12-years-old Nyla Hayes is a student, artist, entrepreneur, and now crypto millionaire. She has now earned $5.7 million in Ethereum cryptocurrency from her NFT network and recently became Time Magazine’s first Artist-In-Residence. Nyla Hayes Makes 6 Million From NFT’s Nyla said she was inspired to create digital artwork by her Grandmother who told her to […]
It’s the end of the year and time to get those last tax write-offs in. Gunna is the latest celebrity splurging on NFTs and creating nice tax writeoffs on the investment. The rapper recently bought a Bored Ape NFT for $305,000. The 28-year-old named his Ape “Butta”, paid for the NFT via Moonpay, and even […]
This past October, The Weeknd said on his Apple Music show Memento Mori that his next album is “complete,” but that some additions needed to be made before release. “Some exciting features coming out in the fall before the album drops,” he said. “We’ll slowly be unraveling that info in the next couple months.” Well, we just caught wind of an exciting feature, although it seems as though this is more closely related to the recent diamond certification of “Blinding Lights” than the next album.
In a newly-announced NFT collectibles series, The Weeknd and Billboard are releasing a 7-piece animated series that celebrates the song’s designation as “The No. 1 song of all time.” At 90 weeks, the song became the longest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 and the news was announced on the cover of Billboard magazine. The cover is one of the seven collectibles, which is available to view on the NFT platform, Autograph, which was co-founded by Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s being auctioned off on OpenSea, which dubs itself “the world’s largest NFT marketplace.” A statement on the collection elaborated on each piece in the collection:
“The 7-piece, animated collection is composed of four designs, including a single NFT featuring The Weeknd’s recent cover on Billboard Magazine, which first announced the news of his record-breaking achievement, and three digital trading cards creatively inspired by the iconic “Blinding Lights” music video. The digital trading cards will be released in three tiers of rarity, and each of the collection’s unique, culturally-significant collectibles is individually signed to allow fans the opportunity to own a defining moment in music history as never before, from one of today’s most influential artists.”
For what it’s worth, The Weeknd is now a part of the Board of Directors at Autograph. The auction began on December 20 and continues until December 23 at 1 PM EST. All of the bidding is done via the ETH cryptocurrency. Take a look at the magazine cover NFT below and view the whole collection here.
Since his death in 1996, we’ve continually strived to better understand and appreciate the genius of Tupac Shakur. In 2015, the All Eyez On Me: The Writing Of Tupac Shakur exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles became the first such exhibition dedicated to the late rapper. Come next year, you’ll be able to fully immerse in a multimedia Tupac experience via the Wake Me When I’m Free collaboration between The Estate of Tupac Shakur and The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. It begins in LA and will be touring the globe for years to come. And now next week, you’ll be able to own a piece of Tupac’s jewelry as an NFT, which joins the previously announced drop of photos from his debut album.
Dubbed “The Immortal Collection,” a collection of Tupac’s infamous jewelry will drop via the MakersPlace NFT marketplace on December 15th. The collection is inspired by the jewelry that Tupac wore and even the jewelry that he designed as his career blossomed. It contains pieces like his 2PAC and diamond solitaire rings, as well as his Makaveli bracelet (above) and a medallion he wore in the last photo ever captured of him. A statement regarding the drop said the following:
“Working in close collaboration with his Estate, NFT Artists Impossible Brief and curators Digital Arts & Sciences were able to select pieces from his personal archives that had some of the deepest meanings and intentions attached to them. It is with Tupac’s personal vision and ideas, that they carefully created this digital assortment of the jewelry he designed and wore, marking the world’s first NFT authorized by The Shakur Estate. “
The pieces represent a look at some of the items that will be included in the Wake Me When I’m Free experience. Take a look at the four items below and get more info on “The Immortal Collection” here.
