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5 Takeaways From Justin Bieber’s New Album SWAG
It’s 2025, and the buzziest underground rap stars are rocking #BEENTRILL snapbacks while unironically penning Tumblr love stories. A Playboi Carti song built around a sample of Rich Kidz’s “Bend Over” spent two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. And, on Thursday afternoon, Justin Bieber announced that his 7th studio album, succinctly titled SWAG, would be released at midnight. Is it safe to declare it a kushandlyrikz summer?
Bieber seems to have been preparing for one, spending the past few months hitting the studio with Lil B, sparking up to classic Clams Casino beats, and hopping on Instagram Live to preview raw, improvisational snippets over minimalist beats that wouldn’t be out of place on a MySpace-era Soulja Boy mixtape. Though recording sessions for SWAG reportedly concluded in April, it’s not unlikely that its sudden release was influenced by the cultural ubiquity of his awkward and appropriative, yet admittedly iconic catchphrase, “It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business,” levied at paparazzi in mid-June. Best to unlock the swag while the iron’s hot.
Despite its title, however, SWAG is free of any sounds even vaguely reminiscent of the ringtone era. Instead, he’s enlisted producers Eddie Benjamin and Carter Lang to provide much of the record’s ’80s-inspired, reverb-laden backing, tapping Mk.gee and Dijon to lend some experimental edge. Compared to Bieber’s previous outings, there’s a distinct emphasis on organic textures and acoustic guitar, aiming for raw intimacy and stadium, or maybe megachurch-sized hooks at the same time. Here are five takeaways from the album.
Sophisti-pop SWAG
SWAG’s production is often cavernous, though not quite in the polished, neon-lit vein of a Weeknd album. Instead, there’s a focus on dusty timbres, blown-out drums, and live instrumentation, all echoing into infinity. Mk.gee’s fingerprints are felt throughout, even when he’s not explicitly credited as a track’s producer, with technically intricate guitar lines weaving through the mix. “First Place” pairs compressed, distorted drum programming with synth leads that would sound at home in an abandoned shopping mall food court, while “Daisies” leans fully into guitar-heavy blue-eyed soul. “Go Baby” occasionally resembles contemporary Bon Iver records with its watery keys and dreamy vocal stacks, which isn’t a huge surprise given their shared collaborator in Dijon.
Cinematic Collabs
Even SWAG’s marquee collaborations with rappers are subject to the moody, spacious sound palette, to strange and inventive effect. On “Way It Is,” Gunna waxes romantic about designer shopping sprees over Vangelis-esque pads, and there’s a definite charm to hearing Sexyy Red’s freaked-out verse echo into an expanse of cinematic synth work. A late-album team-up with Cash Cobain borders on chillwave with its clattering snare rolls and washed-out arpeggios. And is Eddie Benjamin doing a baby-voiced Carti impression on that same track?
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Statement from Chairman of the Board of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac William J. Pulte on Reports that Jerome Powell Is Considering Resigning
Washington, D.C. – “I’m encouraged by reports that Jerome Powell is considering resigning. I think this will be the right decision for America, and the economy will boom.”
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The Federal Housing Finance Agency regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks. These government-sponsored enterprises provide more than $8.5 trillion in funding for the U.S. mortgage markets and financial institutions. Additional information is available at www.FHFA.gov, on X @FHFA, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Contacts: MediaInquiries@FHFA.gov
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Here are the best Prime Day 2025 deals on the final day of the sale
We made it to the last day of Amazon’s extended Prime Day extravaganza. And, yeah, we’re a little exhausted, but after three days of lightning deals and all-time low prices, there are fewer than 12 hours to go until many of the discounts disappear. So, if you’ve been hesitant to jump on these laptop deals before heading back to school, now’s your time to act. Typically, Prime Day is your last opportunity to take advantage of bottom-dollar prices until Black Friday / Cyber Monday, so it may be a while before you see prices plummet on a gadget you’re interested in buying.
Really, there’s an overwhelming amount of Prime Day deals, so to make things easier to navigate, we’ve organized all of our favorites by category below. That will allow you to quickly find exactly what you’re looking for — or even uncover a deal on something you didn’t know you wanted. You have until Saturday, July 12th, at 3:00 AM ET (that’s Friday, July 11th, at 12:00 AM PT for you West Coast folks), so don’t miss out.
Tablet and e-reader deals
Soundbar and Bluetooth speaker deals
Verge favorites and other miscellaneous deals
Update, July 11th: Added several more deals, including those for Google’s original Pixel Fold, Logitech’s Lift mouse, Oppenheimer on 4K Blu-ray, Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 Wireless, and more.
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Aryna Sabalenka Says It ‘Pissed’ Her Off That American Amanda Anisimova Celebrated Early in Upset Wimbledon Win
NEED TO KNOW
- Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka is taking a difficult Wimbledon loss in stride while recounting a few particularly challenging moments during a match against American winner Amanda Anisimova
- Speaking with reporters later, Sabalenka ultimately laughed off a moment that “pissed” her off during a set, and said she used her feelings as fuel
- After the loss, Sabalenka tried to focus her remarks on self-reflection and moving forward
Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka is taking a difficult Wimbledon loss in stride while responding to a few particularly tough moments during a match against American winner Amanda Anisimova.
Overall, she accepted the defeat and said Anisimova, 23, “was a better player” that day — but recalled a frustrating instance during a set.
“I was just trying to chase the ball, and yeah, she was already celebrating it, and I was like, ‘I mean, that’s a bit early.’ But then she kind of pissed me off saying, ‘That’s what she [Sabalenka] does all the time,’ ” Sabalenka, 27, told reporters.
Still, she tried to channel the moment as fuel going forward.
“It actually helped me to keep fighting, and I’m like, okay, now I’m going to show you the tennis, you know? So I came back because I got really angry in that moment. So probably in the third set, I should’ve remembered,” she said, laughing off the moment.
Sabalenka lost the semifinal match to Anisimova in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
In response to a reporter’s question, the Belarusian pro, ranked No. 1 in the world, addressed another tense moment when the ball hit the net and dropped over.
“For sure she didn’t hear me, but I was just like, ‘You don’t want to say sorry?’ But she just wanted, I guess badly, to win this match and it’s on her,” Sabalenka said. “If she doesn’t feel like saying sorry, like she barely got that point and she didn’t feel like saying sorry for that tricky situation, that’s on her.”
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The two women embraced each other after their competition on Thursday, July 10. Following the loss, Sabalenka tried to focus her remarks on self-reflection and moving forward.
“Still a lot of things to be proud of, and this experience shows that next year I’m only hungrier and angrier and it’s only these tough defeats help me to come back much stronger, so I have huge hopes for the next year,” she said with a smile.
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