Beats + Bytes Archives - Page 19 of 38

Rethinking Reopening

Although Lollapalooza looked like the place to be this weekend, I didn’t experience any FOMO from afar. As I hear more and more stories of attendees “not feeling great” after the festival, it’s clear this isn’t the typical Lolla hangover. We may need to rethink reopening. Going into the summer, I was feeling optimistic about […]

July Z: A Shawn Carter Summer

Do you remember when Jay-Z used to own the summer? Well, I think he’s still running this town more than ever. Hot off partnering Tidal with Square, which lead to a huge payout and the sale of 50% of Ace of Spades to LVMH’s spirit and wine division, Moet Hennessy, Hov has begun charting his […]

NFTs Are Here To Stay

The NFT market is here to stay, ok? Sure, the initial explosion has leveled out, but now is when things are going to get interesting. This paradigm shift is a byproduct of the blockchain. It is revolutionizing art and music. NFT’s go beyond digital collectibles; they will have a huge impact on the live industry, […]

Space Jammin’

It’s exciting to see our generation’s greatest living entrepreneurs racing into space. This past weekend, Virgin CEO, Richard Brandon, became the first billionaire founder of a space company to go to space on his own spacecraft when he launched the VSS Unity at three times the speed of sound. Elon Musk, whose Space X program […]

Hot Court Summer 🎾 🔥

A long time ago, I made a commitment to myself that, when it comes to sports, I would not be a jack of all trades. My plan was to focus my athletic energy on the one sport I’d have the best shot at playing well for a long period of time. I know sports and […]

Our Songs of The Summer 🇺🇸🎶🚀🌞🌻⛱🌊🎆

We’re halfway through 2021, and what a wild ride it’s been. The long 4th of July weekend is upon us, which means it’s time to drop our annual Summer Mixtape! If you know me, you know I love mixtapes. I’ve been making them for decades. The fun part of the playlist era is they’re now […]

Are VCs the New A&Rs?

Are VC’s the New A&R’s? One of the more dynamic and exciting roles played in modern culture is that of the Venture Capitalist. Finance is becoming “cool” and relevant in ways it hasn’t been before. Apps like Robinhood and Public, where anyone can invest in stocks broker-free, are all the rage. Meme stocks are moving […]

The Great Reflection

This Saturday is Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the end of slavery and is recoginized by many African-Americans as their independence day in the United States. Although it has been celebrated in some communities for years, it’s exciting to see Juneteenth rise up throughout the country. In recent years, a number of local and national […]

Apple v. The World

This week kicked off with Apple’s WWDC Conference. Although it’s eternally missing the magic of Steve Jobs, I think these presentations continue to get better and smoother in a nearly-post-Covid era. I found the effects, transitions, and diversity of speakers to once again provide a blueprint for how a company should communicate its product launches. […]

Brooklyn in the Summer

In the U.S., certain cities are known for certain times of year: Chicago in August (Lollapalooza, we back!); Miami in December; and the Pacific Northwest once the rain finally stops in July. But do any of these beat Brooklyn in June? I remember growing up in Brooklyn, and in June it was the place to […]