#17talks

Take a Closer Look at the 19 Pharrell Williams-Owned Jacob & Co. Diamond Pieces Headed to JOOPITER

Pharrell Williams‘ “Son of a Pharaoh” JOOPITER has just released its full list of lots set for auction. Out of the 52 personal items, 19 are diamond pieces from P and Jacob & Co. Some of the most iconic pieces of diamond jewelry — artifacts of hip-hop and pop-culture history — are now for sale. Dating back to the early 2000s, pieces like the original NERD pendant, the Asscher-cut Tennis Platinum necklace, Tech Deck pendants, Rubik’s Cube, and Mario pendant are all on display. “Look at this yellow diamond Astronaut necklace. Pharrell was always into Astronauts. This one used to go with him on stage. It got him so much publicity. People were screaming when they saw this jewelry on him. He was the first one to wear this,” says Jacob Arabo. “When I met Jacob and saw what he had in there, I was like, ‘Oh okay. This is next level.’ Then I just started drawing things and showing him, ‘Can we do this and make it like that?’ and he never told me no. He always said, ‘Okay, we’ll figure it out,’ and I don’t know why he did because I didn’t have the money.” Pharrell also reminds us that these are just 19 out of the hundreds of pieces of jewelry he’s picked up from Jacob & Co. With estimates of $15,000 – $375,000 USD, the 19 lots are set to go live on October 20, 2022, at JOOPITER. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Black Ambition Foundation, founded by Pharrell Williams, which supports and assists ethnic minority entrepreneurs in the United States.

Apple Accused of Purposely Making Messages From Android Devices Hard to Read

According to a report, there is an actual reason why you think that Apple‘s blue iMessages are better than the green text bubbles you get from Android device users. Popularly believed to be based on iPhone elitism, Apple is accused of using color contrast to make its iMessages more favorable than regular text from its competitor. iMessage’s blue/white provides greater color contrast than the regular text green/white color scheme. The greater distinction between light and dark results in more readable text. The greater legibility results in a better experience when messaging iPhone users versus Android users. It is interesting to note that the green/white color mix scores “very poor” on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at 2.18, impacting the user experience for all, but especially for those with visual disabilities. Known for its exceptional products and services designed by its extensive resources and talent, it is theorized that Apple has intentionally made messages from Android devices “bad.”

Floyd Mayweather Claims $1 Million USD Payout for Answering Call Over Exhibition Bout With Deji

After losing three exhibition fights against Jake Paul, Vinnie Hacker, and Alex Wassabi, Deji redeemed himself with a convincing victory over fellow YouTuber Fousey, showcasing substantial improvement over his previous bouts. However, with just one official win, the British YouTuber Deji will now be stepping into the ring with one of the all-time greats, Floyd Mayweather Jr. The duo faced off ahead of the weekend and are set to meet in Dubai on November 13. Maintaining a record of 50-0, Mayweather has been picking up a number of exhibition bouts with the likes of UFC fighter Conor McGregor and Logan Paul as well as RIZIN fighters Tenshin Nasukawa and Mikuru Asakura. While Deji has shown significant resolve, taking into consideration on-paper track records and weight differences, the YouTuber may be Mayweather’s least daunting opponent yet heading into the contest. Throughout the first press conference, Mayweather reiterated that the bout was for entertainment and for bringing joy to the fans while continuously bringing attention to the sponsors for the bout. He also revealed that he was paid $1 million USD purely to discuss the fight. “They said we’ll get you on the phone and they wired me one million dollars,” said Mayweather. “So I got on the phone ASAP and said what’s going on? They said they wanted me to do [a fight] with a YouTuber and I said, yo, let’s make it happen. We’re doing these exhibitions and it doesn’t matter what happens, I can get knocked out and I’m still 50-0!” When asked about how it feels to face off against Mayweather, Deji was all smiles, answering, “Literally, this is surreal, all of this. I’ve seen this place on TV and now I’m here next to the champ, so I’m truly blessed. It’s amazing, this is history, isn’t it.”      

MOUNT WESTMORE Unveils Debut Album 'Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort' Release Date

MOUNT WESTMORE has officially announced their upcoming debut album Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort — named after the four rappers that makeup the hip-hop supergroup. The 16-track album is set to release on December 9 and follows the group’s recently-released singles “Bad MF’s,” “Big Subwoofer” and “Step Child,” with the next single single “Too Big,” which will feature P-Lo, releasing on October 21. Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40 and Too $hort announced MOUNT WESTMORE as a supergroup in 2021, with Snoop telling HotNewHipHop last year, “You bring the legends of the West Coast together, something great will always happen.” He continued, “Cube, 40, Short, and I have been running the game for years. This is the perfect time because each of us brings authentic and new ideas to the table. All four together? That’s magic.” MOUNT WESTMORE’s Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort drops December 9, while “Too Big” will hit streaming on October 21.    

