Bored Ape NFT Band to Make Music With Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake-Linked Producers

• Blockchain Council
• September 13, 2022

Universal Music Group has engaged two very real music producers who have collaborated with A-list musicians like Beyoncé, Jay Z, and Bruno Mars to work with their virtual metaverse band Kingship, which features characters based on Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT artwork.

The seasoned producers Chauncey “Hit-Boy” Hollis and James Fauntleroy will work to develop music for the NFT-inspired characters to perform in videos and immersive online metaverse environments as the co-executive producers and songwriters for the Bored Ape band.

Kingship was created by Celine Joshua and released by UMG’s 10:22 PM label. The characters of the band are based on NFTs that renowned collector Jimmy “j1mmy” McNelis licensed from the Bored Ape Yacht Club and Mutant Ape Yacht Club. It is comparable to the revolutionary virtual band Gorillaz, despite the use of certain priceless NFTs as source material.

Smash-Boy is a well-known hip-hop producer and three-time Grammy winner who has collaborated on hit singles with artists such as Beyoncé, Kanye West, Rihanna, Jay Z, and Ariana Grande. Fauntleroy, meantime, is best recognized for his compositions for artists like Bruno Mars, Beyoncé, and Justin Timberlake, with whom he has won four Grammy Awards. He has also worked with a range of other musicians to generate music.

In the August release of the Kingship teaser film, which was done in conjunction with a promotion with the M&M’s candy corporation, they first provided a sneak peek of their musical contributions to the project. Kingship revealed its own NFT project in July, along with the release of 5,000 Ethereum key cards that provide unique access to limited content and token-gated future experiences.

Digital objects like artwork, Bored Ape-style profile pictures, collectibles, and entrance tickets to online communities and real events are used to represent ownership using a blockchain token called an NFT. DappRadar research indicates that in 2021, the NFT market will have grown to a $25 billion trading volume.

The Bored Ape Yacht Club is likely the most well-known project in the region. It has accumulated a sizable number of celebrity and athlete members and has generated trading volume worth billions of dollars. The company behind the Ethereum project, Yuga Labs, raised $450 million at a $4 billion value earlier this year and is now working on Otherside, a metaverse game.

Owners of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs are free to use their photos however they see fit in order to create and sell products and derivative works of art. For usage on the packaging of cannabis and alcoholic beverages, toys, apparel, and fast food restaurants, some owners have obtained licences for their Bored Ape graphics.

The well-known producer Timbaland, who also owns an ape, has collaborated with Bored Apes musicians to create songs. Not only UMG and 10:22 PM, but other artists also see the potential at the nexus of music and Bored Apes. The music video itself was also sold as NFTs, and he also released a single as Bored Ape.

Recently, the rappers Eminem and Snoop Dogg, who both possess Bored Ape NFTs, together released the song “From The D 2 The LBC,” which features their Ape images in the music video. They not only offered limited-edition products showcasing their NFT characters but also played the song live in 3D ape avatars at the MTV Video Music Awards.

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