The rap community has embraced NFT’s and won’t be turning back anytime soon. The latest rapper to join the blockchain platform is Migos member, Takeoff. Takeoff Set To Drop NFT Project Takeoff’s new NFT project, called Apes In Space, has the Migos rapper on a journey into (cyber) space and he’s looking to take one […]
The cryptocurrency coin Shiba Inu began trending on Twitter as the price grew exponentially last week. Meek Mill feels like he’s missing the NFT boat and wants to know how he can get in on the crypto-craze. Meek Mill Curious On Crypto Cryptocurrency and NFT’s are taking hip-hop by storm with rappers from JAY-Z to […]
JAY-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners venture capital firm (MVP) co-founded by JAY-Z, Rocnation Vice-chairman Jay Brown, and venture capitalist Larry Marcus is investing in Spatial Labs. Spatial labs is a tech incubator that will focus on cryptocurrency and blockchain developments and products. JAY-Z Peeks Into The Future As the music industry takes on the newest trend […]
Detroit icon Eminem has been one of the biggest proponents of the emerging technology of non-fungible tokens, auctioning off an NFT collection of comics, action figures, trading cards, and beats this past April. The collection drew in nearly $2 million in one weekend — which might be the reason why Eminem is now looking to invest further into the tech, announcing his participation in a $30 million round of fundraising for MakersPlace, an NFT marketplace where users can buy and sell the digital artwork.
MakersPlace, launched in 2018, announced the results of its fundraising efforts on its website, noting that Eminem was joined by other notable investors including his long-time manager Peter Rosenberg, NFL player Larry Fitzgerald, and Sony Music Entertainment. You’d have to imagine that now that Eminem and his co-investors have seen the money to be made selling NFTs, they’d want a piece of the digital forums that host the sales as well.
MakersPlace might be one of the most lucrative options. In March, Beeple sold “EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS,” a digital work created for Christie’s via MakersPlace, for the most expensive total an NFT sale has garnered to date, over $69 million.
Other artists to get into the NFT game include The Weeknd, Jack White, Gorillaz, and Jay-Z.
Top Dawg’s first lady is joining the NFT game. While fans have been dying to hear SZA’s second full-length album, barely satiated by the release of her first single, “Good Days,” or her long-awaited collaboration with Doja Cat, “Kiss Me More,” she’s giving them a piece of her career instead. In what might be the first of many potential collaborations for an NFT, SZA is releasing her first NFT drop today.
Today, American Express announced their collaboration with her on “Amex Unstaged x SZA: The Collection.” The drop gives Amex card members the chance to purchase the NFT, which features photos from her recent performance for the brand. According to a press release, the “limited, one-of-a-kind collection” will be available on Fanaply, an NFT developer used in music, sports and entertainment. The NFT includes “never-before-seen photos” from SZA’s performance. Today’s initial drop is only open to the Amex card members who attended the show, while the next iteration, coming this Monday, will be open to the public. Each asset will be available for purchase — with an American Express card — at a price of $100 right here.
Check out some of the first looks at NFT photos below and learn more about the drop here.
After Grimes made $6 million in one day for selling a collection of digital art as NFTs, musicians have been following suit and trying to break into the cryptocurrency art business. Artists like Diplo, Rico Nasty, and Halsey have released artwork as NFTs and now, The Weeknd is the latest to get into the game by hosting an NFT auction.
On Wednesday, The Weeknd officially announced his cryptocurrency auction, which he had previously teased. Items that will be up for sale include exclusive digital artwork and even an unreleased song.
About his decision to join the NFT marketplace The Weeknd said:
“Blockchain is democratizing an industry that has historically been kept shut by the gatekeepers. I’ve always been looking for ways to innovate for fans and shift this archaic music biz and seeing NFT’s allowing creators to be seen and heard more than ever before on their terms is profoundly exciting. I intend to contribute to this movement and can see that very soon it will be weaved into the music industry’s mechanics”
Excited to announce that my first NFT drop is taking place on Saturday at 2:00 pm EST on @niftygateway. The collection will feature new music and limited edition art. I developed the artwork with Strange Loop Studios pic.twitter.com/627BO4JekK
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) March 31, 2021
Echoing The Weeknd’s statement, Nifty Gateway Co-Founder Duncan Cock-Foster said: “The Weeknd’s entry into the NFT space marks a seminal moment in NFT history. One of the most influential R&B singers of our generation creating in this new medium is huge validation for the entire NFT space. We’re thrilled to present this unique, beautiful collection to the world.”
Check out a preview of The Weeknd’s NFT auction items above.
The sale starts 4/3 at 2 p.m. EST on Nifty Gateway. Find more information here.