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Kanye West Claims 'Watch the Throne 2' Is "Coming Soon"

Kanye West has teased the arrival of his and JAY-Z‘s collaborative Watch the Throne 2 project yet again. In his recent appearance on Drink Champs, Ye took out a bottle of Hov’s cognac to enjoy during the interview. “This D’usse is brought to you by my brother, Hov,” he said. “Courtesy of The Throne. Part two coming soon.” The DONDA artist did not reveal any other details like an expected release date, leaving fans to wonder — after countless claims — whether the record will ever actually release. During his 2021 Drink Champs interview, West briefly touched on working with JAY-Z and how “selfish” he could be when they were working on the first installment. “I took a track off of what was gonna be my album, the follow-up to ['My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy']. It was the ‘Otis’ sample; I chopped it up and I was gonna go to Milan to do something in fashion and I was about to be late for the flight … ‘Cause I was like, ‘Yo, we not gonna lose this game no matter what. I’m gonna give you all this.’” He continued, “I took ‘New Day’ off of my next album. I took ‘Otis’ off of my next album. And we got into this big argument because he had this song called ‘Holy Grail’ that he had Justin Timberlake singing on. And I was like, ‘We need to put this on this album.’ And then he was like, ‘Nah.’” At the end of it, however, Ye clarified that he still has love for JAY-Z. “Everybody knows Jay is very selfish … We all love him but, you know, he’s very selfish,” he shared. “He’ll say like, ‘Man, I’m selfish.’ So he wouldn’t give that song. I’m like, ‘Man, how I’m giving all of this?’” Rumors of Watch the Throne 2 have been spreading as early as 2013, with the latest tease spurred on by West’s creative Justin Laboy in 2021. “Watch The Throne 2 coming end of the year. Kanye & Hov about to make history AGAIN,” he wrote on Twitter, adding, “YES. HOV & YE back building again. They both rich enough to quit rapping, but the passion they share of making the fans happy got them back working.”  

Lil Baby's 'It's Only Me' Projected to Debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200

Lil Baby’s latest record It’s Only Me is looking to open at No. 1 on next week’s Billboard 200. According to HITS Daily Double, It’s Only Me could debut with a total of 185,000 to 210,000 equivalent album units in its first week — enough for it to land at No. 1 and become either the seventh or eight-highest debut of 2022 so far. The extensive 23-track record also garnered 70 million first-day streams in the US, dominated the entirety of Apple Music’s Top 23, logged seven tracks on Spotify’s Top 20 and was the most-streamed Spotify artist in the US on Friday.It’s Only Me arrives more than two years after 2020’s My Turn and features Nardo Wick on “Pop Out,” Young Thug on “Never Hating,” Fridayy on “Forever,” Future on “From Now On,” Rylo Rodriguez on “Cost to Be Alive,” Jeremih on “Stop Playin,” EST Gee on “Back and Forth” and Pooh Shiesty on “Shiest Talk.”

Gucci’s Double-Cap Is Two Hats For the Price of Five

You know what’s better than one baseball cap? Two baseball caps. Although when they’re inexplicably joined at the seam, one baseball cap is actually probably better. For Gucci though, mashing them into one wild hat is the way forward – well, for Fall 2022, at least. Arriving as a part of its “Exquisite” collection alongside adidas, these double-sided baseball caps – which are available online now for £520 – feature the GG monogram on one side, and adidas’ three stripes on the other. And while, in fact, the decoration is pretty tame for the hat’s design, that isn’t the confusing part. The question that’s been running around my head since seeing them for the first time is: how the fuck do you wear this thing? This is presumably just a bit of fun between the two brands, and a way of creating something you’ll stick on your living room shelf and try on after a few drinks with some friends every now and then, because I see it in no other place.

Lamborghini’s New “Urus S” Model Is Now Revealed

Powered by a 4.0-liter engine with a V8 twin-turbo, Lamborghini’s new “Urus S” model is now revealed and delivers the same groundbreaking 666-horsepower engine. Since August, the demand for the “Urus Performante” has skyrocketed and thus prompted the luxury car maker to add a facelift to its predecessor. The vehicle can go from 0 to 100km in 3.5 seconds and can reach a top speed of 305km. Additionally, there’s new exterior detailing for the “Urus S,” with air intakes located on each side of the car hood, new rear and front bumper, and a blackened aerodynamic kit. Lamborghini’s new “Urus S” model has a starting selling price of $189,789 USD.

