Niko knows...CULTURE // Issue #27
What's going on in the #Nikoverse? ✨🪐 There's a ton of hip-hop, soccer, podcasts, basketball, football, and gaming happening. To sum it up: a lot of culture.
Hey, welcome back – great to have you here again!
This is your go-to culture newsletter on Substack, keeping you in the loop on everything making waves in today’s cultural landscape.
From standout brands and hip hop to groundbreaking collaborations and the latest hype – this is where street culture, social media, and creativity come together. Whether it’s fashion, streetwear, sneaker drops, art, or pop culture, you’ll find curated insights and updates right here.
See you!
Niko ✌🏼
#NikoKnows…NERD CULTURE
Tales of the Underworld: All six episodes drop on Star Wars Day (May 4) exclusively on Disney+.
This May, the Star Wars galaxy is going full throttle. Between Star Wars Celebration Japan, the season 2 premiere of Andor, and of course May the Fourth, fans already had plenty to celebrate—but now, Lucasfilm just added more fuel to the hyperspace fire. Enter: Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld.
A spin-off from the acclaimed Tales animated anthology series, this new chapter dives into the murky, morally grey corners of the galaxy, focusing on bounty hunters Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane.
Ventress, once Count Dooku’s deadly apprentice, has evolved into a rogue force of her own—last seen in The Bad Batch. Cad Bane, the cold, calculating gunslinger first introduced in The Clone Wars, recently made waves with his live-action debut in The Book of Boba Fett.
The newly released two-minute trailer is packed with lightsaber duels, blaster shootouts, and western-style standoffs, giving fans a darker, edgier taste of the Star Wars universe—one where loyalty is negotiable, and survival is everything.
All six episodes of Tales of the Underworld will release on May 4, exclusively on Disney+. Buckle up—this one’s for the fans who love their Star Wars with a side of chaos and grit.
#NikoKnows…STREETWEAR
Kith and Peanuts Celebrate 75 Years with a Nostalgic Streetwear Capsule
Timeless characters meet contemporary style — Kith reimagines the Peanuts universe.
From varsity jackets to graphic tees and home goods, the drop is a full-on tribute.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts, Kith has dropped a wide-ranging collection that blends classic cartoon nostalgia with its signature elevated streetwear aesthetic.
Highlights include embroidered jackets, vintage-washed tees featuring “Joe Cool” and DJ Snoopy, and cozy knits with subtle character nods. The collab goes beyond apparel too, with rugs, caps, lunchboxes, a dog bowl, and a full Kith Kids line rounding out the release.
#NikoKnows…GAMING
Nintendo Switch 2 Drops June 5 with 4K Gaming, New Joy-Cons & GameChat
Nintendo has officially announced the long-awaited Switch 2, and it’s arriving June 5 with a slew of hardware and software upgrades that signal a bold leap forward for the hybrid console. Priced at $499.99 USD, the Switch 2 keeps the sleek form factor of its predecessor but supercharges nearly every aspect.
The Switch 2 features a larger 7.9-inch full HD 1080p screen, delivering sharper visuals without compromising portability. Under the hood, a faster CPU and GPU power smoother gameplay and quicker loading times, while battery life now stretches up to 6.5 hours. Storage has also seen a boost, with 256 GB onboard—that’s 8x the original.
The Joy-Cons are bigger, with a magnetic snap-on mechanism replacing the old sliding rails. In certain games, you can even use them like a mouse on flat surfaces, offering a fresh control dynamic. When docked, the console delivers 4K resolution at up to 120 fps, assuming your TV and games support it.
Nintendo is rolling out a GameChat feature, letting up to 12 players talk remotely using built-in mics via a new C button. You can even video chat with a compatible USB-C camera and share screens with up to 4 players—a serious upgrade for co-op fans.
To sweeten the deal, Nintendo teased a launch title—Mario Kart World—with more details coming at the April 17 Direct presentation.
This is more than just a refresh—the Switch 2 marks a new era for Nintendo, merging console-level performance with handheld flexibility and a major leap in online play. June can’t come fast enough.
#NikoKnows…FOOTBALL CULTURE
Liverpool x adidas: A Legendary Partnership Returns for 2025
It’s official—Liverpool Football Club and adidas are getting back together, confirming what’s been one of football’s worst kept secrets. The multi-year partnership will kick off at the start of the 2025/26 season, bringing The Three Stripes back to Anfield for the first time since 2012. While fans will have to wait until August 1 (when the current Nike deal ends) to see the new kits, the buzz is already real.
And with good reason. adidas and Liverpool have history—not just in footballing terms, but in culture, kits, and legacy. Their past two runs together (1985–1996 and 2006–2012) weren’t just about silverware (though there was plenty of that)—they were about identity. These were the kits worn by legends, from Dalglish to Gerrard, Hansen to Torres, and every kid who grew up in a Crown Paints, Candy, or Carlsberg jersey knows it.
For many Liverpool supporters, this partnership isn’t just a new deal—it’s a homecoming. While the Nike era brought global flair and collabs with the likes of LeBron James and Converse, it never fully reached the emotional heights fans hoped for. adidas, on the other hand, has always felt stitched into the fabric of the club’s history—a thread that ties together generations.
#NikoKnows…CAR CULTURE
Toyota's Anime Legacy: GRIP Gears Up for Season 3
After nearly 100 years in the game, Toyota has built a brand on more than just engineering excellence—it’s crafted a storytelling legacy. And now, through the lens of anime, it’s reaching a new generation of enthusiasts who crave more than horsepower—they want heart, heritage, and hero moments.
Last year, Toyota went beyond just letting its cars appear in anime. With the launch of its own racing anime series, GRIP, the brand stepped into the creative driver’s seat. And as Season 3 approaches, Toyota is doubling down on that effort—fusing its storied past with a vision for the future of performance driving.
But Toyota’s relationship with anime runs deep. In Initial D, the AE86 Corolla wasn’t meant to be a champion. It was just a delivery car—until Takumi pushed it beyond its limits. The humble hero became an icon, still echoed today in the GR86. In MF Ghost, the GR Supra carried that torch forward, representing consistency, control, and quiet confidence. In Detective Conan, the Toyota Crown wasn’t flashy, but it became a symbol of authority and reliability, silently backing the pursuit of justice.
Now, in GRIP, the cars are more than background props—they’re central to the story. Created in collaboration with Intertrend, executive producer Frank Mele (Beats, Rhymes, and Life), and director Jae Woo Kim (Blood of Zeus, Ben 10, Tron: Uprising), the show pits the emotion-driven GRIP team against the cold efficiency of StandardSynth, an AI-controlled racing force led by the menacing Dr. Synth.
The series taps into a classic anime tension: human passion vs. machine precision. It’s not just about who crosses the finish line first—it’s about why we race at all. Season 1 and 2 showcased Toyota’s GR lineup—the GR Corolla, GR Supra, and GR86 Cup—all tied to distinct protagonists: Jae Kang, Linh “Nitro” Lam, and Kumail Jo. These aren’t just characters—they’re extensions of their vehicles, and vice versa.