5 Black Music Artists in NFTs

Written by: Ayomide Adeleye
Edited by: Kwame “Symbolik“ Newman-Bremang

If you’ve yet to spot the trend, here’s what’s happening: the music industry is undergoing unique and deep transformations as a result of NFTs and blockchain technology. It is common knowledge that music NFTs have stormed the globe. In fact, ongoing blockchain developments and increasing adoption is proving that NFTs are here to stay. Many mainstream Black music artists such as Jay-Z, Snoop Dog, etc. are already leveraging digital assets and blockchain technology. 

Musicians’ use of NFTs goes well beyond simply changing their Twitter images to sleepy-eyed digital apes or other profile pictures (PFPs). Instead, NFTs have surpassed the notion that they are just a fleeting internet fad, and evolved to provide a new roadmap for the music industry of the future. In this post, we explain how NFTs are revolutionizing the music industry and we highlight some Black music creators who are active participants in the NFT scene. Keep reading to learn more!

What are Music NFTs?

Many identify NFTs as digital GIFs or JPEGs tied to the blockchain as digital assets, but NFTs have various categories. Music NFTs are one of the fastest-growing niches in the NFT space. NFTs are helping musical artists connect and engage with their audience in distinct ways.

A music NFT can be defined as a unique musical composition or work that is stored on a blockchain. But, music NFTs can have a broad spectrum of potential applications. For instance, they can serve as tickets to concerts, early access to new releases, and more. It is important to note that artists have the exclusive right to determine how their NFTs are used.

Music NFTs can be a valuable source of income for music artists. Let’s take a look at these two scenarios which occurred in February 2021: 3LAU, a well-known DJ and music producer, made $11.6 million by selling his album as NFTs. Another great example, Grimes, a Canadian singer, songwriter and producer, made about $6 million from her digital collection, “War Nymph,” within 20 minutes.

The truth is, these kinds of payouts would ordinarily take years for music creators to secure. However, NFTs have introduced a new framework for artists to reach their audiences by eliminating middlemen and gatekeepers from the process.

5 Black Music Artists in the NFT Space

Many black music artists and producers have harnessed blockchain and NFT technology to restructure the music industry. Artists such as Snoop Dog, Latasha, Black Dave, and more have made their songs and albums available as NFTs over the past year, and they’ve earned both money and recognition by getting into NFTs. 

Here is a list of 5 Black musicians that are active in NFTs:

• Latashá

Image Credit: Rochelle Brock

Latashá kicked off her music career with a bang. However, like many other artists, Latashá struggled for years to earn a sustainable livelihood from her craft. As she has stated, she started music in 2011 and didn’t get her first paycheck until two years later. In 2021, the rapper learned about NFTs and the amazing potential they offer.

In February 2021, she sold her first music video as an NFT and made about $1,000 within minutes. In addition to her work as a top-notch Hip-Hop singer, she’s a leader in Web3 community building. Latashá holds the position of head of community development at Zora Protocol. She’s also been teaching and supporting other music artists about NFTs and how they too can earn a living with their creative work, by leveraging NFTs and blockchain technology.

• Snoop Dogg

Image Credit: Getty Images

Snoop Dog’s activities and investments have distinguished him as an early bird as well as a respected OG in the NFT game. He released his debut NFT collection, “A Journey with the Dogg,” in March 2021.

Earlier this year, Snoop made a play that would prove to increase the profit generated from his 19th studio album, Bacc on Death Row, by letting fans acquire songs from the album as individual NFTs called “Stash Boxes.” Each Stash Box costs $5,000, which is way higher than the cost of downloading the entire album via digital streaming platforms. Indeed, Snoop Dogg is engaging within the NFT space to connect with his fans and reshape the music industry in interesting ways.

• Black Dave

Image Credit: Jordan Tarrant

Dave Curry, aka Black Dave, is well recognized for his strong involvement in the NFT music scene. With his edition piece “Black Dave, Black Comet”, he commenced his NFT adventure. Mid last year, he minted a token named, “Black Dave Verse Token” which allows its holder to redeem a verse from BlackDave at any point in the future.

• Dedeukwu

Image Credit: Painity

Dedeukwu is a Nigerian music artist who joined the NFT ecosystem in February 2021. He was onboarded by his brother, Osinachi, and Vandal of DAO Records. Dedeukwu co-founded CTRL, a group of music NFT artists who have raised the bar through their activities in the NFT space.  Dedeukwu and his collaborators have facilitated Metaverse music festivals and sold individual tracks from their albums on Opensea, Mintbase and beyond. All of this, while Dedeukwu and his team also have Metaverse construction projects on the way.

He co-founded C1 Guild, a charity Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) established on the NEAR protocol that offers creators and artists the resources they need to explore and become active in the NFT space. Remarkably, he’s putting the money he’s made to good use by assisting underserved communities around the world.

• TiKA

Image Credit: Twitter @withlovetika

TiKA is a Black multidisciplinary artist who hit the ground running when it comes to getting active with NFTs. She believes NFTs have given her wonderful art a second chance, and she intends to use her position in the Web3 space to promote inclusivity and social justice. TiKA regards the NFT space as a “place of abundance.”

Interestingly, Latasha helped to onboard TiKA into NFTs. Iris Nevins, CEO of Umba Daima, an NFT studio and network that leverages art and experiential programming to bring about equity in Web3, also played a vital role in welcoming TiKA into Web3 by promoting her work. Since getting into NFT music, TiKa NFT has had multiple successful NFT drops including “Sideways”, a beautiful audiovisual piece, “Yebo Life”, with Alan Kingdom, as well as “I love you” and “Oh My God”. TiKA is certainly setting an example for other female Black music artists.

Conclusion

Without doubt, NFTs have revolutionized the music industry. Countless participants in NFTs and Web3 music, including Black music artists, record labels, and producers, are already earning massively in the space. With more tweaks, innovations and improvements to Web3 technology, NFTs will increasingly play a central role in facilitating relationships between artists and fans. Further, NFTs will continue to allow for artists' work to be valued more equitably. New ways of engaging with, and giving back to, fans are emerging, redefining more than the music industry. It’s redefining our world! For music creators, enthusiasts and professionals, this will continue to be a trend that must be watched.

Cheers!