update: the Gimbap NFT collection sold out in 24 hours. stay in the loop about future drops via our website, Twitter or Discord.
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after 7 years in New York City and San Francisco, then 18 months exploring 30 countries, i settled down in Seoul with a goal: become a k-pop musician.
and to be honest, so far so good. i co-star on a hit reality tv show, am a weekly radio guest, have inbound entertainment opportunities pouring out of my ears, and am getting in great shape to boot.
however, while leaving the tech industry was at first a blessing, i’m feeling withdrawals in this 11th month of my k-pop experiment. i just love making stuff without permission, sharing it with strangers, and rapidly iterating.
so i’m jumping back into technology, but with a twist: i challenged myself to merge music, Korea, culture, language, and code into one.
the result? NFTs.
what are NFTs?
an NFT is a non-fungible token. it’s an immutable asset that lives on a decentralized, publicly verifiable ledger known as a blockchain.
in 2021, NFTs are among the hottest applications of crypto technologies. confession: i’ve spent more on my NFT portfolio in the last 30 days than real-life art in my entire life combined.
NFTs and Korea
since i’ve dedicated myself to learning the Korean language, producing and performing great music, and adapting to the local culture, there was no way i could find room to do anything else unless it overlapped with these goals.
so remember that reality show i mentioned? well, it’s actually a cooking show. and one of the most fun episodes we filmed was making a dish called Gimbap.
to begin sharing Korean culture with my Western fans and followers, today i bring you my NFT collection: Gimbap.
Introducing Gimbap
without sounding too Halt And Catch Fire, the vision of Gimbap is not simply to release limited collections of digital art.
more than that, i intend to drop at least 2 more collections that each have P2E (play to earn) or similar associated utilities.
without giving too much away, imagine if you could…
- build your own k-pop singing group
- compete with other players in a “fantasy idol” online arena
- earn real crypto tokens after winning a dance-off?
ok i gave away too much. a k-pop dapp NFT game is exactly what i’m working on.
but first, Gimbap.
launching today
in typical startup, agile fashion, today i’m releasing my first limited-edition (52 pieces) collection with the help of Seyoung (design) and Chase (ops).
if every piece sells for its listed price we’ll make 0.7 ETH, or roughly $2,450. but our Roadmap will trigger 50% of these funds to be donated to a suicide prevention charity in Korea (update: donation made).
i’m looking forward to further intersections of doing good, giving back, creating art, and building technology.
i also encourage you to check out our Gimbap collection and consider supporting the cause – art starts at just $39 USD per piece, and you own the rights to print physical copies for your home museum.
Gimbap is available for public sale at 12am, September 15 Seoul standard time (GMT +9), or 11a EST.