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BY Langston Thomas
December 22, 2022
As the NFT space expands, the line between IRL and URL has continued to be blurred. This is most apparent at the intersection of digital and physical goods, but also virtual and in-person events. With virtual concerts branching outward into meatspace and physical conferences going online, numerous major brands have staked their claim on what the future of events may look like.
One such entity that recently kicked up dust at this intersection has already poised itself to be a serious contender. Months ago, Rolling Loud, the world’s largest hip-hop festival, made a splash, announcing its entrance into Web3 by way of a forthcoming large-scale PFP project called LoudPunx. Now, LoudPunx has taken another step forward, sharing a roadmap and new info about the project’s utility exclusively through nft now.
Put simply, LoudPunx is the genesis NFT collection created by Rolling Loud. It represents Rolling Loud’s first major step into Web3, despite information emerging from behind the project’s veil at a slow trickle. Nevertheless, fans can expect thousands of unique PFPs, all with varying traits, each of which grants a unique array of incentives to holders.
Sound familiar? Good, because LoudPunx is made to be straightforward. Where the project takes a major departure from others, though, is that each NFT within the collection will provide global entry into every Rolling Loud Music Festival. That means that by owning a single LoudPunx NFT, a collector could potentially attend every single Rolling Loud — from New York to Miami to Portugal, Toronto, Thailand, and beyond — for free.
“We’re kind of addressing underserved markets. You don’t see a lot of NFT collections offering meetups in Europe, you know? Some smaller meetups, maybe, but definitely not with Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar,” Rolling Loud’s Head of Web3 Ronald De Luise said in an interview with nft now. “We’re excited to bring that IRL experience [of Rolling Loud] to Web3 all over the world. And I don’t really see anyone else doing that at our size and magnitude of talent anytime soon.”
De Luise went on to note that festival entry isn’t the only incentive up for grabs for those who plan on purchasing a LoudPunx. As, at every show, there will be different tiers of entry available to holders of specific traits, as well as unique 1/1 exclusive experiences for those who pull rare tokens from the bunch. But by and large, the global initiative that LoudPunx will be bringing to Rolling Loud fans can only be communicated via the project roadmap which showcases the many locations and amenities to be included throughout the LoudPunx ecosystem.
Beyond the obvious utility that LoudPunx NFTs will present their holders, De Luise says that a secondary function of Rolling Loud’s flagship project will be to expand the horizons of the intersection of hip-hop and Web3. In commenting on the less-than-ideal history that rap/hip-hop has established thus far in the NFT space, De Luise says that he sees LoudPunx as a kind of incubator for future endeavors.
“I think [hip-hop representation in Web3] hasn’t been very good so far. There have been a lot of poorly launched projects,” said De Luise. “We kind of have an idea that LoudPunx will be an incubator for the hip-hop space. Others can look to our collection, see that it’s backed by tons of utility, and come to us for guidance.”
De Luise noted that he is critical of brands getting into the NFT space for the right reasons, and has high hopes for vetting talent that wants to bring value to their fans. “Blockchain tech is developing in a way that’s going to better serve artists, and not even just hip hop artists, to deliver to their fans,” he said.
While LoudPunx as an incubator is surely an appealing function to Rolling Loud’s Web3 fans, the project will seemingly be first and foremost of service to its holders in the hopes of creating an inclusive and thriving community. Although mint details have yet to be announced, both De Luise and his associate Charles Kieu from Rolling Loud’s Operations/and Partnerships team said that those who plan on participating should keep an eye out for more information to come over the next month.
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