All Apple AirPods and Mac Accessories Rumored to Features USB-C by 2024

According to Bloomberg‘s Apple insider Mark Gurman, the tech giant is looking to make a long speculated change to its charging port. Apple is expected to shift from the lightning charging port on the iPhone and other devices to standardizing with the new USB-C in order to abide by new European laws. While this is the case, Apple still hopes to go wireless in the near future but plans to move to USB-C charging across all its upcoming iPhone models and other Mac accessories. Currently, the iPhone, AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch and the MacBook all utilize three different chargers – lightning port, USB-C and MagSafe. Due to the push from the European law, which has been taken one step furthers this past week, the EU is now requiring all device makers to switch to USB-C by the end of 2024 for new products such as tablets, headsets and phones. Laptops will have until 2026 to make the switch. Apple is looking to ensure that the iPhone 15 will get the USB-C in Fall 2023. This will leave AirPods, the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad as the other accessories eventually needing to make the switch. Back in May, Apple was reportedly already testing out USB-C iPhones ahead of the EU mandate. As Apple gears up for the USB-C change, it moves the company one step closer to wireless charging for all devices.

Kid Cudi Talks Plans After Retiring From Music

In a recent interview with Zane Lowe from Apple Music, Kid Cudi voiced his interest in stepping away from producing full-length albums to focus on other areas of his life. He later appeared in Hot Ones with Sean Evans, hinting at potentially retiring “all things Kid Cudi” within the next few years. “The Kid Cudi stuff, I think I want to put it on the back burner and chill out with that,” Cudi says in his interview with Lowe. “I think, I want to be done with it. I think, closing the chapter on Kid Cudi. The goal for Entergalactic — I was bored of making albums. Just, doing an album, and two music videos and that’s it. And I was like, man, I went into this wanting to do something epic and different. And now that I’ve done that, I’ve made a lot of music, man.” Cudi says that he’ll always be around the studio, but he no longer has the desire to work on an album and tour it. He goes on to share that he wants to spend more time with his daughter, saying it’s the relationship he always dreamed of. Going forward Cudi also looks to produce and write more movies and shows through his production company, Mad Solar Productions, and debut his new clothing line at Paris Fashion Week next January. “I don’t feel like I have what they have. I just don’t know if I wanna do music, drop albums for too much longer, you know?” he continues on First We Feast’s Hot Ones. “I’m kind of nearing the end on all things Kid Cudi, I think.” He later shares his aspirations to potentially teach and work with kids later on in his career. “I was thinking about this, and this is like a wacky idea I had years ago but it would be cool to one day be a kindergarten teacher. And just do that for a couple of years. Like, when I’m, like, 50 and I just, like, infect the youth with that freshness. Get ’em young, and then those kids will just sprinkle the freshness to the world and I’ll just be like, Yes! Yes!’” Cudi’s latest TV series and album, both named Entergalactic, are now available on Netflix and major streaming services.

Kylian Mbappé Tops Forbes Highest-Paid Soccer Player List for 2022

According to the lastest report from Forbes, Kylian Mbappé is currently the highest-paid soccer players in the world, dethroning his teammate Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who have alternated the top spots since 2014. At just 23 years old, Kylian Mbappe is also the youngest player to cross the $100 million USD mark for annual earnings, a feat accomplished by both Ronaldo and Messi in their 30s. $110 Million USD of Mbappe’s salary comes from his on-field contract while approximately $18 million USD comes from his off-field activities which include endorsement deals with Nike, Dior, Oakley, Hublot, and Panini. His other endeavors include serving as an ambassador for NFT platform Sorare, founder of the production company Zebra Valley, and this year also marks the third time he’s been featured on the cover of EA Sports‘ FIFA game. In the pre-season, Mbappé’s future at PSG was uncertain as it was reported that the star forward was having serious conversations with Real Madrid. This led to a personal conversation with French president Emmanuel Macron, who urged Mbappé to turn down the deal and stay at the French capital. Mbappé later snubbed Real Madrid, signing another three years with PSG. Another notable mention on the top 10 list is 21-year-old Borussia Dortmund superstar striker, Erling Haaland. He joins Mbappé as one of the only players under 30 to make the list, leading the charge for the next generation of dominant soccer stars. Take a look at the full list below. 1. Kylian Mbappé ($128 Million USD) 2. Lionel Messi ($120 Million USD) 3. Cristiano Ronaldo ($100 Million USD) 4. Neymar Jr. ($87 Million USD) 5. Mohamed Salah ($53 Million USD) 6. Erling Haaland ($39 Million USD) 7. Robert Lewandowski ($35 Million USD) 8. Eden Hazard ($31 Million USD) 9. Andrés Iniesta ($30 Million USD) 10. Kevin De Bruyne ($29 Million USD)