Strikes, Copycats, Deadbeats; Glorilla, Snoop, L'il Wayne. It's Time For My Weekly Cultural Intel Brief. Click Now!

Welcome to my weekly cultural intel brief, Ladies & Gentlemen! As always, I am curating interesting news & moves at the business intersection of hip hop, media, brands, and emerging tech. Here's the latest:

1) Bunch going on in the media space over these last few days. So about two issues ago, I told you that rapper Cam'ron was expanding his Come And Talk 2 Me network by creating an additional program with long-time collaborator Ma$e. Well, their sports show "It Is What It Is" has allegedly inspired ESPN to create a bit of content that seems to be very, very similiar in format. Naturally Cam and Ma$e are not having it and, of course, called out the network on a recent installment of their YouTube show. If accurate, this wouldn't be the first time a corporate scenario tried to lift a few ideas from the underground as opposed to actually partnering. When this happens, it's truly a missed opportunity for everyone. Hip hop and media can be a truly sizzling combination, but the best play is always supporting rather than biting the vibe. Read the full story here.

2) Speaking of content viewing, looks like all of Ice Cube's campaigning about Big3 continues to pay off. By Week 4 in Memphis, BIG3 pulled in 600,000 viewers and a 0.31 TV rating.?Hmmmm... Read the full story here.

3) While we're on Cube, let's talk about his recent interview with Piers Morgan. A number of topics were covered, but that of AI was some of that with the most heated. Cube's is definitely not of fan of this area of tech saying that he thinks AI will make people "lazier" and "less creative." These are the some of the same objections that came up when formal writing was introduced to humanity as it moved from a predominantly oral tradition to that which incorporated tons of written communication. Fortunately, we can all still talk, sing, and anything else we wanna do. While AI definitely has more than its fair share of eyebrow-raising elements, what is unfortunate here is that the business upside, much like with the intro of writing, is being overlooked. For example, Cube has tried for years to convince Warner to commit to the next installment of "Friday" without success. If he leveragef AI data, provided that it showed favorable predictions, on audience, sales, etc., he could possibly either counter their objections and/or challenge their AI stats. This is the way of the, well, not future, the way of the right now, for those who are looking at much bigger picture than the down side. Which brings me to...

4) ...Beanie Siegel. Here's a man looking to have AI work for him. In the spirit of a bit of usage applied to Val Kilmer's voice, Beanie is ready to do something similar. Though he is blessed to be alive, Beanie's voice just isn't the same after he was shot twice in the back almost 10 years ago and suffered the aftermath of mistakenly pulling a breathing tube through his throat in a comatose haze. However, now he's planning to leverage AI to create a new album with a voice that sounds like his previous one. Important note here: Beanie is not just jumping on the bandwagon. He's been tracking this tech development for a minute. See what he has to say in full right here.

*** Quick Note: if you are someone who wants to learn more about this powerful space of youth culture and how you can use it to better connect Gen Z and Millennials and/or become part of the cultural narrative, connect with celebrated recording artists/notables in the space, and/or creates brand?strategy,?DM me to discuss further. Hip Hop is where the power to connect resides. I provide strategy and consulting for demystifying relevant emerging tech, defining the cultural opportunity, and defining a roadmap for success for competitive advantage.?Book?me to speak, as well for these same insights for your leadership team.

5) Finally, both the Actors and Writers strikes in Hollywood are definitely the focus of much attention, but Snoop Dogg has decided to add another gripe. He wants to know where the money is from streaming companies for recording artists. This statement comes at an interesting time given that Spotify has just announced that it will raise it's montly fees for premium customers. Snoop says that the number of streams is simply not adding up to the checks received. This is definitely the era of pushback on corporations, but let's see if this turns into an actual movement. In the meantime, see everything Snoop said right here.

And now, the final tidbits all have one thing in common: new music on the horizon. Get your calendars ready. (I also had to throw in mention of this homage at the end, too!) Have a great rest of the week, Everyone!