf Wang, BET Awards Performance, and His New Love For Vintage Cartier WatchesMany celebrities have dabbled in the fashion business, but very few have been able to maintain lines that consistently release good ready-to-wear collections that go beyond merch. And while Tyler does still make merch, he has always wanted his collections to feel special and well made. In 2014 he told Billboard: “I don’t want it to be like fucking Rocawear or, I don’t know, a lot of things that come and go.” (Complex)
America’s Financial Institutions Have Failed Black and Brown Communities. Killer Mike Has a SolutionIn 1990, KRS-One rapped about combining knowledge and entertainment, saying “I’ll just name it Edutainment / People sit and look at my album / Like a problem, they try to solve ’em / They don’t know it only leads the way / To a bright more positive day.” Now, three decades later, rapper, activist, and entrepreneur Killer Mike (Michael Render) is aiming for the same result with Greenwood, his digital banking company, which is launching a new studio to create financial education content. (Fast Company)
Senate Passes Bill Recognizing August 11 as “Hip Hop Celebration Day”America’s most popular music genre turns 48 in August and the recognition by Congress is astounding. The bill to celebrate hip hop nationally was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and co-sponsored by California Senator Alex Padilla and Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy. (Revolt)
‘Limits are Non-Existent in the Metaverse!’ Video Game Concerts Become Big BusinessA shimmering Ariana Grande emerges from the starry night sky as she begins to run through her biggest pop hits. Dressed in a glistening sequinned two-piece and rocking a towering ponytail with hints of neon pink, the superstar is both levitating and incandescent. Literally. This isn’t Grande’s latest festival outing, nor is the pop star even physically present. (The Guardian)
Introducing Homer, Frank Ocean’s “Independent American Luxury Company”It turns out that Frank Ocean has been designing jewelry. Today, he announced the launch of Homer, a line described in a press release as an “independent American luxury company.” The first Homer collection is extensive, comprising dozens of diamond-encrusted bracelets, cartoon-colored enamel pendants, patterned silk scarves, and gold rings sculpted into the word "OK." (GQ)
Blackground Partners with Empire For Relaunch, Led by Aaliyah SetsBlackground Records has partnered with EMPIRE to launch Blackground 2.0 and release the label's storied catalog on streaming platforms worldwide. Albums by Aaliyah, Timbaland & Magoo, Tank, Toni Braxton, JoJo and Ashley Parker Angel will be re-released to DSPs along with new physical offerings. (Hits Daily Double)
Method Man’s First-Ever NFT Will Be a Comic SeriesAccording to Rolling Stone, Method Man will be launching a comic series titled Tical World which will be available exclusively through NFT. In conjunction with New York artist Alex Smetsky, the NFT will include a 3D-enabled digital animation illustrating the origin story of Tical World. The comic series is based on unreleased audio recordings with music by Method Man. (Complex)
BYTES
If this interview doen’t get you pumped then you aren’t a creator. Tyler, the Creator sat down with Ebro Darden, Laura Stylez, and Peter Rosenberg on Hot 97 to discuss everything from getting “canceled” to his thoughts on the LOX vs. Dipset Verzuz.
Almost a million of fans tuned into the live stream but you really had to be there on location to feel the epic energy. Many of us thought that Cam’ron, Jim Jones and Juelz Santana will have the upper hand with their bigger records (some solo) but in the end, the strategy from Jadakiss, Sheek Louch and Styles P really was too much to handle for them.
“The bottom line will be someone will have to have proof,” Mr. de Blasio said in his briefing Tuesday. “As long as that proof is accurate and real, wherever it comes from, that’s what they’ll need to show.”
Hit-Boy lays down luxurious beats that allow Nas to celebrate life and appreciate his status and wealth. The album looks forward, but also reminisces on the past with songs like “Moments,” looking back on the good times he has had. King’s Disease II feels more refined and at its best with the classic rappers alongside Nas.
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!