Ghostface Killah, the renowned American rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan, recently revealed that he will be releasing exclusive music as Bitcoin Ordinals. In a post on the social media platform X, Ghostface announced that there will be a limited supply of 10,000 Ordinals available through a free mint. He also stated that holders of the Ordinals will have Creative Commons Zero (CC0) rights to the music, which means that the copyright interest is waived, allowing others to freely use and build upon the works.
Ghostface’s involvement in the cryptocurrency industry dates back to 2017 when he attempted to launch his own cryptocurrency company called Cream Capital. The company aimed to raise $30 million through an initial coin offering (ICO), a popular trend among celebrities at the time.
Bitcoin Ordinals are similar to nonfungible tokens (NFTs), but they are inscribed using the Bitcoin blockchain and require Bitcoin (BTC) as the minting token. As of now, there are only 1,290 audio files inscribed to Bitcoin, according to the Ord.io website.
Releasing exclusive music or the rights to previously released music as NFTs has become increasingly popular among emerging musicians. Blockchain-powered platforms like Sound.xyz and Audius have provided musicians with more control over their content.
While it is common for artists to release exclusive music and offerings as NFTs, using Bitcoin Ordinals as a means for musicians to release exclusive music and fan perks is less common.
Although Ordinals’ popularity in the crypto space has diminished since their initial introduction in 2023, they recently experienced a resurgence in weekly sales, surpassing Ethereum (ETH).
Notably, big-name brands have shown interest in Ordinals. The NFT marketplace SuperRare expanded into Bitcoin Ordinals and introduced a new collection called “No Brainers.”
In February, a Bitcoin inscription campaign aimed at preserving classic video games saw the emulation of the Nintendo 64 (N64) home video game console.
Cape Town, South Africa, has emerged as a digital-nomad crypto hub, attracting crypto enthusiasts and offering a crypto city guide.