It's Tune-in Tuesdays!

Author

Jennifer Matthews
June 17, 2025

Today, tariffs have musicians paying top dollar for music gear, but let’s start with how AI is triggering job loss fear…

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AI Layoffs Hit Hard & Workers Bear The Brunt of The Automation Surge  

CBX Vibe

The robots are here and handing out pink slips. Companies are embracing artificial intelligence to slash costs and increase efficiency, triggering widespread layoffs across industries, specifically in tech. No longer a distant threat, but today's reality, impacting real lives and communities. Analysts warn that 30% of U.S. jobs could be automated by 2030, indicating that Black and Brown employees, often concentrated in vulnerable roles, will bear a heavy burden.

Can Tariffs Mute Trap Beats And Trade Deals?

CBX Vibe:

Behind every hit beat is a studio full of gear, and this gear that often comes from overseas. As tariffs hit musical instruments, audio interfaces, mics, and MIDI controllers made in China, Black indie musicians may pay the price of protectionism.

African and Caribbean Oil Markets Poised for Major Economic Growth

CBX Vibe:

The global demand for natural oils is experiencing a surge due to their versatility in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Today, Indonesia and Malaysia dominate the global palm oil market, producing around 85% of the world’s supply. This presents a unique economic opportunity for regions such as Africa and the Caribbean, particularly with red palm and coconut oil. Both areas are historically rich in the natural resources necessary for oil production. At the same time, African countries struggle to compete due to a lack of investment, outdated infrastructure, and economic barriers.

Tune-in Tuesdays!

Meta, in a bid to enhance business tools is injecting ads into WhatsApp. Do you feel like this is innovation where users can get targeted ads or is it another profit-making scheme?

A. “Corporate Greed” by Brandon McKagan – This isn’t about features, it’s about squeezing every last cent from a platform people trusted to be ad-free
B. “Privacy” by Chris Brown – They sold us privacy, then crept in through the back door. What’s sacred if even our messages are up for sale?
C. “Mask Off” by Future – We say we value privacy, but keep trading it for ease. Maybe the ads just show us who we really are

What are your thoughts on this? Tune in next Tuesday to see which jam captures the prevailing sentiment!

A  |  B  |  C

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Last week’s results are in and it seems people think the migration raids will bring back ‘Order’ to the U.S.

Gen Z Men And The Profitable Disruption of the Grooming Industry

CBX Vibe:

Forget everything you thought you knew about beauty rules. Gen Z men are stepping firmly into the spotlight, redefining self-care with an impressive 68% jump in skincare use. Grooming is not a ‘girl thing’ anymore. This demographic is now driving new beauty standards. And while men are embracing their beauty side and challenging traditional beauty norms, the beauty industry is delaying tapping into this market.

Algorithmic Inequity: How AI May Be Denying Black Americans Homeownership

CBX Vibe:

Artificial intelligence and its inherent bias seem to be an ongoing contributing factor in slowing minorities’ home loan approvals. An investigation by The Markup found lenders were more likely to deny home loans to people of color than to white people with similar financial characteristics. Specifically, 80% of Black applicants are more likely to be rejected, along with 40% of Latino applicants, and 70% of Native American applicants are likely to be denied. How detrimental is the secret bias hidden in mortgage algorithms?

Vibes of the Week

It looks like AI “Won’t Stop" laying off workers, as Gunna tells it in our CBX Vibes!