Key Points
- J Balvin's Air Jordan 4 "Amazonas" (IW2872-700) releases globally today for $225.
- The Cleveland Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on Thursday Night Football to open Week 4.
- Sia sold Pophouse Entertainment a 50% stake in her publishing and masters for $180 million, implying a $360 million catalog valuation.
- AI drug-discovery startup Enveda Biosciences raised a $311 million Series E at a $2 billion valuation.
Friday's briefing: a Colombian pop star's crocodile-textured Jordan 4 headlines a loaded sneaker Friday, the Browns survive a Thursday Night shootout in Pittsburgh, Sia cashes in half her catalog, and an AI drug-discovery startup joins the funding parade. New Music Friday brings Quavo and Victoria Monét into the mix, and the Howard University-branded Air Jordan 1 Low returns to close out the week.
Sneakers
J Balvin's Air Jordan 4 "Amazonas" (style code IW2872-700) drops globally today for $225, built around a pale-yellow, crocodile-embossed leather upper referencing the Amazon's yellow caiman. The lace dubraes read "Just Do It" on one shoe and "Solo Hazlo" on the other — a bilingual nod to Balvin's Colombian roots — with a Jumpman x J Balvin tongue patch and Amazon water imagery printed on the insoles. It's Jordan Brand's clearest crossover play of the week, following the brand's run of retro Air Jordan 4 colorways this year, including the "Tour Yellow" retro last month.
Elsewhere on shelves today: the Air Jordan 40 "28" in Black/Barely Volt for $200, the Nike Air Max Goadome Low in "Midnight Navy" for $175, a Kith x United Arrows & Sons x New Balance 990v3 for $220, the New Balance Maxey V1 for $130, and two New Balance Made in USA drops — the 992 in light arctic grey with black and blue gemstone accents for $200, and the 990v4 in silver moss with mint and black cement for $185.
Also out this week: the Air Jordan 1 Low OG "Howard University" returned for $155, and Nike's Kobe Air Force 1 Low "Black/Purple Stardust" landed for $125.
Sports
The Cleveland Browns opened Week 4 by beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on Thursday Night Football, a result that keeps the AFC North race tight heading into the weekend slate. The league heads back overseas Sunday, when the Indianapolis Colts face the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network — Indianapolis is favored by 3.5 with an over/under of 48.5.
On the hardwood, Arike Ogunbowale dropped a WNBA playoff-record 45 points to force a Game 3 between the Dallas Wings and the Las Vegas Aces, and the Detroit Pistons are working against a self-imposed deadline on Jalen Duren's $200 million contract offer. MLB's Wild Card drama continues too — the Phillies and Braves play a decisive Game 3 this weekend, as covered in yesterday's Games to Watch.
Culture
Sia sold Pophouse Entertainment a 50% stake in her publishing and master recording rights for $180 million, a deal that implies a $360 million valuation for a catalog that includes "Chandelier," "Elastic Heart," and her co-writing credit on Rihanna's "Diamonds." The split is uneven by design: $165 million covers songs written before her December 2022 marriage, while $15 million for post-marriage compositions sits in escrow pending a dispute with her ex-husband. Pophouse — the ABBA Voyage firm behind recent avatar-rights deals with Iron Maiden and KISS — is reportedly developing a similar immersive production around Sia's music.
On the release side, this week's New Music Friday lineup is led by Quavo, Victoria Monét, and Lalah Hathaway, with Drake, Mac Miller's catalog, Kings of Leon, and Noah Kahan also landing new projects. In concert halls tonight: Teddy Swims brings The UGLY Tour to Barclays Center, Afrojack headlines Brooklyn Storehouse at the Navy Yard, and Yo-Yo Ma performs at David Geffen Hall. At the box office, wide releases "The Scout" and "Digger" open alongside a 25th-anniversary re-release of "Donnie Darko."
Technology
Enveda Biosciences raised a $311 million Series E, valuing the AI-driven drug discovery company at $2 billion; the firm uses machine learning to analyze natural compounds for new drug candidates, part of a broader rush of capital into applied-AI biotech. Defense-AI drone maker Tekever raised $580 million at a $6.4 billion valuation, citing its systems' performance in active combat and new government contracts. On the product side, Shopify launched Canvas, letting merchants build online stores by chatting with an AI assistant — a sign that generative interfaces are moving from novelty to core commerce infrastructure. For context on the enterprise-AI capital flowing elsewhere this week, see yesterday's roundup on AMD's $8.2 billion World Labs acquisition.
Today on Uristocrat
Sia's $180 million Pophouse catalog deal led Culture coverage today, and the full slate spanned every vertical. Sneakers: the Air Jordan 1 Low OG "Howard University" returned for $155, and Nike released the Kobe Air Force 1 Low "Black/Purple Stardust" for $125. Sports: Thursday's Games to Watch flagged the Phillies-Braves NL Wild Card Game 3, Arike Ogunbowale set a WNBA playoff scoring record with 45 points, and Jalen Duren faced his Pistons contract deadline. Culture: Sia's catalog sale to Pophouse and this week's New Music Friday picks rounded out the coverage.
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