The Breaks
Kurtis Blow offers hiphop’s first ever Gold Record as a NFT
“The Breaks” as NFT
Hiphop pioneer Kurtis Blow offers the first RIAA certified Gold Record plague in hiphop history as NFT. The award for “The Breaks” from 1980 is sold as a “near-perfect” digital rendering.
Through the site, OpenSea.io fans will be able to buy the plaque in an auction.
“The first classic Hip Hop NFT collection”
A total of 41 numbered editions will be offered for sale in a 41-hour long auction. The starting price is 0.41 ETH, which corresponds to just under 950 € at the current price. The auction will start on Friday, June 4th at 9 AM PT.
The number 41 is meant to represent the 41 years that have passed since the release of the hit.
The award’s digital rendering was co-created by Kurtis Blow’s son, Michael Walker. The Stanford graduate is a multimedia artist and founder of mixed reality design lab Godspeed Labs. They created the NFTs together with Launch, a live streaming music membership service.
“My generation doesn’t always acknowledge authentic Hiphop history, and older generations aren’t into the NFT space. It’s an honor to be able to bridge the gap with my father.”
Kurtis Blow was an absolute pioneer in his day. Not only did he get the first gold record for hiphop with The Breaks. He was also the first rapper with a major deal and one of the first rappers with an advertising deal. In 1986, he starred in a national ad for Sprite.
“So many firsts are accredited to my career and legacy. ‘The Breaks’ becoming certified may have been the biggest moment.”
NFTs and Hiphop
Kurtis Blow is far from the only rapper trying his hand at the NFT game. Recently, Eminem’s release of his own tokens made big waves. The Rap God offered a wide variety of digital artworks in a large event that went by the name of ShadyCon. The sale was supposed to be reminiscent of a comic convention, where collectors come together and exchange their works.
The centerpiece of the collection, a unique work named “Stan’s Revenge”, was sold in an auction to fellow rapper Tom MacDonald for around $100,000.
The trend has now also arrived in Germany. German rap mogul Xatar released his own NFT together with the art collective “Sucuk und Bratwurst” to celebrate the anniversary of the release of his album “Baba aller Babas”. Besides the digital artwork, it also included an exclusive track.
