⬛ Can An “Economic Blackout” Change Washington?

In today’s newsletter we discuss  if an “Economic Blackout” can change Washington, The Wu-Tang Clan is planning their Final Tour, Roberta Flack who sang the hit "Killing Me Softly with His Song" has died at the age of 88, venture backed AI startup Perplexity AI raises their on VC fund to invest in AI startups, Lewis Hamilton signs as a Brand Ambassador with Lululemon, and the SEC drops investigation into Robinhood.

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⬛ Can An “Economic Blackout” Change Washington?

An “Economic Blackout” has been called for by consumer activists for this Friday, February 28, to boycott the purchase of goods in protest of both corporate greed and the roll back of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and programs by President Donald Trump's administration.

I love a good protest, and they are 100% correct.

FULL STOP

I will “try” to join in the boycott as best I can (I’m traveling Friday night, so I can’t promise I won’t buy dinner at the airport).

Here’s the thing that no one wants to admit or talk about:

It won’t change anything.

Like I said, I’m still all for it and I’m going to try my best to participate, but 1 day of not buying any stuff won’t get the attention of the current administration or do a single thing to alter their course.

Recent economic reports indicating rising fears of increasing inflation have been doing a number on the stock market, although to quote Kai Ryssdal “The stock market is not the economy.”

Another reason this economic boycott won’t change anything is it’ll barely be a blip on the sales charts of American businesses, thanks to consumer’s spending habits. The reality is the people who are shouting on social media about the boycott are mostly all talk, and the few who actually go through with it will either make their purchases in the days before or after the “economic blackout”.

I’m just being real, and people shouldn’t try fooling themselves that this will change anything. Like I said at the top of this article, I’m all in! I just want people to be honest about what we’re talking about here.

🤖 Business

We’ve hit a whole new level of AI euphoria when venture-backed, unprofitable, startup AI companies begin launching their own VC funds to invest in other AI startups, but that’s exactly what Perplexity AI is doing with the launch of their new $50 million dollar venture fund. No word yet from investors in Perplexity AI on what they think of their investments in Perplexity AI being used to invest in other startups, but this being the VC industry I’m guessing if it makes money in the long run then everyone will be happy. To paraphrase the famous quote, “A rising ride lifts all yachts.”

🎤 Entertainment

One of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time, the Wu-Tang Clan, has announced what they are calling their Final Tour.

This moment is bitter sweet for me. I grew up listening to the Wu-tang Clan as a skateboarder in the 90’s, and first saw the group perform with Rage Against The Machine when they toured together, as a concert in Connecticut on August 17, 1997 at the Meadows Music Theatre. A few years before that I saw Method Man and Redman perform at Vassar College in New York, where my claim to fame was Method Man shoved me while he was trying to walk through the crowd after their performance - what a night!

For me, ever since ‘Ol Dirty Bastard passed away, and when the group’s internal struggles really began to rise to the surface, their music hasn’t been as on point as it once was with their albums “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” and “Wu-Tang Forever”. I bought all their other albums, but I never played them on repeat like I did with their earlier ones. To this day my go-to when I want to get pumped to my favorite song by the Wu-Tang Clan is hands down “C.R.E.A.M.”

So the big question for me is will I go see them one final time on tour? It’s a tough question. Back during Covid I had bought my brother-in-laws and I tickets to go see them, then the concert got rescheduled a few times, and ultimately they canceled the tour. That was like 5 years ago. I’m 5 years older now, one of my brother-in-laws has moved with his family out to the West coast, and my other brother-in-law has a family of 3 that he didn’t have 5 years ago; so that’s my way of saying life has happened in the last 5 years. There’s also an absolute ZERO chance my wifey would ever go to a Wu-tang Clan concert with me, so there’s that. As independent as I like to think of myself as, there’s also no way I’d go alone. Back in college in Burlington, VT I used to go to hiphop concerts by myself, but I barely recognize that version of myself anymore unfortunately. The sad truth is I’m now a middle aged man, with a family and responsibilities, who while I still love listening to the Wu-tang Clan’s music, I’m not sure I’m the same guy who wants to travel to see them on concert, and stand for for a few hours with 25,000 sweaty people also trying to relive their teenage years. So that’s where I stand right now on it, but I’m guessing this isn’t the last I’ll write about their final tour, or my memories of being a Wu-tang Clan fan for life!

🪙 Crypto

Oh, how the tables have turned! The SEC's crypto unit, those paragons of digital asset scrutiny, have graciously decided to drop their investigation into Robinhood. Yes, the very same Robinhood that's been navigating the wild west of crypto, and has numerous run-ins with the SEC before that were even featured in the movie “Dumb Money”.

It seems the regulatory hounds over at the SEC have finally realized chasing their tails for the last few years has gotten them nowhere. One might almost suspect a sudden surge of… understanding within the SEC since a certain January 20, 2025. Clearly, the crypto industry's notorious complexity must have finally been figured out. Maybe next we'll see unicorns prancing through Wall Street sprinkling magical crypto dust on retail investors.

🎧 Music

The world lost one of the most soul-full singers, and an inspiration to one of the most celebrated musical groups of all time.

Grammy-winning soul icon Roberta Flack, best known for her timeless hit "Killing Me Softly with His Song," has died at the age of 88. Roberta Flack had been battling ALS in recent years, and passed away peacefully on Monday, February 24.

Roberta Flack will forever be known for her sophisticated blend of soul, jazz, and folk music that earned her four Grammy Awards, and a place in music history. She was fortunate enough to have a number of hit songs including classics like "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Feel Like Makin' Love", but it was her song "Killing Me Softly" that she is most famous for thanks in no small part to the The Fugees’ 1996 cover of the song with the group’s singer Lauryn Hill putting her on spin on the classic. The Fugees’s cover of the song became the highest-selling single in 1996 in over 20 countries, and The Fugees won two Grammy Awards for their album The Score and the single "Killing Me Softly".

Roberta Flack’s impact on the music industry, and her profound vocal artistry, will be deeply missed. Roberta Flack's legacy as a pioneering female artist will live on, and I’ll be forever reminder of her enormous talent whenever time I hear one of her songs.

🏁 Sports

The GOAT of Formula 1 racing just signed a deal with Canadian athleisure Lululemon. Lewis Hamilton has agreed to be a Brand Ambassador for Lululemon, and will be collaborating on new product innovations as well as advocating for social impact causes near-and-dear to his heart through his Mission 44 Foundation.

The company, valued at $43.58 billion dollars as of 2025, has been looking to gain the kind of exposure that the 7-time Formula 1 world champion has through his contract with Ferrari, as well as Lewis Hamilton’s huge social media following:

• 39 million Instagram followers

• 8.5 million X/Twitter followers

• 6.3 million on Facebook

Long live the new Lululemon GOAT!

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irl Media NEWSLETTER is written, edited, and published by Chris Thompson.