Source: Illust / Illust
With the recent exploding interest in cryptocurrency and NFTs (non-fungible tokens), the hip-hop crowd is also making sure to get its own piece of the action. The Wu-Tang Clan may soon be releasing 36 original copies of a 400-pound book, but, before his passing, it appeared rap’s legendary mystery man MF DOOM was well ahead of the curve on the trend.
Starting last October, eleven signed augmented reality MF DOOM masks were being auctioned on the NFT marketplace Illust Space. And the bidding on a second drop of masks finally closed this past Friday (March 12) for healthy sums of crypto. Illust Space’s CEO Rob McCarty said the opportunity to work with DOOM “represents a tipping point for augmented reality, the NFT market, and the ubiquitous digital layer that is a battleground for big tech.”
Purchasers of the AR masks can virtually wear them at any time in the real world and authenticate ownership through web AR and geolocation technology. Sales of the masks sold ranged from as low as 9.5000 Ethereum (approximately $17,000) for the Black Sludge Mask to as high as 450.0000 Ethereum (~ $810,000) for his Mummy Mask.
McCarty believes the Illust Space app levels the playing field versus some of the larger tech players and that it can empower creatives when it comes to the NFT and augmented reality spaces. “With Snap, Instagram, Niantic, Adobe, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Apple fighting for augmented reality platform dominance, the least we can do is ensure an equitable system for artists to create, sell, and track their work.”
He also highlighted the point that “sadly, MF DOOM passed on Oct 31st, 2020, one day following the close of the original Illust Space beta auction making this one of MF DOOM’s final collaborations. Due to blockchain’s immutable and decentralized ledger technology, all of MF DOOM’s AR NFT collection will be available for future generations of fans and collectors, creating a new model for royalties and posthumous creative control legacies.” Accordingly, ten percent of proceeds from the auction will go to DOOM’s estate to fund upcoming projects and support the Dumile family.
