嘻哈與加密貨幣：反主流文化與科技革命的融合

自 1970 年代誕生以來，嘻哈文化一直擁抱科技創新，從黑膠唱片採樣到利用網路發行。如今，在區塊鏈技術的支持下，嘻哈音樂和 Web3 的整合為藝術家提供了自我所有權、創意表達和財務賦權的新途徑。雖然加密貨幣和 NFT 引起了懷疑和爭議，但支持者認為它們符合嘻哈音樂獨立、叛逆和社區建設的根源。透過擁抱 Web3，嘻哈社群有可能增加獲得經濟機會的機會，促進藝術自主性，並促進藝術家與其粉絲之間的聯繫。

Hip Hop and Crypto: A Convergence of Counterculture and Technological Innovation

嘻哈與加密貨幣：反主流文化與科技創新的融合

Half a century has elapsed since Kool Herc's legendary DJ set at his sister's party in the Bronx sparked the birth of hip hop. The world has undergone a profound transformation in that time. In the past, labels and radio stations served as gatekeepers for artists seeking to make a name for themselves; today, anyone with talent and a smartphone can record music, cultivate a fanbase, and establish a sustainable career from the comfort of their own home.

半個世紀過去了，庫爾·赫克 (Kool Herc) 的傳奇 DJ 在他姐姐在布朗克斯的派對上表演，引發了嘻哈音樂的誕生。那個時代，世界發生了深刻的變化。過去，唱片公司和廣播電台是藝術家尋求成名的把關人。如今，任何有才華和智慧型手機的人都可以在舒適的家中錄製音樂、培養粉絲群並建立可持續的職業生涯。

Given the immense success rap music has achieved on a global scale, one may question whether hip hop truly requires the integration of blockchain and cryptocurrency. Is it merely another avenue for profit, or is there a deeper connection that draws so many rappers into Web3?

鑑於饒舌音樂在全球範圍內取得的巨大成功，人們可能會質疑嘻哈音樂是否真的需要區塊鏈和加密貨幣的整合。這只是另一種獲利途徑，還是有更深層的聯繫吸引瞭如此多的饒舌歌手進入 Web3？

Rappers' Embrace of Crypto

饒舌歌手對加密貨幣的擁抱

Rapper Logic publicly disclosed in November 2020 that he had invested $6 million in Bitcoin, perhaps the largest known cryptocurrency purchase by a hip-hop artist. In June 2022, the Grammy-winning rapper behind the hit "1-800-273-8255" doubled down, telling radio personality Big Boy, "The market's down, but I'm like three to five years in my head. Don't even look at it."

Rapper Logic 於 2020 年 11 月公開披露，他已投資 600 萬美元購買比特幣，這可能是嘻哈藝術家已知的最大一筆加密貨幣購買交易。 2022 年6 月，這位格萊美獲獎說唱歌手在熱門歌曲“1-800-273-8255”背後加倍努力，告訴電台名人Big Boy，“市場下跌，但我腦子裡好像有三到五年了。不要”連看都不看一下。”

Logic is not alone in his enthusiasm. Snoop Dogg is arguably the most legendary and dedicated rapper in the Web3 space. He has experimented with NFTs and curated fan experiences accessible to token holders, and he even contemplated transforming Death Row Records into a metaverse music label. He co-founded a Web3 livestreaming platform as well.

他的熱情並不只限於邏輯。 Snoop Dogg 可以說是 Web3 領域最具傳奇色彩、最專注的饒舌歌手。他嘗試過 NFT 和為代幣持有者提供的策劃粉絲體驗，他甚至考慮將 Death Row Records 轉變為虛擬音樂廠牌。他還共同創立了 Web3 直播平台。

In a 2021 interview with Vanity Fair, Snoop explained that NFTs provide "a direct connection to my fans and my community. Unlike when you buy one of my records or download a song of mine, I can't connect with you. You dig? With NFTs, I can. [...] There is no platform or middleman filtering my message anymore."

在2021 年接受《名利場》採訪時，Snoop 解釋說，NFT 提供了「與我的粉絲和社區的直接聯繫。與你購買我的一張唱片或下載我的歌曲不同，我無法與你聯繫。你明白嗎？ 有了 NFT，我就可以 [...] 不再有平台或中間人過濾我的消息。

In 2022, Snoop collaborated with fellow Bored Ape aficionado Eminem on a BAYC-themed song and music video. For two consecutive years, 2022 and 2023, he was recognized by Cointelegraph as one of the Top 100 Cryptocurrency Influencers.

