The art and blockchain were forever changed on March 11, 2021, with the sale of “Everydays: The First 5000 Days,” by Mike “Beeple” Winkelman, the first-ever NFT-linked digital collage sold at the British auction house, Christie’s. The digital art sold for $69.3 million.
By August 2021, Mig “Spottie Wifi” Mora sold $192,000 worth of music-related NFTs in 60-seconds. The minute sales also made Spottie the world’s first Cryptopunk rapper.
Cryptopunk, BAYC — He Got In Early
Before anyone knew what the Bored Ape Yacht Club, BAYC, was Spottie had a good feeling about them and last May bought his first ape for one Ethereum (eth) or $2,000. By June 2021 he owned five more for four and a half Ethereum. Other NFTs he owns include Cryptopunk, the Gutter Cat Gang, Famous Street Wear Brand NFTs, Lyrical Lemonade NFTs and Adidas NFTs.
“I just see myself as someone who was extremely curious about this technology from early last year,” Spottie said. “And thankfully, you know, put my money where my curiosity was. And so far, it’s paid off.”
NFT Hip Hop History
Spottie made music industry history by changing how musical artists release music and move into the blockchain. His impact and influence garnered the attention of some of hip hop’s legends like Snoop Dogg and Bun B and including French Montana.
His adventures into the metaverse with Gold-Rilla, his BAYC, got Spottie and Bun B working on their first collaboration, All Time High EP. According to Spottie, the EP release and collaboration was a celebratory moment that spotlighted his NFT success.
“Bun hopping on the song [shows NFTs] are something much more than a gimmick,” he commented at the time of release.
This year Snoop sold over $44 million worth of Stash Box NFTs for his new album B.O.D.R in less than one week after releasing 10,000 of the limited edition. He has attributed his foot in the door and success in the blockchain to Spottie. Snoop’s also on the verge of converting Death Row Records into an NFT music label.
.@SNOOPDOGG JUST GAVE ME THE BEST COMPLIMENT OF MY CAREER MUCH LOVE 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/sr55fuQTbi
— SPOTTIE WIFI (@SpottieWiFi) March 24, 2022
Not Bad For The Music Industry Dropout
Ten years ago, in 2012, Spottie debuted his first solo album Music For The End of The World. And though his music resonated on the Chicago scene, he didn’t make any money. Eventually Spottie decided he was finished with the music industry and quit.
Stepping into 2022 and practically eight months since the shattering record sales, the Rockford, Ill. native, now living in Miami, is getting bookings left and right. He recently wrapped his Full Set Tour through Austin, Texas, Los Angeles and Miami to promote his release of — “Full Set.” The single features BAYC, Gold-Rilla and produced by IllaDaProducer, known for working with Eminem, DJ Khaled and Megan Thee Stallion.
“Full Set” By Spottie WiFi Feat. Gold-Rilla and produced by IllaDaProducer
The release, he said, is one of many more to come. As his catalog grows, so will Gold-Rilla’s musical contributions and features. In fact, according to Spottie, more music releases will also include more performances and collaborations with other artists. Furthermore, he is now on the verge of entering more uncharted territory by preparing to formally announce his latest adventures into the cannabis space and other IRL utilities, partnerships and integrations to pair with his NFTs.
CampNova Linked Up With Spottie To Talk NFTs and Cannabis —
CampNova: Why cannabis? Why did it make sense to step in that direction?
Spottie Wifi: I’m a big believer in the power of cannabis to help people improve their quality of life, both medically and recreationally and I know a large percentage of my supporters and fans love cannabis as well. Cannabis is a big part of NFT culture and hip hop culture – and so am I, so it’s a natural fit!
CN: How are you integrating cannabis with NFTs and music?
SW: I’m proud to announce that anyone that owns one of my NFTs will receive a 30% discount on the CampNova products that my team and I are partnered with. This includes all products endorsed or promoted by Spottie WiFi, Gold-Rilla and Cheet Code. If you own an “I’m Spottie” NFT, an “All Time High” NFT or one of Gold-Rilla’s Punks Comic Issue #2 NFTs then you will be eligible for this discount.
CN: When you made that much money in one release, how did things change for you?
SW: When my album sold out instantly in August, my life changed forever – music and NFTs became my full-time job which is an incredible privilege. I owe this phase of my life and career to the people that supported me at that time – this wouldn’t be possible without them.
CN: When and at what age did you start using cannabis products?
