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Heavy rotation. Happy Monday, FutureParty people. In celebration of hip-hop’s recent 50th anniversary (which we’ll dive deeper into below), we wanted to know some of your all-time favorite hip-hop tracks. While our top 10 list changes like the weather, there are a few songs that dominate our Spotify rotation more than others — most notably, “Memory Lane” by Nas and “Web” by The Roots.
In other news… Marvel VFX teams assemble, hip-hop turns 50, and Tuesdays are the new Fridays.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Super union // Illustration by Kate Walker
Marvel VFX workers design a union drive
The Future. Marvel VFX workers are fed up with unsustainable working conditions and pushing to unionize. There’s still a way to go before the workers are officially unionized, but it’s a move that could spur several VFX houses to follow in the Marvel team’s footsteps. And if you’ve seen how many VFX houses work on any given Marvel movie, that represents a lot of possible new union workers.
Pixels and pickets
A majority of Marvel VFX workers have signed cards stating they want to be represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) — the union that represents many of Hollywood’s craftspeople.
The effort represents a decade-long push to organize the VFX industry, which has routinely been hampered by long hours and subpar protections.
And despite Hollywood blockbusters relying on special effects, over 20 VFX houses have folded as productions outsourced work to overseas firms.
Now, the demands of Marvel (which has released a record seven movies and eight series in just two years) and the rise of AI have pushed workers over the edge.
The unionization effort isn’t a done deal yet — the National Labor Relations Board still needs to investigate and sign off on the request. If it gives the green light, then Marvel’s VFX team can officially vote to unionize.
And with Hollywood knee-deep in two strikes that have demonstrated massive worker solidarity, it’s safe to say the vote will pass with flying colors… and start a new phase in Marvel’s business story.
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MUSIC
Culture blast // Illustration by Kate Walker
Hip-hop hits a 50-year milestone
The Future. Last Friday was the 50th anniversary of the creation of hip-hop — a young music genre that has since become arguably the most influential force in modern music and culture. With the genre set to be a $33 billion industry by 2030, hip-hop’s next 50 years have the potential to be even more impactful.
Backyard to Billboard
For the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Axios looked back at its origin story.
It was created in NYC’s Bronx neighborhood by DJ Kool Herc, who showed off some beats at a backyard party.
It became the music of disenfranchised Black and Latino youth, who used the genre as a way to channel their hardships and express themselves.
The Sugarhill Gang’s 1979 track, “Rapper’s Delight,” then brought the genre to the American mainstream.
Run-D.M.C.’s 1982 track “My Adidas” then kicked off the relationship between hip-hop and fashion — leading to the meteoric rise and global embrace of streetwear.
Since then, acts such as N.W.A., Public Enemy, Tupac, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, and Kendrick Lamar have taken the genre to new heights both musically and culturally. The Center for Music Ecosystems reports it’s the most listened to genre in the world, consistently topping the charts for the past 30 years.
And now the Universal Hip Hop Museum is solidifying the genre’s history where it started — the museum is set to open in the Bronx either late next year or early 2025.
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Your secret social weapon
Want to create great content, but don’t have enough time? That’s what AI is for.
YouAi has just launched a full AI Creator Suite to help you brainstorm, generate, and optimize content for any social platform. Yes, any social platform.
Want to create catchy headlines effortlessly? Check. Generate captivating captions? Check. Make great-to-look-at stories? ALSO, check.
With YouAi’s tools, you can optimize your creations and analyze the results to ensure that your content is always top-notch.
WORK
It’s 2pm somewhere…
Hybrid work remakes happy hour
The Future. Hybrid work is rearranging how and when employees socialize, putting a new emphasis on earlier-in-the-day, mid-week get-togethers. That’s a big shift for bars and restaurants, which will now have to move around resources to accommodate the new work rhythms. But the changes could also evolve the nightlife scene into… daylife. Or just shift nightlife to the suburbs.
Party till noon
Tuesdays are the new Fridays.
Hybrid work schedules have started to make former cultural traditions like the 5 o‘clock happy hour and going out on a Friday night a thing of the past.
So, bars and restaurants in places such as NYC and London are hiring DJs for weekday afternoon sets and setting happy hour at 3pm.
That’s because the new work arrangements have people popping into the office only in the middle of the week and getting off sooner — no one is waiting for 5pm.
You may be asking yourself, “What happened to the weekend?” Charles Lindsey, associate professor of marketing at the University at Buffalo School of Management, says workers now “tend to get home earlier and also stay home more on the weekends.”
That’s right. Hybrid work has made us a bunch of homebodies. But what can we say? There’s just no place like home.
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Skincare is for the boys
Dudes suffer from acne, wrinkles, and dark under-eye circles too. But the skin care industry doesn’t seem to care too much.
That’s why Tiege Hanley created a skincare routine just for men.
The system is simple, easy to follow, and affordable. It includes a daily face wash, exfoliating scrub, and AM/PM moisturizers (complete with SPF). And guess what? Men love it. Over 7,000 of them gave the system a five-star review.
Right now, Tiege Hanley is offering TFP readers an exclusive 30% off your first box AND a free gift.
Give us some skin, aye?
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
22% of Barbie’s audience hadn’t been back to theaters since before the pandemic, according to a new survey from The Quorum. Read more → variety
Subscriptions to Apple TV+’s MLS season pass have more than doubled since Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami, fueled by new Spanish-language viewers. Read more → engadget
Top music acts like Post Malone, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown received a total of $200 million in federal pandemic relief grants meant to prop up struggling independent venues. Read more → insider
Fashion & E-Commerce
Older-customer skewing brands like The Knot, Sephora, and SiriusXM are officially going after Gen Z as they gain financial independence and are ready to hit adult milestones. Read more → insider
Overstock.com’s transition into Bed Bath & Beyond (which it recently acquired for $21.5 million) made its stock soar 65%, adding $600 million to its market cap. Read more → fastcompany
Amazon is shedding 27 of its 30 in-house clothing brands because they “aren’t resonating with customers” — essentially taking the retail giant out of the private label business. Read more → wsj
Tech, Web3, & AI
Scientists out of Chicago’s famed Fermilab are on the verge of finding a fifth force of nature — subatomic particles called “muons.” Read more → bbc
Elon Musk has apparently discussed with the Italian government about duking it out with Mark Zuckerberg at the Roman Colosseum… that is, if Zuck is still down. Read more → deadline
The hype around the potential room-temperature superconductor, a material named LK-99, has turned out to be just that. Read more → theverge
Creator Economy
Instagram is rolling out a new feature that allows users to add songs to their carousel posts, and it has tapped Olivia Rodrigo to debut it with her new single, “bad idea right?” Read more → theverge
X wants to get into the video-calling business now. Read more → engadget
Roblox has made a company career center inside Roblox, where applicants could soon go for interviews. Read more → theverge
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.