By this point, the online world is in a state of constant expansion. Meaning that, if you don’t actively strive to keep abreast of what’s going on, you could quickly find yourself without a single clue as to the current state of tech and the digital revolution.
Many of us struggle to find the time to adequately educate ourselves on what these new digital frontiers have to offer. Nonetheless, it seems like cryptocurrency, the metaverse, and NFTs are here to stay. Used as an abbreviation for "non-fungible-tokens," NFT was also called the word of the year in 2021, with good reason. No matter where you looked, its pervasive presence was felt.
If you’re still in the dark as to the concept behind an NFT, it essentially boils down to a digital piece of media or art that is logged and authenticated on what’s known as a digital blockchain. In terms of where the value comes in, that is all formulated in the “non-fungible” aspect, which essentially means that it is wholly unique and cannot be substituted or reproduced.
In recent times, NFTs and the exclusivity that they harbor means that they basically function in the same way as collector’s items or rare, physical art. This degree of scarcity has meant that a sizable price point often goes along with an NFT. For example, creations from Mike Winkelmann’s Beeple range have commanded price tags that are as eye-watering as $69 million.
Generally, discussing the concept can either spark skepticism or fervent enthusiasm depending on who you ask. For some, it is an inspiring means of decentralizing both finance and media that will revolutionize the world– or more specifically, the metaverse, as we know it.
For others, it has all the hallmarks of an elaborate scam and constitutes an inflated bubble that can’t be sustained. On occasion, the practice of selling NFTs has even incurred accusations of money laundering.
But while some sectors of the world appear to have their reservations or lingering doubts, one sub-culture that has exhibited no such qualms is the world of hip-hop.
Ever since the first instances of high-profile NFT collections and sales began to pop up, rappers have gradually been fashioning their own footholds within the blockchain. Ranging from the inspired to the absurd and opportunistic, some of the biggest names in the industry have been loading up their crypto wallets with either one-of-a-kind pieces of their own or making big money– or Ethereum, rather– purchases to add to their own collections.
Now that it has become such a well-trodden part of the hip-hop landscape, it’s time to take a look at some of the biggest metaverse moves that have been made by high-profile rappers.
Tory Lanez’s Controversial NFT Album
Rich Fury/Getty Images
Despite all of the controversy and near-career-ending incidents that he’s weathered in recent years, one thing that cannot be taken away from Tory Lanez is that he’s maintained a rabid fanbase. So, when news broke that the Toronto-based artist– who has been independent since 2020– would be launching a 7-track NFT EP dubbed When It’s Dark, it seemed like a sensible business move on his part. That said, no one would have anticipated quite how well it fared as, within 57 seconds of being launched, the album sold a million copies and prompted an ecstatic Lanez to take to Instagram to celebrate his achievement
"A fu**ing million copies! I just went fu**ing platinum," he declared at the time. "I just sold the equivalent units at $1. Sold a million copies flat and I made a million dollars in less than a fu**ing minute. Y’all try to hold me back. You can’t fu**ing stop me…"
Having sweetened the pot with perks such as virtual meet & greets and other incentives, Tory became one of the first artists to demonstrate how well the blockchain could be utilized as a method of distribution. However, it appears that it wasn’t as seamless a launch as some fans would’ve liked. Afterward, Tory dogged by accusations that his NFT album was in fact, not a proper NFT at all, with buyers being unable to transfer the album to their wallet, losing the album in an attempt to transfer, or else, being unable to sell it again. What's more, Tory reportedly had equity in the E-NFT, further muddying the waters.
"Plenty of people made WAY more return than invested," Tory tweeted following the backlash, in an attempt to douse the flames. "but even if I was taking what you’re saying serious … The NFT sold for 1 dollar .. even if it resold for only 2$ U still would DOUBLE your $"
Although it’s not yet known whether appetite for Tory’s digital art will have depleted after this incident, the rapper has recently doubled down by launching Decent AR Labs which, if their Twitter is to be believed, will be the “biggest NFT project of 2022.”
