If you’re anything like us, we see an interesting headline during our daily scroll—pause to read it—but then keep scrolling without reading the actual story. So at the end of each week, we’re rounding up all the buzziest, news-worthy headlines you might have missed. Think of it like the “saved” feature on Instagram but for news instead of aesthetically pleasing photos. Avril Lavigne iconically recreated her ‘Let It Go’ album cover, Kendrick Lamar revealed details about his crown of thorns, and Calvin Harris announced Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 —this is what you missed.

#1

Kendrick Lamar’s Crown of Thorns by Tiffany & Co. Has Over 8000 Diamonds
When Kendrick Lamar revealed the cover of his fifth studio album, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, a notable highlight was the crown of thorns perched on his head. Then on June 23rd, he gave a performance and homage to the late Virgil Abloh while sitting front row at the Louis Vuitton menswear show in Paris and was wearing none other than the crown of thorns. It really is Kendrick season because a few days later he closed out the Glastonbury festival with a powerful performance and the crown of thorns was front and center again. Turns out the custom titanium and pavé diamond crown is the result of a collaboration between Kendrick, his creative collaborator, and pgLang co-founder, Dave Free, and Tiffany & Co. Speaking to Vogue Free says “the crown is a godly representation of hood philosophies told from a digestible youthful lens.” It also serves as a metaphor for artistic prowess, humility, perseverance, and a nod of respect to the artists who came before Kendrick. For the finale of his Glastonbury set, Kendrick played “Savior” which he called out as his favorite track from the album because it’s about imperfection and said he wears the crown as a reminder. As blood trickled down his face from the thorns, he repeated “the judge you, they judge Christ. Godspeed for women’s rights!” showing support for the women affected by the rollback of abortion rights in the US. If you’re wondering what the cost is for a headpiece with 8,000 cobblestone micro pavé diamonds—please enjoy this video.

#2

Calvin Harris Enlists Halsey, Normani, Pusha T & More for ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2’
This week Calvin Harris announced the follow-up to his 2017 album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 and it’s just as stacked with A-list collaborations. Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 arrives on August 5th, just in time to soundtrack the end of summer. The teaser Harris recently posted features a vibey guitar riff, backdropped by ocean waves with the names of the featured artists. Pusha T, Normani, Justin Timberlake, 21 Savage, Pharrell, and Jorja Smith are only a handful of the recognizable names on the list. Other collaborators include Snoop Dogg, Halsey, Chlöe, Charlie Purth, Tinashe, Lil Durk, Offset, 6lack, Stefflon Don, Shenseea, Coi Leray, Busta Rhymes, Latto, Swae Lee, and Donae’O. The first single from the album, “Potion”, was released a few weeks ago featuring Dua Lipa and Young Thug.

#3

Avril Lavigne Recreates ‘Let It Go’ Cover Art 20 Years Later
One thing Avril Lavigne taught me and my friends from middle school is that growing up can be complicated, and staying true to who you are is always cool. The “Sk8er Boi” singer graced her fans earlier this month with a deluxe edition of her debut album Let It Go to mark its 20th anniversary, with B-Sides such as “Falling Down” and “Get Over It.” And no, Avril Lavigne fans’ lives have not been the same since. The teenage angst that many of us thought was “just a phase” from the past came back in full force with this release, and Avril went on TikTok to further amplify her “Avril” effect. She revisited the same New York City spot from two decades ago, where she shot her album cover and recreated it for her fans. In the video, you can see her wearing from head to toe black with leather low-rise jeans, platform boots, and a full-length leather coat, posing at the SoHo intersection with the caption “20 years later….” The singer also got engaged to pop-punk rocker Mod Sun in March this year, and even though he’s no skater boy and she didn’t do ballet, they seem perfect together, and we can’t wait for the duo to create more iconic moments that will go down the punk-rock memory lane.

#4

Olivia Rodrigo Breaks Record Set By Lady Gaga
It’s been a little over a year since Olivia Rodrigo and her debut album, Sour, wreaked havoc on my emotions but it’s remained top of mind for many becoming the 21st century’s longest-running top 10 album in the US. A big accomplishment for a girl who can’t even parallel park. The previous record-holder was Lady Gaga, her debut album Fame occupied the Top 10 for 51 non-consecutive weeks between 2009 and 2017. Rodrigo smashed that record with Sour remaining in the Top 10 for 52 non-consecutive weeks between 2021 and 2022. The power of teenage angst and catchy lyrics—jail time for how often I say “Good 4 U” in casual conversations. Rodrigo’s had the best year of her career thus far, snagging multiple wins at the Grammys and Billboard Music Awards, a sold-out tour, and a docu-style movie about the making of Sour. 

#5

Kanye West Honors Diddy at 2022 BET Awards
After dominating headlines for months, Kanye West has recently retreated to the shadows with little to no recent updates. He made an unexpected appearance at the BET Awards on June 26th to deliver Diddy’s lifetime achievement award with a speech that clocked in at five-and-a-half minutes long—because really would we expect anything less? His outfit was on brand wearing a full face mask with sunglasses, a baseball cap, and an oversized Hood By Air jacket. During the speech, Kanye spoke about Puff’s influence on his career and life as well as the music industry as a whole. “He understood contracts in a way a lot of us still don’t, understood money in a way a lot of us still don’t. I go to him for advice to this day. He inspired so many of my choices—so many of my life choices, my wife choices, and here we are. Thanks for that, Puff.” Kanye also reminisced about the days when he was a producer trying to make it, “me sitting in my momma’s crib, trying to add the Bad Boy shakers to my beats thinking I was one of the hitmen. I was signed to Puff without him knowing.” He pauses and then adds “that statement is not legally binding” which elicited a collective laugh from the audience. Kanye also addressed his absence from the spotlight saying he wanted to declare himself legally dead for a year (I live for Kanye’s dramatic choice of words) and go off the grid but he had to show up for Diddy.