Posted by Eminem’s ShadyCon
Eminem has become one of the most prominent rappers in the history of the genre. His unmatched flow and lyrical genius has become a staple to anyone familiar with rap music. The Missouri born rapper, first came to prominence in 1997 with hit single “My Name is”, which another famous rapper, Dr. Dre, produced. When thinking of rap, Eminem is considered one of the “old school” rappers, however, he has proven many times that he is still connected to the modern audience.
Eminem has joined many other celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Lionel Messi in releasing a NFT collection. On April 25, 2021, the rapper released his own collection of NFTs at an event called “Shady Con”, which comes from a nickname (Slim Shady) he got when he released his hit song “The Real Slim Shady” in 2000. “Shady Con” was a virtual event celebrating the release of the NFT collection on the NFT Marketplace, Nifty Gateway. Nifty Gateway is an auction site for various NFTs that are minted on the Ethereum Blockchain. A statement on his website referring to the release said:
“I’ve been collecting since I was a kid, everything from comic books to baseball cards to toys, as well as every rap album on cassette I could get my hands on. Not much has changed for me as an adult… I’ve attempted to re-create some of those collections from that time in my life, and I know I’m not alone. I wanted to give this drop the same vibe of, ‘Oh, man I gotta get just that one or maybe even the whole set!’ It’s been a lot of fun coming up with ideas from my own collecting passion.” (NK, 2021).
We see that for Eminem, this new way to use Blockchain, is more than just about hopping on a new trend but is a way to share something that he is passionate about. The released NFTs seem to be GIFs that have an audio sample of a beat produced by Eminem attached to them. At the time of writing, all of these NFTs have sold out with the most expensive one, “STAN’S REVENGE”, bidding for $100,000. This particular NFT is of an audience of people walking a way from a stage which seems to be decorated with a giant Jason Voorhees mask, the fictious serial killer from the horror franchise “Friday the 13th”, with his trademark chainsaw on both sides of the mask. Another uses that same “Friday the 13th” theme as we see the mask hooked onto the chainsaw which is sawing a stage speaker in half. The last one is of a golden hand throwing up the middle finger, surrounded by pills, with a backdrop of the moon. All of these feature a beat played in the background and give off an “Eminem vibe” if you will. The other two NFTs, respectively named “TOOLS OF THE TRADE” AND “STILL D.G.A.F”, are both up for bid with the start price at $5,000.
Eminem’s release of his personal NFT collection shows just how versatile the rap legend is. He has once again used his creative genius to connect a childhood hobby to something that is brand new and exciting. Eminem is a great example of just how unique an NFT is and how blockchain is forever changing the way we use the internet.
Works Cited and Image References:
Williams, Tiana. “Eminem NFT Collection: ‘Shady Con’ Digital Assets, Where to Buy & More.” Capital XTRA. Capital XTRA, April 27, 2021. https://www.capitalxtra.com/artists/eminem/news/nft-collection-shady-con-nifty-gateway-sale-where-to-buy/.
Nk. “Eminem’s First NFT Drop Brings New Content: Beats, Comics and Action Figures: Eminem.pro – the Biggest and Most Trusted Source of Eminem.” Eminem.Pro – the biggest and most trusted source of Eminem | Without false modesty we can say that for almost 8 years now we are the biggest and most trusted source of Eminem-related news on both English and Russian languages. Every day we cover all events of Shady’s family, and we give millions of fans an opportunity to stay updated., April 23, 2021. https://eminem.news/nft-pr.html.
“EMINEM TO DROP FIRST NFT COLLECTION AT ‘SHADY CON’ WITH NIFTY GATEWAY THIS SUNDAY 4/25.” Eminem.com, April 22, 2021. https://www.eminem.com/news/shadycon-x-nifty-gateway.
Staff, WXYZ. “Rapper Eminem Announces Shady Con NFT Event for Sunday.” KNXV. KNXV, April 23, 2021. https://www.abc15.com/entertainment/rapper-eminem-announces-shady-con-nft-event-for-sunday.
“STAN’S REVENGE.” Nifty Gateway. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://niftygateway.com/marketplace?collection=0x5f98b87fb68f7bb6f3a60bd6f0917723365444c1&niftyType=1&tokenId=44900010001.
“TOOLS OF THE TRADE.” Nifty Gateway. Accessed November 20, 2021. https://niftygateway.com/marketplace?collection=0x5f98b87fb68f7bb6f3a60bd6f0917723365444c1&niftyType=2.
“STILL D.G.A.F.” Nifty Gateway. Accessed November 20, 2021. https://niftygateway.com/marketplace?collection=0x5f98b87fb68f7bb6f3a60bd6f0917723365444c1&niftyType=3.