Rick Ross is launching his first VIP Exclusive Collection of NFTs in collaboration with HitPiece. In Big Boss fashion, Rozay is bringing the metacommunity together in a big way. Collectors will benefit from perks like access to Ross’ Rozay World: The Promised Land. This will allow them to get exclusive gifts from his personal collection. The VIP experience will give fans an exclusive experience by enabling them to tour Ross’s mansion and even be him in the metaverse.
Rick Ross calls NFTs the “new receipts” because of their representation and exclusivity of actual items.
Check out the teaser video below:
The NFT space is still a huge source of marketing and inclusivity since its rise to popularity. FM spoke with HitPiece, the company, and got the low down on The Boss himself and how they curated the NFT collaboration.
HitPiece: Bridging Artists and Fans Through NFTs
Navigating the NFT space may seem lightyears ahead of time. However, HitPiece has mastered the art of creating inclusivity across all genres for the most loyal fans.
FMHipHop: There has been a rise in the use of crypto over the past couple of years. While I don’t want to say it’s untapped, has this always been a part of the HitPiece business venture, or did you see an opportunity and was it something you decided to take on because it was so new?
HitPiece: Great question. So my background is in the record business. I actually bought bitcoin in 2014, and I was always very curious about blockchains. Blockchains can provide other valuable services as well by ownership of digital assets. That’s why NFTs have taken off in the art world, and more specifically, they’re a way to make X number of copies. Those are verified and authenticated by the blockchain, so the fans or the collector know that they are authentic from the artist or one of the few that exist. They inherently have value because they’re connected with the artist.
FMHipHop: NFTs and crypto have seen more hype but may have died down. Do you think it’s because of a crypto-literacy issue of not knowing how to break into the space, or do you feel the demand is high and only a select few survive?
HitPiece: I think with any influx of technology, you do see a lot of projects that don’t have any long-term value, and they eventually just get weeded out. So if you are watching an NFT collection or some sort of Web3 community, you have to be providing value to your collectors and interest in your collection long term. That’s why some artists like Rick Ross, we think, are really going about it the right way by not launching a huge collection.
So for him, it’s about wanting to engage his hardcore fans and an opportunity to connect with him in a new and exciting way, both in the real world and in the metaverse. He’s allowing them to receive items from his personal collection or items he may have worn in a music video, limited merchandise, and all sorts of things both in the real world and the metaverse. We think this is really the right way to engage your community, to engage them and keep them excited and give them a sense of ownership in what you’re building.
FMHipHop: What more can you expect from Rick Ross? We know that he is an extravagant, larger-than-life thinker. I’d love to hear more about the creative process between you guys. Did he pitch his ideas, and you all execute them, or did HitPiece have some reign in the creative space?
HitPiece: He was definitely a pleasure to work with and a complete professional. And on top of it, it’s been a really great experience so far. Rick was kind enough to open up his home one day, and we were invited to shoot some content there. Just a fun anecdote, when we were there to view the collection, he happened to be having all of his clothes taken out of his closet, and he was going live on Instagram talking about how is he a hoarder or is he a collector because he has all these amazing clothes. Then I was like, “you’re not a hoarder; you’re a collector.” He started using these sorts of adlibs I gave him on his Instagram Live.
I thought it was funny, I didn’t think anything of it but then 2 hours later, the phones were buzzing because it had been picked up by People magazine. I only cite that as a surreal experience. Rick’s life is a larger-than-life experience and so much fun.
We actually came up with avatars of Rick that people will actually be able to be him and hang out with him in a virtual world at his home. And again, because they’re super rare, they will be able to inherit value. Rick actually loved that idea, that idea that, um, we were creating this world that people could actually be him, so it’s cool to be able to do something like that. One of the things we’re looking into is including his car collection. We are really hoping to do something amazing with that.
FMHipHop: Yes, he definitely has an impressive car collection. What are some other collaborations fans can expect within the Rozay collaboration with HitPiece?
HitPiece: Definitely, there’s Belaire, the champagne company, and their associated spirits. Also, with Wing Stop, which everyone knows he’s a franchise owner of. There are no official partnerships with any of the brands yet, but look out for some brands to possibly want to collaborate.
As far as HitPiece, we have some things coming up with Lil Gotit, 808 Mafia, and a lot of developing artists who are using the Web3 community as a way to build up their community prior to taking the next step in their career if that makes sense.
FMHipHop: That’s awesome, and we will definitely be on the lookout for these upcoming collabs. This has been great, and before we go, I would like to know what advice you would give anyone who is trying to invade the NFT space and build longevity? How can they take full advantage of what the crypto space has to offer?
HitPiece: I would definitely say you’d have to be long-term-minded here. You can’t just launch and bring it about, or else it will not work. The community will not support it. Two, invite the community into the decisions about what you want to do. That is a really exciting way to invite them in and give them a sense of ownership and a say in what you’re doing and how you’re maintaining.
One of the strategies we’re actually implementing is inviting everyone who’s signed up for updates on the Rick Ross collection. We’re asking them how they want this collection to be released. In Web3, you have these outlets which can gage certain wallets and allow you to buy an NFT before other people. There’s a mixed sentiment, so we’re actually asking the community if they would prefer that. So that’s a way we’re engaging that community. For artists, I will say be creative. This is a whole new world, it can be something super simple. It doesn’t have to be something super complex. It can be as complex as they want. The complexity around these collections. It’s actually rather interesting to collectors.
The last thing I’d say is collaboration. I always tell other genres to look at what Hip-Hop does and is doing. Everyone always collaborates with each other. It’s working. You’re starting to see it in the Web3 community. They’re flowing together and constantly building each other up. I think that as a world, we have a lot to learn from that. It’s a beautiful thing that I will say hip hop has actually taught and set the essence of collaborations.
The Future of Marketing
NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, have become a hot commodity since the rise in the popularity of cryptocurrency. Whether you are crypto-literate or just looking for a piece of the pie, NFTs bridge the gap of VIP status in the meta world.
The NFT space is still a huge source of marketing and inclusivity since its rise to popularity. We look forward to the ever-expanding knowledge and opportunities of the Meta space.
Written by Antoinette Ford
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