What’s up nerds?

Welcome back to my grandmother’s favorite newsletter and a special hello to the new subs.

It’s been another big week for those with TASTE (all of you) so let’s dive right in.

Same Drop. Different Flavor.

I’d be remiss if we didn’t start here.

Mere hours after last weeks newsletter went out, Clipse and Justin Bieber dropped noteworthy albums - in verrrry different ways.

The Biebs has been noticeably reclusive and limelight-averse as of late, leading to some memorable paparazzi interactions. So when he dropped his album with zero fanfare, no industry-backed campaign, and just cryptically photo-dumped candids from Europe all week, it felt completely on-brand. His anti-campaign IS the campaign - and that's authentic to who he's become. No forced comeback narrative, no manufactured hype cycle. Just music appearing when it's ready, with Track 1 delivering some heavy Michael Jackson vibes that I'm absolutely here for.

But where Bieber chose invisible authenticity - letting his reclusive nature drive the strategy - Clipse went the complete opposite direction with maximum visibility. And both approaches work because they're true to the artists' current reality.

This is what the algo misses: context, personality, and the human story that makes a strategy feel inevitable rather than calculated. No machine could have predicted that the best approach for a reclusive pop star is to...be reclusive. Or that 40-something rap veterans should act like hungry newcomers.

Which brings us to Clipse.

First of all, they haven’t dropped music together in 16 years, but they have been everywhere in the months leading up to this. Magazine covers, podcasts, ESPY’s, this electric NPR Tiny Desk, and even a live Reddit AMA where they answered fan questions ranging from (of course) drugs to their McDonald’s order.

It’s clear these vets were intentional and motivated to make a statement. Pusha T has never been shy to do so, either on or off a record - calling out Travis Scott, Kanye & a slew of others in the media recently. He thrives off having an enemy and bringing that battle mentality to the studio - where he and his brother come correct on each track with deep bars, double entendres, family tributes, and more. Not to mention those dirty Pharrell beats. Pure craft.

You just don’t really hear this type of rapping anymore. It cuts to the bone. It sounds like a villain. It’s authentic and old-school while remaining fresh and distinct - not only from their previous music, but the contemporary landscape of the industry today. Everything about the music and the marketing is tailor made for their audience.

It’s almost like these guys know how to move a product.

Around The Horn

Fox announces Barstool Deal. After Fox Sports cancelled hours of daily programming this week (wayyy overdue), it hit the hot stove that they were talking with Portnoy about licensing Barstool shows & adding him to Big Noon Saturday. Today it became official.

Let’s be completely honest here. I do not consume Barstool content, but you cannot deny they’ve been grinding for years to establish themselves as the leading entertainment brand for the male sports fan 18-34 demo. It’s not even close.

Fox was going backwards with Joy Taylor and a bunch of random retired athletes with tired takes. Nobody was watching that. This was the only move to make, especially with McAfee at ESPN. Since Fox can’t organically manufacture authenticity, they’ll have to pay for it…whether it’s your cup of tea or not.

Tech Media Turf Wars. My favorite media story of the year is TBPN (Technology Brothers Podcast Network). 2 waspy bros with good suits and better hair who created SportsCenter for tech/startups. It’s a 3 hour daily livestream highlighting the latest news & guest call-ins from Marc Andreessen to unknown first-time founders.

With their effortless chemistry and authenticity, they would be enough on their own - but the genius lies in creating a platform for founders, investors, and builders to go direct and share their story…in their own words. With some much happening in ai, energy, robotics, crypto, etc…it’s more timely than ever.

So it was all too classic when The Information, a legacy tech journo outfit who 1) has had members of their team on TBPN and 2) wrote a glowing review of the show, decided to launch their own low-energy clone. Literally the exact same concept - a live technology news show. Launch day saw the audio cut out on their star guest: Mark Zuckerberg. A man infamous for…cloning other businesses. You can’t make this up.

Athletes are the new Hotel amenity. That’s right, we’re seeing more and more luxury hotels partner with athletes to offer coveted, intimate experiences for their guests on property. Particularly tennis, where Venus Williams, Rafa Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are standout “experience curators” across the globe.

Most athlete-hotel partnerships are expensive theater disguised as luxury experiences. As someone who worked in luxury hospitality for 5 years, I've seen hotels throw money at big names to create a splash rather than genuine value. It's ironically a cheap trick.

The line between authentic and lazy? Cultural coherence.

Venus Williams teaching tennis at Four Seasons Palm Beach works because she's trained there for years. The property has championship courts, the community obsesses over tennis, and Williams brings actual teaching expertise.

But when you can swap out the athlete for any other famous person without changing the experience, you're paying premium prices for a photo opportunity.

My test: If you can't explain to a friend why THIS athlete at THIS property creates something unique, you're about to get hustled.

The best partnerships feel inevitable once you understand both the property and the person. Everything else is just expensive entertainment.

Quick Hits

• “Soccercore” is really having a moment. From Oasis merch to new MLS throwbacks. And of course, crossovers with the collab-heavy golf world.

• This guy spent 21 years building a miniature version of NYC consisting of almost a million buildings. The full model is 50 feet long and 30 feet wide. Real man of genius.

• World #1 Scottie Scheffler with the presser of the year on what really matters in life.

This Week’s Playlist

Guess who’s on it?

RP WEEKLY!!!!!