Russell Westbrook Collaborates With Barneys New York For Fashion Line

Jay-Z's Armand de Brignac aka Ace of Spaces has sold 50% of its stake in an acquisition by Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH). On Monday morning (Feb. 22), The two leading luxury spirits brands announced their new alliance which includes a global distribution agreement.

“I’m proud to welcome the Arnault family into ours through this partnership that began with Alexandre Arnault and continued with his father Bernard Arnault and Philippe Schaus, at my home in Los Angeles," said Carter in a press release. "It is a partnership that has felt familiar the entire time. We are confident that the sheer power of the Moët Hennessy global distribution framework, its unparalleled portfolio strength and its long-established track record of excellence in developing luxury brands will give Armand de Brignac the commercial power it needs to grow and flourish even further.”

Moët Hennessy's president and CEO, Philippe Schaus shared how his company has been a long-admirer of Armand de Brignac's success in the champagne and wine categories.

“Often referred to as 'Ace of Spades,' Armand de Brignac breaks barriers and reflects contemporary luxury, while preserving the traditions of the Champagne terroirs. Today, we are incredibly proud to be partnering with them and believe that the combination of our Champagne experience and international network coupled with Shawn 'JAY-Z' Carter’s vision, the strength of the Armand de Brignac brand and quality of its range of prestige cuvées will allow us to take the business to new heights across the world.”

Watch Jay-Z's sitdown interview with CNBC's Squawk Box (which aired shortly after the published announcement) where he talks about how the deal came to fruition and his growth since entering the wine and spirits space after boycotting the champagne line, Cristal back in 2006.

In celebration of the launch of MONOGRAM, Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter's cannabis brand has premiered High Tales, a video series spotlighting music artists recounting their memorable ganja experiences. The L.O.X.'s own Jadakiss kicks things off in Episode 1 where he shares a funny story about his first time smoking with hip-hop O.G. Snoop Dogg.

After telling his friends how Snoop is a "top of the line smoker" and how "his lungs off top can tell him whatever he's smoking," they decide to test the cannabis connoisseur while kicking it in between shots of the "WW III" music video. "My man gave me thing [joint], I light it and gave it to him. '[I ask] Snoop, what's this?' 'That's that Purple Haze, nephew!' Everybody started laughing."

But Jadakiss' craziest story happened at a 2005 Grammys afterparty at a home where Prince happened to be performing. He begrudgingly decided to attend the star-studded event, but after rolling one up, he remembers how actress Penny Marshall walked up to him and asks to take a hit. "Me?! Laverne from Laverne & Shirley? Hell yeah!" the Yonkers native recalls before sharing how other actors came up to him for a hit, too.

"The dude from Bad Boys. Not the Martin and Will joints, the Sean Penn bad boy. The guy he had beef with. Him. [He said] 'Yo, let me hit that.' Me! What the f**k is going on?! I let him hit it. [Then] Mark Wahlberg, out of nowhere, 'Kiss, what's up!' I said, 'I can't believe it. This is crazy!'"

Watch Jadakiss share his anecdotes about the power of cannabis and how it has helped him not only build traditional rapport but also smoking rapport. Upcoming episodes of High Tales will feature N.O.R.E, 2 Chainz, and The-Dream. Stay tuned.

Beyoncé and  Peloton are uniting for the culture. To spotlight the annual Homecoming season celebrated at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the nation, the Grammy award-winning entertainer has signed a multi-year partnership with the global interactive fitness platform.

“Peloton and I both believe that the power of music can help uplift, motivate and inspire those on their fitness journeys,” said the Ivy Park founder in the official press release. “I’ve been a Peloton member for several years, and I’m excited to partner with a company that helps people, young and old, be the best versions of themselves, in an innovative and adaptable way."

To add to the unprecedented moment, students of select HBCUs (Bennett College, Clark Atlanta University, Grambling State University, Hampton University, Howard University, Morehouse College and Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College, Texas Southern University, and Wilberforce University) will be gifted with a 2-year Peloton Digital membership by the end of this month. "I’m proud to celebrate the students at HBCUs with this donation, to encourage them to find and embrace their own wellness regimens,” added Queen Bey in her statement.

The two brands have worked closely on the creation of themed workout experiences for Peloton's streamed fitness classes. The "Beyoncé Artist Series" class schedule kicked off this week with the On Demand cycling class "Beyoncé Two for One Ride" taught by the platform's two of Peloton's prominent Black instructors, Alex Toussaint and Tunde Oyeneyin. Other exercise classes include "Beyoncé Yoga Flow," "Beyoncé Full Body Strength," "Beyoncé Bootcamp," and more on the Peloton App —all taught by instructors of color. The last class will take place on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10 am ET.