2022 年，Snoop 與 Bored Ape 愛好者 Eminem 合作製作了 BAYC 主題歌曲和音樂影片。 2022 年和 2023 年連續兩年被 Cointelegraph 評為 100 名加密貨幣影響者之一。

Soulja Boy is another rapper with a long-standing affinity for Bitcoin, having named a 2018 song after the cryptocurrency. Despite his excitement over the financial gains he has made from the cryptocurrency, he has also been accused of promoting various pump-and-dump schemes and NFT scams.

Soulja Boy 是另一位對比特幣有著長期喜愛的饒舌歌手，他以加密貨幣命名了 2018 年的一首歌曲。儘管他對從加密貨幣中獲得的經濟利益感到興奮，但他也被指控推動各種拉高拋售計劃和 NFT 詐騙。

Most recently, Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan released new music as Bitcoin Ordinals, allowing holders to use the music as they wish under a Creative Commons Zero license.

最近，Wu-Tang Clan 的 Ghostface Killah 發布了新音樂作為比特幣序號，允許持有者在知識共享零許可下按照自己的意願使用這些音樂。

Others have explored tokenizing the royalties associated with their songs. Nas, whose debut album, "Illmatic," is widely regarded as one of the greatest hip hop records of all time, had a highly successful drop on the Royal platform in January 2022. Collectors who purchased the accompanying NFTs received a portion of the royalties generated by his songs "Rare" and "Ultra Black."

其他人則探索了將與他們的歌曲相關的版稅代幣化。 Nas 的首張專輯《Illmatic》被廣泛認為是有史以來最偉大的嘻哈唱片之一，該專輯於 2022 年 1 月在皇家平台上取得了巨大成功。他的歌曲“Rare”和“Ultra Black”產生。

Nas was also an early investor in Coinbase and likely netted a substantial profit of $40 million or more when the exchange went public in 2021. He was recently spotted with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong at a get-out-the-vote event hosted by Stand with Crypto, an advocacy group promoting pro-crypto policies. At the event, Nas referred to cryptocurrency as an "innovative, fresh, new, exciting, different way to connect with central banks and change things in a more convenient way."

納斯也是Coinbase 的早期投資者，當該交易所於2021 年上市時，他可能獲得了4000 萬美元或更多的可觀利潤。一起參加了Stand with 主辦的投票活動。在活動中，納斯將加密貨幣稱為「創新、新穎、令人興奮、不同的方式，可以與央行聯繫並以更方便的方式改變事物」。

Convergence of Counterculture and Technological Innovation

反文化與技術創新的融合

Numerous up-and-coming rappers have also been bitten by the blockchain bug. So, what is the allure of crypto for rappers? To begin, both hip hop and crypto are deeply rooted in counterculture and rebellion.

許多嶄露頭角的說唱歌手也受到了區塊鏈的困擾。那麼，加密貨幣對饒舌歌手的吸引力是什麼？首先，嘻哈音樂和加密貨幣都深植於反主流文化和反叛之中。

From N.W.A and Public Enemy to Dead Prez and Immortal Technique, hip hop has a long and storied history of challenging authority and addressing issues affecting urban communities, such as poverty and police brutality. Similarly, Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin emerged from the ashes of the 2007-2008 financial crisis as an anti-establishment challenge to the authority of the traditional financial system.

從 N.W.A 和 Public Enemy 到 Dead Prez 和 Immortal Technique，嘻哈在挑戰權威和解決影響城市社區的問題（例如貧困和警察暴力）方面有著悠久而傳奇的歷史。同樣，中本聰的比特幣從 2007-2008 年金融危機的廢墟中崛起，作為對傳統金融體系權威的反建制挑戰。

Hip hop and Web3 also share a common emphasis on self-ownership and control, according to musician and NFT creator Latashá, who began her career as a rapper but now identifies as an "artist and world-builder."

音樂家兼 NFT 創作者 Latashá 表示，Hip hop 和 Web3 都強調自我所有權和控制權。

"Jay-Z, to me, is like a predecessor, [and] Nipsey Hussle is a predecessor of Web3." She tells Magazine that "their whole mentality was about independence. It was about ownership. It was about keeping everything as much as possible."