Azaelia Banks’ Audio Sex Tape
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Where some artists have been cautiously sizing up the blockchain as a means of releasing new music, the ever-controversial Azealia Banks enlisted the burgeoning platform in order to release a very different type of content. Recorded with her now ex-fiance “I F—-D Ryder Ripps” was an audio sextape that was listed by Banks and the creative director of OKFocus for 10 Ethereum ($17,000) in March of 2021.
"Literally- the most expensive NFT ever," Azealia said after its successful sale. "Don't you love how We came, saw and conquered this shit in a matter of 48hrs? The fucking iconnery @ryder_ripps."
But while this was a hefty price tag in itself, what Azealia and Ripps didn’t know is that shortly after, it was re-listed by its buyer, a digital artist known as Fulton Ryder, for a whopping 150,000 ETH. In ordinary currency, that equates to $275 million dollars. If it’s eventually sold for this exorbitant sum, it will mean that Azealia’s audio sextape will be up there with the most expensive art pieces in history.
And if it does happen, you can bet that Azealia will have something to say about it.
A$AP Rocky Gateway
Paul Bergen/Redferns/Getty Images
When it comes to being ahead of the trends in hip-hop, A$AP Rocky has essentially made a career off of outpacing the competition and the world of NFT’s proved to be no different.
In keeping with his preoccupation with the world of high art, Pretty Flacko teamed up with NiftyGateway to launch his own bespoke marketplace known as “Rocky Gateway.” With the site claiming that "the medium of NFTs is the latest extension of his artistic endeavors and an exciting new outlet for his creative expression," Flacko debuted his latest venture in April of 2021 with assets from his Injured Generation tour– including three custom rally cars– and a virtual installation that provided a first listen of his then-unreleased single “Sandman” from the re-release of Live.Love.ASAP.
Shortly after they went on sale, each of these artworks sold for $50,000, while three dimensional scans of the rapper sold for $2000 a pop and were limited to 57 apiece.
The Bored Ape Yacht Club Rapper Takeover
If there was one creation that has fuelled much of hip-hop’s hysteria around this new format of digital art, it's the Bored Ape Yacht Club. Composed of over 10,000 characters that are "unique and programmatically generated from over 170 possible traits, including expression, headwear, clothing and more. All apes are dope, but some are rarer than others."
With your avatar doubling as your membership to this exclusive club, this NFT is so massive that it even spawned a spin-off animated cartoon that was executive produced by 2 Chainz. But while the show itself has received a middling response to say the least, rappers are flocking to align themselves with these “one-of-a-kind” primates. While this isn't an NFT collection that was released by a rapper like the other items on this list, it is relevant here due to the sheer amount of rappers who are helping grow the hype and joining the exclusive club.
To date, hip-hop’s Bored Ape Yacht Club members include such luminaries as Rich The Kid, Takeoff, Lil Baby, 2 Chainz, Future, Post Malone and Meek Mill among others. The catalyst for a full-on online phenomenon, Gunna went as far as to get his 300k ape emblazoned on his skin in the shape of a new tattoo. Now, even Eminem is getting in on it after he forked out $425,000 for the so-called “Eminape.”
Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt Art
John Phillips/Getty Images
When it comes to the world of commerce, Jay-Z is simply not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. As such, it came as no surprise when the business-savvy billionaire and entrepreneur decided to integrate himself into the world of the blockchain.
The first of what we can only assume will be several drops in the coming years, Hov decided to commemorate his seminal debut album, Reasonable Doubt, by commissioning a digital artist to create a new piece that was based upon its cover. Once designed and finalized, the Roc Nation CEO naturally took his NFT collection– which was catchily dubbed “Heir to the Throne: An NFT in Celebration of JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt 25th Anniversary by Derrick Adams”– to the opulent auction house of Sotheby’s. Once it was on the docket, it went for an eye watering $138,600.
Described by auctioneers as a testament to "the timeless influence of JAY-Z’s magnum opus that defined and redefined an era," it’ll be interesting to see whether keen art collector Hov decides to start snapping up some NFT’s in his own right soon.
