doja/nicki/megan/beyoncé

Music producers Swizz Beats and Timbaland launched VERZUZ on IG Live, where artists battle to see who has had the most hits. Missy Elliot, The Dream, Babyface and other hip hop icons are featured each week. Choreographers and other artists have also been launching their own VERZUZ battles. Check out Nelly v Ludacris this Saturday.

Last Friday, controversial rapper 6ix9nine released his first song since his early jail release. He announced the drop on IG Live, where over 2M million tuned in for his ~9 minute rant. This week, his song “GOOBA” is the fastest song to reach 100M views on YouTube by any American artist.

—Erica Beach, Development Assistant

For the first time in history, 4 black female artists occupied the top 2 spots on the Billboard’s Hot 100 list, with Doja Cat & Nicki Minaj’s SAY SO, and Megan Thee Stallion & Beyonce’s SAVAGE. 

Adidas is recreating cancelled sports events in video games. In Turkey, Adidas recreated the canceled European Championship in the FIFA 20 Playstation video game. Since the start of the month, they have streamed matches for the ‘Uncanceled Cup’ between 12 footballers and 12 celebrities to their Facebook Live, IGTV, and YouTube Live profiles in Turkey.

—Darlene Kenney, Marketing Assistant