NFTs gained considerable pop-culture dominance, especially in the music and trend affluent society of rappers.
The extensively escalated popularity of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) clearly became evident last year. From commercial giants and fashion studios to sports legends and Hollywood celebrities, everyone wanted a piece of these tokenized goodies. With this, the frenzied NFTs gained considerable pop-culture dominance, especially in the music and trend affluent society of rappers. This article features the top 10 rappers who are rhyming their way into the world of NFTs.
Shady Con – Eminem
The world’s first NFT drop from Eminem provides Stans, fans, NFT enthusiasts, and collectors one opportunity to own a piece from Eminem’s premier NFT drop. Born from the convergence of blockchain technology, creative enthusiasm, and pandemic doldrums, this drop was inspired by Eminem’s passion as a vintage toy, comic book, and trading card collector that traces back to his childhood days as just “plain old Marshall.” Make no mistake, this is a digital festival…but it’s modeled after the traditional “Con” gatherings where fans come together and trade their wares.
Happy Endings – Mike Shinoda, iann dior, and UPSAHL
Between Linkin Park, Fort Minor, his own solo projects, and his graphic design work, Mike Shinoda has always been a creative force to be reckoned with. But his talents extend far beyond the arts, often reflected in his vision and curiosity within the technological realm. Joined by UPSAHL and iann dior, the two-time Grammy winner recently debuted his latest single “Happy Endings” in the form of an NFT, which has become the talk of the town in recent months.
Ultraviolet – 3lau
Music artists are always looking for interesting ways to breathe new life into past works. Rather than a special edition or live version, however, musician and blockchain influencer 3lau re-released his 2018 album, Ultraviolet, as 33 NFTs. Over just three days, 3lau earned a staggering US$11.6 million from the release. Not only that, but he set a new record when just one of the NFTs sold for US$3.6 million.
FYZNFT – Post Malone
According to Coin Desk, Post Malone and his manager Dre London have joined forces with digital marketplace Fyooz to give fans the chance to play against Post in his Celebrity World Pong League. To participate, users must have FYZNFT tokens, which will reportedly be airdropped to users on Fyooz.
Fyre Festival – Ja Rule
Ja Rule’s Fyre Festival was pretty chaotic and received quite a bit of criticism in 2017 for cutting corners and costs. According to Newsweek, the Queens, N.Y. rapper has since hopped on the NFT train to sell a 2017 painting of the Fyre Festival logo done by Tripp Derrick Barnes on the platform Flipkick.
IAMSOUND x Zora NFT Art Exhibition – Toro y Moi, Yaeji, Mura Masa, & More
This NFT launch/Art Exhibition is easily one of the coolest on our list today. For the uninitiated, IAMSOUND describes itself as “a hub of music, art, culture and marketing, a hybrid creative studio, record label, and visual artist management firm.” Over the years, they’ve worked with such influential acts as Florence and the Machine and Charli XCX. Given their values, it’s perhaps unsurprising that, like Mike Shinoda, IAMSOUND chose Zora as the platform for their NFT launch. Zora similarly distinguishes itself with a creator-first manifesto that aims to put the power and profits back in the hands of artists. Throughout a series of exhibitions and releases, artists like Toro Y Moi, 88 Rising, Mura Masa, and Yaeji have all contributed pieces.
YACHTY – Lil Yachty
Last year, Lil Yachty sold his first-ever NFT on the marketplace Nifty Gateway. The “Yachty Coin” was a limited-edition token that included an animation of Lil Yachty’s face and the Bitcoin logo, courtesy of digital artist Glassface. The NFT token is a nod to $YACHTY, a cryptocurrency the rapper sold on Fyooz for US$15 each earlier in the year.
Masks – MF Doom
The late, great MF Doom was one of the most influential and respected rappers of his generation. After his sudden and tragic passing at the age of 49 in 2020, fans were understandably left shocked and reeling. Looking for a way to connect with this underground hip-hop icon, many were eager to get ahold of one of his Augmented Reality signed mask NFTs.
“NFT Yourself” – Kings of Leon
These Nashville rockers were not the first musical act to embrace NFTs. Clarian and Belave both deserve credit for getting there before Kings of Leon. That being said, Kings of Leon played a massive role in bringing NFTs to the attention of mainstream listeners by being the first band of their stature to go the NFT route. The group chose to sell their 2021 album, “When You See Yourself”, in the form of three different NFT packages, as part of a larger series entitled “NFT Yourself”.
Stash Box NFTs – Snoop Dogg
On March 30, Snoop Dogg announced he was auctioning his first NFT collection via Crypto.com. The collection, titled “A Journey with the Dogg,” brings together Snoop Dogg’s memories of the early years of his iconic career. A total of eight pieces were put up for auction in limited quantities, including “Young Snoop,” “Snoop Dogge Coins,” and “Death Row.”
