Singaporean artist ShiGGa Shay is launching his debut NFT collection on April 13th at Crypto.com/NFT. This will unlock an exclusive, 16-bar freestyle song for 999 NFT holders.
The rapper’s NFT collection, entitled ‘SPACEBARS’, includes nine 3D animated cards with three types of rarity – common (900), rare (90) and ultra-rare (9).
All NFT holders, regardless of rarity, will be able to redeem an ‘Original Legendary’ NFT featuring the entire 16-bar track entitled: ‘SPACEBARS: PRELUDE’.
Shay, co-founder of the Grizzle Grind Crew said: “NFTs are the inevitable future. The possibilities are simply endless. I’m just fascinated and excited to figure out interesting ways to utilise this technology. Everything we know will somehow be involved with NFTs in due time.”
He continued: “What’s fascinating for me is how NFTs and blockchain technology are going to change the music industry. I’m so excited for the limitless possibilities that are going to happen with music in the NFT space.”
Shay’s NFT-inspired track SPACEBARS: PRELUDE, produced by superjdoug, is divided into three 4-bar segments, which provide the soundtrack for three animated scenes depicting Shay’s avatar in outer space.
The NFT artwork is based on Shay’s 2020 ‘365’ EP cover, illustrated by Singaporean street artist EBAO and has been rendered in 3D by Wild Portals.
According to Shay, this collaboration was formed during the worldwide COVID lockdown and all communication took place on Zoom. He hailed Wild Portals as the impetus behind the project, transforming ShiGGa Shay’s artistry into an NFT collection.
Shay added: “This was within the spirit of the Web3 community, where creatives come together to collaborate in the NFT space and create a new future.”
“[I’m] really excited about releasing this ShiGGa Shay NFT in collaboration with Crypto.com NFT [and to] explore the next phase of my musical evolution: digital art [and] music, combined with augmented reality.”
What does a ShiGGa Shay NFT include?
Additional to the exclusive track, NFT holders with rare and ultra-rare cards will be granted access to online listening sessions, where Shay and his producers will preview unreleased music. Moreover, ultra-rare NFT holders will be treated to a video shoutout from the rapper himself.
ShiGGa Shay, whose real name is Pek Jin Shen, has become a pioneering artist in Singapore, with his impressive, multi-lingual rapping style and multi-faceted talents.
As well as rapping in various local dialects, English and Mandarin, he directs and produces music videos.
Indeed, some of his music own videos, such as ‘LimPeh’, have garnered over 1 million views on Youtube.
Besides his popularity on Youtube, he’s made some impressive live performances over the years.
In 2014, he opened for Ghostface Killah and Raekwon – members of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. Then, in 2016 he performed at the White House State Dinner for Singapore after-party, where some notable attendees included Joe Biden and Henry Kissinger.
More recently, in 2021, he performed at the opening ceremony for the first-ever Global Esports Games, rapping as an avatar in mixed reality.
Now, Shay continues his journey in the Web3 realm as prepares for his debut ShiGGa Shay NFT drop on April 13th 2022, at Crypto.com/NFT, 05.00 BST.
Musicians from across Asia are embracing NFTs. Why not read our article on Sekudbeat, an EDM and Hip Hop collective of young, ambitious Indonesian NFT music artists?
