Abraxas Higgins is a sensation making a splash in the fashion, lifestyle, and social audio space, but his journey into the creative realm was not overnight. Before becoming a successful content creator, he worked for seven years in the financial sector at the largest global asset management company, BlackRock. Abraxas Higgins managed to climb toward the top starting as an intern and landing a role as a strategist on Wall Street. Arguably, Abraxas Higgins was at the peak of his game but discontent loomed in the back of his mind because he knew there was far more he wanted to pursue. Higgins believed it was time to make a shift to pursue his lifelong passions. Taking a leap of faith, he quit his well-compensated position and moved to Los Angeles to work as a digital strategist for rapper David Sabastian. In this transition, Abraxas Higgins found his footing and the confidence to branch out into the creative industry. As he branched out, he became a spectator of fashion and indulged in...

If you’re a rapper and you’re looking to secure the bag, endorsement deals are the way to go. But believe it or not, the concept of rappers getting endorsement deals is nowhere near a new concept. According to High Snobiety, the rappers of today can thank a legendary Hip-Hop group for securing the first-ever product endorsement deal in the rap industry, which kicked off the trend that’s still going strong today. “You’ll likely recall Run DMC’s third studio album, “Raising Hell,” which thrust the group into the American mainstream and forever linked the genre to their iconic style and affinity for the Three Stripes,” they said. “When the album was released in 1986, one track particularly stood out: “My Adidas.” The song was more than just a powerful co-sign — it would soon become the catalyst for rap’s first endorsement deal, setting the stage for a generation of new artists to follow suit.” Run-DMC may have been just the first of many rappers to secure the bag with endorsement deals...

Everyday people, as well as politicians and celebrities, have been victims of deepfake technology — including  the music business. Deepfake technology is often used to produce realistic audio and video using artificial intelligence along with other tools to make people appear to do and say things that they’ve never done. For example, according to NPR , the technology was able to take audio of rapper Jay-Z’s voice and place it on a hit song from the 1600s. “There are recognizable patterns in how we speak — the tone, the information, where we put the emphasis,” says UC Berkeley professor Hany Farid, according to NPR. “So there’s a way of capturing mathematically a person’s speech. And the machine-learning algorithms are simply learning that pattern of speech and then synthesizing.” Back in April, Jay-Z made it clear that he is not here for this particular AI technology filing copyright takedown notices against the deepfake videos, reports High Snobiety. Youtuber and developer who goes...

Even during this unique time, artists are still finding creative ways to support one another. Among those supporting the music community is Pharrell, who recently announced that he’s partnering with SoundCloud to hand-pick new artists to create a charity album. “For our shared passion and vision for music, @i_am_OTHER and I are teaming up with @SoundCloud to discover the next creators. Starting today you can tag #SCxiamOTHER on your SoundCloud track for a chance to be featured on a compilation we’re working on,” he said in an Instagram post. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_SSQDBH3la/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link The SoundCloud compilation album titled, “SoundCloud Presents: i am OTHER, Volume 1,” will champion emerging musicians and provide funding for undiscovered artists’ future music releases. This partnership both calls attention to a community that’s often overlooked and shows support for their artistic crafts. “We know the rise of the coronavirus has hit creators hard with a loss...