Good morning readers. In a move that’s far from ‘Rockstar’ status, the Alberta town that once broadcasted its Nickleback pride has unplugged its highway signs. Hanna, Alberta, said ‘goodbye’ to its “Proud to be the home of Nickleback” signs citing concerns that to many people were taking ‘photographs’ and causing a bit of a headache.

Sorry, not sorry Chad.

Let’s jump into today’s storylines.

In today’s digest:

• Hip-hop turns 50

• UPS’ new deal with its drivers

• Pulse Points: What’s Trending

Go shawty, it’s your birthday…

Remember when Pharrell Williams was just 'Happy'? Now, he's the kingpin at Louis Vuitton. Dr. Dre? Straight outta Compton to straight into everyone’s ears with his Beats headphones. No doubt, hip hop is more than just beats and rhymes—it's a movement, a culture, an identity. Think about it: 50 years ago, who would've thought that the rhythmic beats coming out of block parties in the Bronx would change the world? But they did, and it took the world by storm.

This weekend, we raise a glass to celebrate 50 wonderful years of hip hop and its history.

I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man.

Let me handle my business, damn.

As time went on, hip hop became more than just a musical genre; it began to influence street fashion, dance, and language. Some brands started to take notice and capitalized on the opportunity.

Enter Adidas. In 1986, Adidas penned a deal with Run DMC to create the ‘Superstar’ shoe, the first non-athlete sports endorsement ever made by the company. And things took off from there.

Since then, several big names in the hip hop space have leveraged their name and brand to create some of the biggest and most influential companies we know today, and made some serious money in the process:

• Dr. Dre sells his Beats by Dre company to Apple for $3 billion

• Rihanna launches Fenty Beauty, currently worth a staggering $1.4 billion

• Jay Z’s sale of Rocawear in 2007, for $204 million, CASH!

• Puma collaborates with Rihanna, Nike with Travis Scott, and Reebok with Cardi B, all of whom have rolled out successful lines with their respective brands

• The renowned late fashion designer, Virgil Abloh, rose to fame with his brand Off-White. His label, popular among hip-hop celebrities, saw 60% of its ownership acquired by luxury giant LVMH in 2021

Moving forward…things will only go up from here, as artists start trading in their piggy banks for bank vaults. The economic influence of the genre is poised to grow as brands further cultivate partnerships with hip-hop artists.

Special Delivery: UPS drivers see big bump in pay

I think I might be in the wrong profession.

UPS, the delivery giant, dodged a strike last month by locking in a five-year contract with the Teamsters Union, securing an average of $170,000 in pay and perks, such as health care and pensions, for its drivers, the company announced.

This agreement spans across some 340,000 workers at the package carrier. The decisive moment is near, with voting that began last Thursday slated to end on Aug. 22.

So, what’s changing?

“We expect our new labor contract to be ratified in 2 weeks,” UPS CEO Carol Tomé confidently declared on an earnings call Tuesday, even as the company adjusted its full-year revenue and margin predictions "primarily to reflect the volume impact from labor negotiations and the costs associated with the tentative agreement.”

The details:

• Part-timers are looking at a payday: The tentative deal promises to bump their wages to at least $21 an hour, resolving a key issue that had been a sticking point in the negotiations.

• Full-timers aren’t left behind: They'll pull in an average of $49 an hour, and the deal will put a stop sign on mandatory overtime on drivers' days off, according to the Teamsters Union's summary.

Big picture: This deal is not just a win for UPS and its workers; it's part of a trend where labor is striking gold. From pilots to aerospace manufacturing employees, the time for higher pay seems to have arrived, and workers are cashing in on the trend.

In a way, if labor negotiations were a game of poker, workers across various industries are managing to draw winning hands, and UPS's employees are the latest to join the winner's circle. This five-year deal with the Teamsters Union might just be the royal flush they were hoping for.

Pulse Points

Disney follows in Netflix’s footsteps. The company is cracking down on account sharing for its streaming service Disney+.

Disney wants more for ad-free service. Disney is increasing the prices of nearly all its streaming services in a bid to boost the business's profitability.

It’s even more expensive to live in NYC. In July, Manhattan rents reached yet another unprecedented high, marking the third such peak in the last four months.

China’s economy in trouble. The Chinese economy is experiencing deflation, as consumer prices see their first decline in over two years.