SW: I started smoking cannabis at age 17 as a freshman at Marquette University in Milwaukee. I first learned about CBD products much later, only a few years ago. We used to call Marquette a drinking school with a basketball problem. There were a lot of parties and I ended up meeting a couple of local Milwaukee guys that would come to the parties even though they weren’t students at Marquette. They loved rap music and we would freestyle together and very soon after we met they introduced me to cannabis and smoking blunts. The rest is history.
CN: Do you think cannabis is becoming more accepted and normalized in society?
SW: Definitely, and it’s long overdue. But we need more than social acceptance, we need justice. The war on drugs has been used as an excuse to break up black and brown families and marginalize our communities for decades with devastating effects, and we need all 50 states to legalize cannabis, release individuals who are incarcerated for non-violent “crimes” related to cannabis – and we need all those criminal records expunged.
CN: Which do you prefer — indica, Sativa, hybrid?
SW: I prefer sativa because it gets my mind racing in a good way, and I do some of my best thinking and come up with great ideas that way a lot of the time.
CN: How do you integrate cannabis or CBD into your routine?
SW: When I smoke I usually smoke spliffs and that can be a catalyst for writing or just brainstorming ideas in general. I usually don’t smoke before I record or perform on stage, but more so when writing or just relaxing.
CN: How about your music?
SW: Cannabis hasn’t been a huge part of my lyrical content recently, but one exception is my song “All Time High” featuring Bun B. My music is usually geared toward people that are into crypto and NFTs, and “all-time high” is a very familiar phrase to those people relating to crypto and NFT prices – but of course, it also has a double meaning for weed lovers.
CN: What do you like about cannabis?
SW: I love that cannabis is all-natural and comes from the ground. It was put on the earth for us to enjoy and doesn’t have any of the downsides or side effects of alcohol or drugs – and it can help people with anxiety or physical pain that is hard to treat otherwise.
CN: How do you stream? What are some songs in your current playlist that stay in rotation?
SW: My favorite streaming service by far is Audius. It’s a decentralized streaming service that uses the blockchain and pays artists using the cryptocurrency – and they have shown me a lot of love over the past year! I just dropped a brand new song called “Full Set” featuring Gold-Rilla, so that’s top of my rotation right now.
- “Full Set” – Spottie WiFi feat. Gold-Rilla
- “We Set the Trends (Remix)” – Jim Jones
- “Int’l Players Anthem” – UGK
- “Coming Back” – Snoop Dogg feat. October London
- “LLC” – Money Man
CN: What artists that you haven’t worked with are interested in collaborating with?
SW: I want to work with artists that I admire musically and that are also taking the NFT space and crypto seriously – not just looking at it as a cash grab opportunity. Artists like Nas, Money Man, Jim Jones, etc. I have been working on music with Death Row Records and looking forward to collaborating directly with Snoop Dogg on a song when the time is right.
CN: What was it like working with Bun B?
SW: Bun is incredible to work with – he’s an absolute legend in the game and also one of the most humble and down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet. When we did our song together he put a lot of trust in my instincts for the remixes, the music video and the NFT drop. We performed together at a few shows and that cemented our relationship as collaborators – I’m honored to call him a good friend of mine.
CN: What other music projects/releases are in the pipeline?
SW: I just released my new song “Full Set” (produced by Illa Da Producer) a week or so ago, and I’ll be releasing a couple of remixes in the next few weeks. That will lead up to an NFT drop for the song, and then I’ve got a lot of new music in the pipeline for the rest of the year. I can’t give too much info on future releases right now, but I’m focused on collabs with mainstream artists and producers, and we have some heat in the vault that we’re excited to release soon.
CN: What happens next for Gold Rilla and Spottie?
SW: My new album and all this new music is our main focus right now, but we’re also finishing up a comic book to tell the story of how Spottie went from the metaverse to the real work – the story and the artwork are incredible, and I’m excited to share it with the world! We’re also looking forward to some big events coming up, especially NFT. NYC in June — we may have a trick or two up our sleeve for that week.
Connect with Spottie Wifi
Website: spottiewifi.com
Twitter: twitter.com/spottiewifi
Instagram: instagram.com/spottiewifi
YouTube: youtube.com/spottiewifi
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/PQwdjaqKpc
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5G1lzTKmuehgEJVnhMsAmC
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/spottie-wifi/1563702284
Audius: audius.co/spottiewifi
