Welcome Digest [2.18.26]

New Yeat guerilla promo, what's in Drake's 'Afters Meal' at McDonalds, and more

Welcome To February 18th

Today’s Important Headlines

Yeat’s new promo references iconic Sopranos taxi guerilla marketing

Yeat—or rather a prosthetic version of his tattooed arm—was spotted sticking out of the trunk of a branded NYC taxi, directly recreating a famous 2001 promo stunt from The Sopranos. The original campaign sent cabs through the city with fake arms hanging from their trunks to mimic mob hits as part of the show’s Season 3 rollout. The recreated stunt is a confirmed marketing stunt for his upcoming project ADL.

New Balenciaga campaign signals that 2026 is the year of brand ambassadors

Balenciaga revealed a new campaign led by new ambassadors including Winona Ryder, Harris Dickinson, and Hudson Williams. The campaign reflects a wider growing pattern in luxury brands conducting heavy ambassador appointments to quickly drive fast headlines and campaign reach. Major houses across fashion such as Dior and Chanel have significantly accelerated similar signings through 2025 and 2026, and it’s unlikely that this will slow down this year.

Drake launches ‘Afters Meal’ with McDonalds

Drake has launched his OVO x McDonald’s “Afters Meal” across Canada. The collaboration includes two meal options plus a limited blue Nite Sprite drink, a reference to long awaited upcoming project Iceman. With this collaboration, he joins past artist meal partners like Travis Scott and Cardi B. As of now the release is currently a Canadian exclusive.

Shia LaBeouf is on a Mardi Gras bender

LaBeouf was arrested in New Orleans after a week of heavy Mardi Gras partying that bartenders described as disruptive across multiple bars. Witnesses say he asked staff if he could “use their credit card” and repeatedly asked people, “Do you know who I am?” He was later charged with two counts of simple battery after an alleged fight outside a bar, then returned to partying almost immediately after his release. Separate reports also say he and Mia Goth quietly broke up nearly a year ago.

See all of Kevin Durant’s burner account tweets using this new tracker

A new website is now tracking every confirmed burner-account post linked to Kevin Durant, who has become infamous for using anonymous accounts to share his thoughts on the NBA and its players. The leak reportedly began after an X group chat involving Durant, friends, and loyal fans was exposed. The database organizes tweets, replies, and DMs with names, quotes, and context, and allows users to search who he mentioned. The tracker updates continuously as new burner activity is confirmed.

Headline curation and words by Mikail Haroon (@mvkail)

Moodboard 034

Today’s inspiration supplement. Click through to view.

From The Archive

An extra piece of content from the Welcome Archive for Magazine subscribers only.

In the 2010s, several private news stations in Albania drew attention for having female anchors present broadcasts braless or in open jackets to boost viewership.

The tactic came from the country’s post-communist media boom, where smaller channels leaned on shock value to compete for ratings, with outlets like Zjarr TV framing it as “transparency,” though it also faced backlash over professionalism.