From Logan Paul buying 42 NFTs from the World of Women collection for $850,000 and selling one item at $750,000 to Snoop Dogg joining the Faze Clan as a content creator and board director, it is no longer news that renowned celebrities have joined the NFT craze and are churning up huge benefits from it. While some of them leverage the industry to foster a good cause or make a difference in society, others simply promote NFTs, utilizing their influence to amass personal gains. Whatever their reasons, this article has all the details on celebrities keen on a share of the pie in the NFT industry.
Celebrities that have Launched NFTs
Snoop Dogg
In 2021, the American rapper released "A Journey with the Dogg," an NFT collection based on life memories, memorable lines, artwork, and an original "NFT" track. The collection also came with "Snoop Dogg Coins,” inspired by the Doge cryptocurrency, and the rapper earned $100,000 for just one of the items sold during the NFT drop, which lasted only 48 hours. Snoop Dogg said about this launch: “I’ve seen the game change over the years from analog to digital, and I’m always happier when the technology lets the fans connect with the artists. "NFTs are an amazing innovation, and it is an honor to do my first drop with Crypto.com/NFT.”
In recent news, Snoop Dogg has joined one of the most popular and influential gaming companies globally, Faze Clan, as both a content creator and a member of its board of directors. In 2021, Faze Clan entered into a multi-year partnership with MoonPay, a cryptocurrency payments company, to celebrate gaming, esports, and entertainment. With plans to build an NFT community, Snoop’s creativity will be highly instrumental.
Paris Hilton
After launching her first NFT with Super Plastic, a vinyl toy and digital collectibles company supported by Google Ventures and Justin Timberlake in 2019, the queen of pop culture and prominent businesswoman, Paris Hilton, donated the profits realized for charity in 2020. At the NFT awards ceremony that same year, the NFT was awarded Best Charity NFT. Paris further sold a collection of 141 pieces of NFTs for $1.1 million in April 2021. The socialite most recently joined the NFT platform, Origin Protocol as an investor and strategic advisor to assist people in minting their own NFTS and selling them on the site's marketplace.
Lindsay Lohan
In February 2021, Lindsay Lohan, the "Mean Girls" celebrity, plunged into the space by releasing her token on Rarible, which sold for over $50,000. In addition, she released an NFT single, “Lullaby”, on the marketplace, Fansforever, which brought in over $85,000, and she has also sold a $15 thousand NFT of the now-defunct EDM combo, Daft Punk. Commenting on the emerging digital technologies, she said: “I see a future where crypto, NFTs, and blockchain will be the norm, rather than the exception.”
Eminem
On December 30th, 2021, the American rapper, composer, and record producer made waves in the metaverse by purchasing a Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT costing 123.45 Ether — approximately $450,000. Eminem has been dealing in NFTs for quite some time. Earlier in April 2021, he’d raised $1.78 million through his first NFT collection on Stans launched on Nifty Gateway. Digital action figurines, Eminem's video characters, and original instrumental tracks were among the products sold in the collection. In addition to this, Slim Shady owns 284 NFT collectibles from 48 collections, according to dappradar.com metrics.
Shawn Mendes
Los Angeles singer and songwriter Shawn Mendes joined the NFT marketplace, OpenSea, and collaborated with Genies on an NFT based on his album "Wonder." Mendes gained more than $600,000 by introducing digital wearables such as guitars, vests, necklaces, and earrings, which were available for purchase. A simple note attached to the collection said to fans: “Inspired by my Wonder album, I’m dropping collectible Genie Moments to raise funds to amplify, uplift, and empower young digital artists who are using their talent to create positive social change.” According to Akash Nigam, CEO of Genies, he sold $1 million in digital goods in 10 minutes, channeling all profits made to the Shawn Mendes Foundation to support young artists in the digital space as promised.
Lionel Messi
Star and football champion Lionel Messi jumped on the train In August 2021 with “Messiverse”, a collection of pieces highlighting accomplishments, memorable moments, teamwork, and future goals. His NFT collection includes pieces titled "Man from the Future," "Worth the Weight," and "The King Piece," among others. The artist BossLogic created crypto art for the NFT, and in response, this fine collection sold for $3.4 million on the first day of its release. The legend tweeted about the launch: “Art is like football. Eternal.”
Katy Perry
The famous musician and songwriter Katy Perry collaborated with Theta Network on her first batch of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for fans worldwide on the ThetaDrop marketplace. The collection launched on December 15 and featured digital collectibles on the personal content "The Roar Package: Looking Back While Moving Forward." The collection sold out in a record-breaking 95 minutes and raised $1.2 million in primary purchases and $860 thousand in secondary sales. Katy Perry wants to drop another collection this year, which she has called “The Witness Dice”.
Other celebrities who launched NFT collections include Melania Trump, Shaquille O’Neal, and The Bangtan Boys (BTS).
Celebrities that have bought NFTs
One of the popular NFT collections bought by celebrities is Bored Apes. The "Bored Ape Yacht Club" collection of NFTs gained popularity in 2021 and garnered over $1 billion in total transaction volume, attracting 6,082 owners worldwide. Some celebrity owners include:
Snoop Dogg
Snoop owns a variety of NFTs from collections like the Bored Ape Yacht Club, Mutant Apes, and CryptoPunks. He disclosed in September 2021 that he is the person behind the anonymous Cozomo de' Medici, a well-known NFT collector Twitter account that began in August. He stated that he intended to keep his NFT firm apart from his other endeavors.
Stephen Curry
The three-time NBA champion and co-creator of the TV comedy "Holey Moley" bought his Bored Ape NFT for around $180,000 worth of ETH at that time.
The Chainsmokers
In September 2021, at approximately $210,000, The Chainsmokers bought a Bored Ape NFT. They also adopted the Bored Ape as their Twitter avatar.
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban, the billionaire investor and "Shark Tank" celebrity, received his Bored Ape as a present in May 2021, and it has since appreciated, bringing in massive returns.
Jimmy Fallon
The “Tonight Show” host got his Bored Ape for $224,000 worth of ETH in early November.
Some others in the Bored Ape Club, in no order, include Gwyneth Paltrow, Eminem, Meek Mill, DJ Khaled, Future, Post Malone, Timbaland, Rich the Kid, Serena Williams, and Justin Bieber. Many more celebrities have joined the club on an exhaustive list. However, many celebrities have bought NFTs from other collections such as Mutant Apes and Crypto Punks. Some of them include:
Lil Baby with a Twitter profile pic of a mutated Bored Ape (Mutant Ape), Snoop Dog with two Mutant Apes, and Shaquille O’Neal, who not only bought a Mutant Ape but went on to launch his NFT collection. CryptoPunk owners include Jay Z, Gary Vee, Logan Paul, Serena Williams, Heidi Klum, Jason Derulo and Steve Aoki, to mention just a few.
Some other famous NFT collections bought by celebrities are World of Women (named one of Boardroom’s best NFTs of 2021), VeeFriends, and Cool Cats.
Conclusion
Many celebrities are convinced that NFTs are here to stay. Their eagerness and astute involvement have facilitated the industry's growth in reaching more people and demonstrating the value of NFTs. As a result, there are many opportunities to explore. Celebrities like Paris Hilton and Snoop Dogg are ready to explore these possibilities and expand their art's potential.
