Happy Sunday! Whether you're a new subscriber or an existing subscriber, welcome back. Here are a few articles you should check out from this week!
Drake
Earlier this year, after the battle with Kendrick Lamar, Drake filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) for defamation. Although this isn’t being talked about as much, things seem to be progressing towards a potential trial. The nature of proving defamation isn’t easy and requires much more than something mean being said. Last week, reports came out that Drake submitted a witness list to the court, which is standard practice. Part of civil cases is notifying the court of who will be called to testify. You don’t necessarily have to say what they’ll say, but you need to disclose who.
On Drake’s list is over 60 people. There are executives from the label, from streaming services, Roc Nation, as well as other industry entities. Interestingly enough, if this goes to trial, Drake would be running the risk of also potentially exposing himself as well. Labels have been known to manipulate things in favor of certain artists. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that they’ve thought it through and are prepared for it to be exposed that the label also has a history of helping him as well, on top of attempting to prove that they aided in the success of ‘Not Like Us.’
Napheesa Collier
The WNBA is in the middle of collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The current agreement expires on October 31, 2025. Based on the growing popularity of the league over the last couple of years, the players union is rightfully negotiating for higher salaries and better revenue sharing moving forward. An interesting fact about Napheesa Collier, one of the stars of the WNBA, is that she has family ties that are used to fighting. Her grandfather, Gershon Collier, was Chief Justice of Sierra Leone and an ambassador of the United States and first representative for Sierra Leone in the United Nations. He was present when Sierra Leone gained independence from the British.
Angel Reese Signature Sneakers
Staying on the topic of WNBA, during last week’s All-Star weekend, Angel Reese unveiled her first signature sneaker with Reebok. The Angel Reese 1 Mebound colorway is set to be released in 2026. The name ‘Mebound’ comes from a meme online that Reebook and Angel cleverly trademarked and are now using it for the new sneakers campaign.
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Justice and Kaytranada will be co-headlining a North American tour kicking off in October.
Rich Paul was part of the most recent $100 million fundraising round for newsletter platform Substack, which is now valued at over $1 billion.
James Gunn states that intellectual property issues are the reason no live-action Static Shock film has been made yet.
Taylor Russell leaves the production of The Thomas Crown Affair due to creative differences.
Venus Williams became the second oldest woman to win a singles match.
Tyler, the Creator released a surprise album on Monday, which is projected to debut at number 1 with more than 200k albums sold.
Reports show that Joe Budden is on pace to make more than $20 million this year from The Joe Budden Podcast.
Drake and Nike recently hosted “NOCTA Manor,” an immersive, invite-only retreat just outside of London during Wireless Festival.
Roc Nation Sports International has expanded into Africa, and begun by signing multiple rising stars across the continent.
Ralph Lauren debuts Oak Bluffs Collection as part of its partnerships with Spelman and Morehouse.
Ralph Lauren, Oak Bluffs Collection
Conversations this week
Dancer Misty Copeland has a conversation with The New York Times about her retirement.
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Song of the Week: “Stop Playing With Me” by Tyler, the Creator (U.S.A.)
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