*buzzing IN POP-CULTURE WEEK 24
What happened in pop-culture this week: ASAP pays off $1M CashApp debt, KidSuper x PUMA drop a football collab, Clipse with album release masterclass & Pharrell's JOOPITER revives the Labubu hype.
*buzzing STUNT: A$AP PAYS OFF 1M IN DEBT
There’s a worrying trend: more and more young people are racking up buynowpaylater debt through Klarna, PayPal, and Cash App, often spending more than they can afford. Nearly half of Gen-Z and Millennials use these services, and a third admit they’ve gone overboard.
To ease the pressure, Cash App teamed up with A$AP Rocky for a surprise “debt drop,” clearing up to $200 in Afterpay balances for thousands of U.S. users. No strings attached, just an email and a mobile ping saying: your debt’s gone.
*buzzing ALBUM ROLLOUT: CLIPSE X KAWS
Clipse, Pusha T and Malice, are officially back. Their first album in 16 years, Let God Sort Em Out, drops July 11 via Roc Nation and is fully produced by Pharrell, recorded inside Louis Vuitton’s Paris HQ. The first single, Ace Trumpets, dropped two weeks ago, full of classic Neptunes energy. It’s a masterclass in album rollout: KAWS delivers the artwork and exclusive merch that is available on Complex, while big names like Jerry Lorenzo and Vory help push the project. Music, fashion, and culture, perfectly aligned.
*buzzing: SEVENTEEN X JOOPITER FOR UNESCO
Pharrell’s platform JOOPITER just pulled off a major fashion-meets-fandom move. In collaboration with fashion brand sacai and K-pop giants SEVENTEEN, they dropped a full-spectrum release and launched it during an instore event at the Sacai story in Seoul. The drop includes a collection in by sacai, signed items from SEVENTEEN’s “Bad Influence” video (produced by Pharrell).
My personal highlight: The Labubus in sacai x Carhartt. Because although Labubu figures are slowly but steady losing their hype – a set of collectible Labubu figures styled in sacai x Carhartt WIP, plus one unique Pharrell version finally brought some edge to this trend. The best thing: You don’t know what you’ll get. You bid for a mystery box – and in the end it’s 13 of the usual ones and one lucky buyer will get the one of a kind one. The current bid for the Labubus is at $3.800 if you want to try your luck.
Timed with SEVENTEEN’s new album HAPPY BURSTDAY, it’s not just hype, it’s a purpose-driven drop, with all auction proceeds going to UNESCO. Culture, commerce, and charity, all in one.
*buzzing: KIDSUPER IS BACK WITH PUMA
PUMA is back with another great collab - this time with their long-term partner KidSuper aka Colm Dillane - for a one-of-a-kind football drop timed to the Club World Cup. Hand-drawn graphics, watercolor palettes, and reimagined kits for Man City, Dortmund, Palmeiras & more turn the pitch into a canvas. Plus: FUTURE, ULTRA, and KING boots got the full KidSuper treatment. Art, sport, and chaos, just how we love it.
*buzzing CAMPAIGN: CHRISTOPHER WALKEN FOR YSL
Christopher Walken fronts the new Saint Laurent Fall 2025 campaign, and that was exactly what I needed this week. Instead of going for one of the many great young artists with current momentum or hype, they chose the ultimate villain with a rich cinematic history. Especially with the campaign shot in lo-fi by Glen Luchford and directed by YSL creative director Anthony Vaccarello, the brand comes across as incredibly timeless yet modern.
