Though the benchmark of Jay-Z’s discography has recently turned 25, Reasonable Doubt is currently worth far more than it ever has been.
At Sotheby’s Auction House, a non-fungible token in the form of a portrait created by Derrick Adams was inspired by the iconic, damn-near-perfect 90s record and ultimately sold for $138,600. Bidding began at $1,000 on June 24th. Hov personally contacted Adams in order to see what could be done in order to try and commemorate such a seminal piece of his artistry.
While the piece’s full title, “Heir to the Throne: An NFT in Celebration of JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt 25th Anniversary by Derrick Adams,” is a goddamn mouthful, it genuinely is quite a sight to look at. If not for the fact that people were willing to pay a child’s tuition for a digital image of Jay-Z smoking a cigar accompanied by literally no music, it’d be hard to not consider tossing a bid on it. Then, you remember, it actually sold for over one hundred thousand fucking dollars. The NFT is fully inspired by the classic cover, with the Brooklyn rapper puffing a cigar with a top hat in hand.
Nothing, and we mean absolutely nothing, could diminish the vitality of Reasonable Doubt to the hip-hop community, except maybe this. But, hey, the guy is an entrepreneur at heart. Let’s just let the legend do what he wants: pretend he’s young by dropping NFTs and donning ripped jeans. This is Hov we’re talking about.
[Via]