#17talks

EP: WAWA – AFRIT 19 MET O.A. SEVN ALIAS, BRYAN MG, ADJE & FIGO GANG

Wawa dropte onlangs een EP in samenwerking met Sevn Alias, Bryan Mg, Adje en Figogang. Beluister het album hierbeneden.

DRAKE UNVEILS NEW NOCTA PROMO STARRING BRITISH RAPPER CENTRAL CEE

Central Cee for NOCTA. Drawing attention to some of the label’s latest promotional shots, Drake took to Instagram recently to spotlight British rapper Central Cee donning some of his new Nike backed brand’s campaign imagery. Appearing alongside a number of other gents in key garments from the newcomer’s collection, the likes of cosy outerwear, hoodies, technical vests and tracksuit bottoms all arrive in NOCTA’s preferred blacked-out palette with pops of yellow throughout.

Domino's Pizza to Begin Autonomous Robot Deliveries

Domino’s Pizza will now be getting robots to do deliveries. So far, the new operation is being tested in just Houston, Texas, but it’s still a pretty neat milestone for the future of autonomous services. Domino’s autonomous delivery system is made possible by Nuro‘s R2 robot, announced just two years ago. According to Domino’s, the R2is the first fully functional self-driving delivery vehicle that’s been approved by the Department of Transportation. Residents of Woodland Heights in Houston will get to choose the option of getting the R2 to deliver their pizzas. R2’s journey can be tracked through period text notifications. To ensure customers safely get their orders, Domino’s will provide PIN codes for customers to input on R2’s touchscreen to retrieve their pizzas.

DMX's Streams Sees 928% Surge Following His Death

DMX‘s music catalog experienced a 928 percent surge in streaming in the days after his death, garnering a total of 75.7 million on-demand streams on April 9 and 10 compared to the 7.36 million streams from April 7 and 8. According to reports, the late rapper’s most streamed songs during April 9 and 10 were “Ruff Ryers Anthem” with 9.59 million streams, “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” with 5.79 million streams, “Slippin” with 5.52 million streams, “Party Up (In Here)” with 5.20 million streams and “How It’s Goin’ Down” featuring Faith Evans with 3.52 million streams. DMX also sold a total of 101,000 songs and albums from April 9 to April 11, seeing a 1,036 percent rise compared to the 9,000 units sold from April 6 to April 8. In addition, his 2010 greatest hits compilation The Best of DMX re-entered the Billboard 200chart at No. 73, but reports claim that the record could enter the top 10 for the first time ever. As fans and friends of the rapper mourn his death, the late rapper’s family politely warned the public of scammers pretending to ask them for financial help or sell merchandise to cover funeral costs. Swizz Beatz and the family also publicly shot down the rumor that Beyoncé and JAY-Z had purchased DMX’s masters for $10 million USD to give to his children for free. “There have been a few rumors following our loved one, Earl Simmons’, passing that we’d like to clear up. No one has bought Earl’s masters,” the family said in a statement. “Additionally, we are not selling any merch or raising money for Earl’s funeral. If anyone is requesting for money for his funeral please be aware the person is a scammer. We will keep the public posted on funeral/memorial service arrangements.”

Nas Could Make Over $200 Million USD From the Coinbase Listing

Nas‘ investment firm, QueensBridge Venture Partners, could be banking big on Coinbase going public on the Nasdaq via a direct listing on Wednesday. Sniping the cryptocurrency exchange from as early as 2013 (when it was valued at $143 million USD versus today’s $100 billion USD) QueensBridge invested roughly $100,000 – $500,000 USD in the initial Series B round ($1.00676 USD a share). According to CoinDesk, this would make his share quantity range anywhere from 99,329 – 496,642. Depending on how close the share price gets to the $440 USD target, as it just closed out at $350 USD on private secondary markets, Nas’ QueensBridge Venture Partners could brand anywhere from $34.76 million – $218.5 million USD. Not too bad a return. Rap legend @Nas is on the @coinbase cap table. When the exchange goes public this week, he could rake in over $100 million.@IanAllison123 reportshttps://t.co/sJC1Gcgv13 — CoinDesk (@CoinDesk) April 12, 2021  

Video: Nana Fofie – Carefully

Surfs Up: Casablanca Drops Bespoke Surfboards and Swimwear

Casablanca shines in the summer months. Sure, the young French label has proven its mettle as a prime purveyor of multi-seasonal luxury, but its in the warmer months that its rich patterns and louche wearables really take flight. The latest delivery from Charaf Tajer’s label includes the requisite poolside essentials that one would expect from his brand but it also dishes a few luxurious one-offs by way of two handmade surfboards. “After The Rain Comes The Rainbow,” Casablanca’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection, was already rife with covetable loungewear but the new drop includes extra indulgent swimwear and even some essential accessories perfectly suited to balmy climes. These range from plush towels to silk scarves and branded caps that match the cream tones offered by lightweight tennis-ready shirts, shorts and hoodies. There’s even a few printed silk layering pieces perfect for dressing up in the hot weather. Key to this drop is a pair of surfboards realized with Casablancas Laurel and Monogram patterns, which keen observers will recognize from the brand’s recent New Balance 327 collaboration. Handmade in France by Thierry Andre, the boards are a limited-run fiberglass affair, painstakingly printed with Casablanca’s Moroccan-inspired logo by way of rice paper transference. The special surfboards are available to pre-order on Casablanca’s web store and Maxfield LA’s website for approximately $3,950 USD.