Kanye’s Tactical Vest
Victor Boyko/Getty Images
Over the years, there have been a host of ways in which Kanye and Jay-Z have seemed in sync. Although their relationship is far more contentious than it was back when Kanye served as Jay’s go-to producer for soulful samples or in the halcyon days of Watch The Throne, that doesn’t change the fact that both men are always looking to maximize their impact and profit margins. A mere 5 months on from Jay’s offering, Kanye scheduled his famed DONDA tactical vest for sale at Christies.
"In real life, the vest is bulletproof. In the metaverse, the vest is iconic," read the listing.
"We are proud to offer a unique piece of music history: the bullet proof vest worn by Kanye during the August 5th debut of his DONDA album, complete with ballistics panels, hand painted DONDA and Kanye signed MBD, 'my body different', and the first 1-of-1 NFT of its kind sold at Christie's, allowing this moment in music history to live on both physically and digitally."
A historic moment for both Ye and the famed auction house itself, the package eventually went for a grand total of $75k. Despite this big sale, Kanye recently expressed he has zero interest in pursuing NFTs himself.
Doja Cat’s Record-Setting Sale
Despite being a self-professed novice in the metaverse, Doja Cat appears to have taken to it seamlessly, after partnering up with the ecologically-minded OneOf.
"I don’t know that much about NFT’s," said Doja prior to her collection’s release. "But what I do know is that they can be bad for the environment and cost a fortune. Mine won’t."
Offered up on what is known as the Tezos blockchain, it seems as though Doja may have upheld the environmentally responsible part of the bargain. But in the case of her record-setting one-of-one crystal token, it certainly wasn’t particularly affordable. Billed as the package for the ultimate fan, this token would entitle them to benefits such as an "all-expenses paid, VIP flyaway experience for two," including dinner with Doja before one of her shows and access to every gold tier NFT from Doja’s collection forever.
Once it was available, this token was sold for an incredible $188,000, out-selling Hov.
Nas Auctions His Royalties
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Over the course of his illustrious career, Nas has been regularly accused of being resistant to new beats, never mind new technologies. But as part of what has been a bold new paradigm for QB’s finest, Mr. Jones decided to enter the metaverse. Hosted on Royal, a song ownership platform from producer 3LAU that Nas is among the investors in, the acclaimed MC decided to offer 760 tokens at three price tiers — Gold, Platinum and Diamond– which would provide fans with a share of the royalties in “Ultra Black” and, fittingly, King’s Disease 2’s “Rare.”
An innovative move from an innovative MC, Nas, who has been independent ever since he launched Mass Appeal in 2014, would retain 50% of the royalties.
As it turns out, the inaugural offering caused such a commotion that it crashed the platform within a minute of them dropping.
MF DOOM's AR Mask Auctions
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
If any artist’s approach to imagery was tailormade to transcend the physical world, it was MF Doom. Prone to reappraising his identity and donning new aliases at the drop of a hat, DOOM’s iconic mask– which was derived from those seen in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator– became more iconic than the unshielded visage of Daniel Dumile ever has. Standing among the most instantly recognizable emblems in hip-hop history, it made sense that DOOM– who was forthcoming about the fact that he only rapped “to get money”-- would venture into this new digital terrain with an offering of his own. Partnering up with online auction house Illust.Space, DOOM offered up a series of vividly illustrated reimaginings of his classic silhouette in augmented-reality format. Complete with variants such as sludge and “mummy” among others, the first signed 11 masks went on sale on October, with the auction concluding on the 30th October 2020. As the world would only learn on New Year’s Eve of that same year, DOOM would tragically pass away the following day.
Described as a “tipping point for augmented reality, the NFT market, and the ubiquitous digital layer that is a battleground for big tech” by Illust Space’s CEO, another auction took place in March of 2021 with the stipulation that 90% of the proceeds would go to DOOM’s estate. Even today, any resale of the NFT would immediately allocate 10% of the sum to the late rapper’s crypto wallet. Although unconfirmed, it is believed that the masks– which were purchased with ETH– went from as low as $17,000 to as high as a whopping $810,000.
What’s your take on NFTs? Sound off below.