Get your NFT offering right and there’s still B.I.G money to be made. So it goes for the estate of rapper Biggie Smalls AKA The Notorious B.I.G (AKA Christopher George Latore Wallace) whose recent drop of 3000 unique B.I.G images was a rapid sellout with trading now pricing some of the collection as high as $5m… Though the majority of the collection starts from a more reasonable $115 currently.
The images feature B.I.G in a variety of clothing, against a range of backdrops and holding everything from a wad of money, to a walking cane, a mic or an ‘OG Brick’ mobile phone.
Some items are – of course – rarer than others, accounting for the wide range of prices on offer when more ‘legendary’ and ‘rare’ features are found on the same image.
It’s a time honoured way of increasing the perception of value while facilitating the production of a large number of truly unique items.
Mo’ money… No problems
What makes Biggie’s drop different however is the inclusion within the sale of the rights to the audio of one of Biggie Smalls’ street corner freestyles, filmed in Brooklyn when he was just 17. In theory this not only allows owners of the NFT to use (i.e. sample) the rap in their own productions but also – collectively – gives holders of the NFTs (referred to as “The Sky’s The Limit Collective”) a share in any profits that may now come from the previously never officially released track.
The so-called “Fulton Street Freestyle” is one of the sadly departed rapper’s most regarded works, capturing the young Biggie in action and setting the scene for his meteoric rise through the 90’s, through to his never-solved murder in 1997.
The audio of this one-off performance has never been available for any kind of use previously.
Whether the enthusiastic NFT take-up is testament to the regard that fans still hold for Biggie – described by Rolling Stone magazine as “the greatest rapper that ever lived” – or the artwork and design, or the smart inclusion of the music rights is unclear, but it seems that the NFT collectible market still has plenty of clout when a drop is done right.
Daniel Griffiths is a veteran journalist who has worked on some of the world's biggest entertainment, home and tech media brands. He's reviewed all the greats, interviewed countless big names, and reported on thousands of releases in the fields of video games, music, movies, tech, gadgets, home improvement, self build, interiors, garden design and more. He’s the ex-Editor of PSM3, GamesMaster, Future Music and ex-Group Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Musician, Guitarist, Guitar World, Computer Music and more. He renovates property and writes fun things for great websites.