The New Off-White™ Doormats

The latest deliveries from Off-White™‘s HOME program include some special underfoot items that you’ll be tempted to leave inside the house, rather than outside. A set of themed doormats is on hand, offered in three monochrome editions that place the emphasis squarely on the brand’s signature unmistakable branding and logos, with dramatic flair. All three doormats are realized with fan-favorite Off-White™ motifs, including a circular “OFF” shape, a rectangular edition featuring the “Swimming Man” logo and a square piece that combines elements of both. All measuring over 26” inches long or wide, they’re sure to cover the majority — at least — of any conventional doorway while ensuring that unassuming visitors do their best to avoid stepping on the seemingly unfriendly “OFF”-branded mats. This release is the latest in a series of more expansive Off-White™ productions, expanding the luxury label’s output beyond mere apparel to fortify its lifestyle status. Among the other home goods, there have been Braun alarm clocks and a new range of athleisure gear demonstrating the brand’s aptitude at delivering wares suitable for the new normal. The doormats are available on Off-White™’s web store and physical locations, though some styles are moving quickly.

Video: Dopebwoy ft. D-Block Europe – Blem (Prod. SRNO)

Video: Dopebwoy ft. D-Block Europe – Blem (Prod. SRNO)

Lil Nas X's "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

Lil Nas X‘s latest single “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” is opening this week’s Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1, marking his first ever chart-topping debut. According to Billboard, the track earned 46.9 million U.S. streams and sold 21,000 downloads in the week ending April 1. The debut is Nas X’s fifth overall entry on the Hot 100, following November 2020’s “HOLIDAY,” September 2019’s “Panini,” July 2019’s “Rodeo” with Cardi B/Nas and, of course, “Old Town Road” with Billy Ray Cyrus, which first entered the Hot 100 chart at No. 83 before peaking at No. 1. The controversial single was released alongside an equally controversial pair of Nike Air Max 97 shoes Nas X created in collaboration with MSCHF. Dubbed the “Satan Shoes,” Nike subsequently filed a lawsuit against MSCHF and claimed that their “unauthorized” shoes are “likely to cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous association between MSCHF’s products and Nike.” US District Judge Eric Komitee agreed with Nike’s complaint and granted the footwear giant a temporary restraining order against MSCHF, barring the Brooklyn-based company from fulfilling the orders for the sold-out sneakers.

IKEA Introduces the FÖRNUFTIG Air Purifier for Compact Homes

IKEA is introducing the company’s first-ever air purifier. Dubbed the FÖRNUFTIG, the new gadget is designed with smaller apartments and living spaces in mind. Created with low energy consumption in mind, the air purifier offers three levels of protection the clean the air. A pre-filter first removes larger particles such as hair and dust before a finer particle filter blocks other unwanted pollutants including pollen as small as PM2.5 (2.5um). Finally is the filter for gas cleaning, purifying the air from gaseous pollutants such as volatile organic compounds or formaldehyde. It’s also capable of reducing odors from both cooking or smoking. With the main dial to adjust the speed of the fan, the FÖRNUFTIG is extremely easy to use and function. “At IKEA, we believe clean indoor air shouldn’t be a luxury for the few, and that’s why one of our main priorities in developing FÖRNUFTIG air purifier was to achieve a low price for both the air purifier and the filters.” IKEA Sweden’s Product Owner Henrik Telander says. “Today, air purifiers aren’t a viable option for most people, in particular not for those living in small spaces. With this in mind, we optimized the air purifier for about 108 square feet, using less material in a smarter way, which enabled us to lower the price.” The new product comes after a Clean Air Survey conducted by the furniture maker back in 2018, which found that most people only consider air pollution outside of their homes. The FÖRNUFTIG hopes to change this misconception, and bring a healthier lifestyle to more. For those interested, IKEA’s FÖRNUFTIG will launch in the U.S. on April 1, with prices going at $55 USD. The filter for gaseous pollutants will be available for $10 USD, while the HEPA filter will come at $5.50 USD.

Clubhouse to Enable New Payment Methods for Creators

Clubhouse will let users make direct payments to creators very soon. Since its explosive growth, this will be the first time the social audio app will bring on a monetization tool. Payment systems are built directly in the app, and Clubhouse has assured its users it will not be taking any cut. Keeping things as simple and direct as possible, this means creators will get to enjoy the full payment a user sends them. To make a payment, a user simply needs to tap on his/her profile, tap “Send Money” and then put in the desired amount to send. There is, however, a small processing fee, which will go to Stripe, Clubhouse’s partnered payments processor — users can either pay through a credit or debit card. Since this new feature is still in its testing stage, not everyone will get to receive payments. Clubhouse is planning to make it more widely available after “starting with a small test group.”