RAF Camora is the OG of hip hop in German-speaking countries – you have to go way back in Wikipedia to find an album that didn’t hit #1 on the charts. Born in Switzerland, raised in Vienna Fünfhaus, the rapper is now at the zenith of his creativity, he has a label, he produces and he releases his first NFT collection on April 22, 2022.
The object of desire is the golden record RAF was awarded for his album “Future”. 5.555 digital versions of it are minted, almost 5.200 of them as “original”, 350 pieces are “rare” and 5 very special NFTs are “legendary”. Each level comes with perks for the fans – they range from access to the online player with RAF’s Song Planet to VIP lifetime concert tickets. The minting price is set at €155, which tier you get is decided by lot.
We reached out to the RAF Camora team during this super-busy minting phase and asked them seven questions, which they collectively answered but unfortunately didn’t rap for us:
Are NFTs just boring monkey pictures or is it the liberation of artists from labels and streaming platforms? What do NFT’s mean to you, what can NFT’s be or become?
NFT’s are much more than just images. On the one hand they are art – collectibles – that show the owner’s affinity to an artist, on the other hand they are a ticket into the artist’s world, provided the right utilities are behind it. We wouldn’t call it “liberation”, because that would unfairly put labels & streaming platforms in a false light. But they are certainly a very exciting additional source of income for the artist – like merchandise, for example. … With the extra that you can be even closer to your fans through NFT’s.
You say NFTs are a way for artists to self-actualize. How do you realize yourselves with the NFT collection?
Besides the NFT’s being really intricately thought out and designed, there are two key areas: On the one hand, RAF is allowing his fans to become part of the Gold success for the first time by getting their hands on a certified gold record – in this case digital, including a physical certificate as a plaque. On the other hand, in creating a new channel where fans can communicate with RAF itself, because every NFT owner becomes part of RAF’s Close Friends list and gets access to a membership area where he/she can always be the first to get info about future drops, musical highlights and other perks.
NFTs are about value and utility. How did you determine what is encoded in your NFT? Were there any role models? What was the process creating the NFT?
There were no role models in this case, we wanted to approach the work with an open mind and create an NFT project that would appeal primarily to crypto newcomers. With easy processing, the possibility to pay by (credit-) card and a price that is roughly 50% of the usual NFT drops.
The process of creation was accompanied by RAF step by step – both artistically and musically … because you must not forget that RAF composed an original song “PLANET” for this occasion and is also wrapped in the NFT.
Fast Forward 18 months. In that span of time, some NFTs turn to gold and some turn to dust. Look ahead and tell and us what happened to the RAF Camora NFT collection.
The PLANET CAMORA collection already starts as GOLD … and time has shown that GOLD is getting better and better 😉
We can’t predict where the crypto scene will be in 18 months, there are smarter minds in this field for that. But if you ask them, they would surely point to two things: 1. the increasing acceptance and user numbers and 2. the fact that we humans have always been skeptical at first, before great technological progress has changed all our lives. (mostly for the better). Either you move with the times, or you go … with the times.
Are there more NFT projects coming from you? Maybe a raven collection?
There is definitely a second NFT project in the works. This is a very very artistic one. Planet Camora covers RAF’s musical side, the one everyone knows him for. But his real fans know that he also has a very big penchant and love for the visual arts. And it is exactly this side that we will see in the upcoming project that is being created in collaboration with some artists. If and when this project will be released depends of course on the acceptance of the fans regarding the 1st NFT project PLANET CAMORA 😉
We are curious!