“對我來說，Jay-Z 就像一個前輩，而 Nipsey Hussle 則是 Web3 的前輩。”她告訴雜誌，“他們的整個心態都是關於獨立。這是關於所有權。這是關於盡可能保留一切。”

"I think it goes back to the beginnings of hip hop and what hip hop really was about before the industry kind of took it over, which, to me, is about that experimentation, that ability to sell a CD out of your trunk. That kind of vibration is what I really loved about music and hip hop, and I still resonate with it through Web3."

「我認為這可以追溯到嘻哈音樂的起源，以及在行業接管它之前嘻哈音樂的真正含義，對我來說，這就是那種實驗，一種從你的行李箱裡出售 CD 的能力。那種振動是我真正喜歡音樂和嘻哈的地方，我仍然透過Web3 與它產生共鳴。

Nipsey Hussle, who was tragically shot and killed in 2019, was an ardent believer in cryptocurrency. In 2018, Nipsey described crypto as "a form of karma":

Nipsey Hussle 於 2019 年慘遭槍殺，他是加密貨幣的狂熱信徒。 2018 年，Nipsey 將加密貨幣描述為「一種業力形式」：

"The banks had such a crooked model that the engineers and software designers and programmers was like 'We not gon fix this with a protest, we not gon fix this with a march on Wall Street. We gon fix this with technology.' And they created an equalizer that just, it checkmated the whole game."

「銀行的模型如此扭曲，以至於工程師、軟體設計師和程式設計師都說『我們不會透過抗議來解決這個問題，我們不會透過華爾街遊行來解決這個問題。我們會用科技來解決這個問題。 '”他們創造了一個均衡器，將整場比賽都將死了。

Get Rich or Die Tryin' with NFTs

試著用 NFT 致富或死去

Nipsey Hussle was also a real-world pioneer of many signature NFT moves, such as item scarcity and peer-to-peer commerce. In 2013, he made a highly limited run of 1,000 physical copies of his mixtape "Crenshaw" and sold them for $100 each. Supporters rallied around the hashtag #ProudToPay.

Nipsey Hussle 也是許多標誌性 NFT 舉措的現實世界先驅，例如物品稀缺性和點對點商業。 2013 年，他限量發行了 1,000 張混音帶「Crenshaw」實體版，每張售價 100 美元。支持者聚集在#ProudToPay 標籤周圍。

In 2015, he repeated the experiment, this time pressing an even more limited edition of just 100 copies of his mixtape "Mailbox Money" and selling them for $1,000 apiece.

2015 年，他重複了這個實驗，這次他的混音帶《Mailbox Money》限量發行了 100 張，每張售價 1,000 美元。

Fans could listen to both projects for free online — in the same way anyone can view a Bored Ape JPEG online — but purchasers received a limited edition collectible and the verifiable knowledge that their money went directly to the artist. This strategy is widely used by musicians today with music NFTs.

粉絲可以免費在線收聽這兩個項目——就像任何人都可以在線觀看 Bored Ape JPEG 一樣——但購買者會收到限量版收藏品，並且可以證實他們的錢直接流向了藝術家。如今，音樂家在音樂 NFT 中廣泛使用了這種策略。

Nipsey's entrepreneurial spirit is deeply rooted in hip hop, where music has provided many with an escape from poverty and an opportunity to live a previously unattainable lavish lifestyle of financial security. From jewelry to luxury cars and expensive clothing, rappers have earned a reputation for flaunting and showcasing their wealth.

尼普西的創業精神深深植根於嘻哈音樂，音樂為許多人提供了擺脫貧困的機會，並有機會過著以前無法實現的財務安全的奢華生活方式。從珠寶到豪華汽車和昂貴的服裝，說唱歌手因炫耀和展示自己的財富而贏得了聲譽。

Likewise, crypto is replete with tales of astronomical gains, fast Lamborghinis, and is perceived as an avenue for wealth creation in a world where the odds are stacked against those without existing wealth. The reality is that despite their deep cultural roots, both crypto and rap music have their fair share of participants who are solely driven by profit maximization.

同樣，加密貨幣充滿了天文數字般的收益、快速的蘭博基尼的故事，並被視為在一個沒有現有財富的人面臨巨大困難的世界中創造財富的途徑。現實情況是，儘管加密貨幣和饒舌音樂有著深厚的文化根源，但它們都有相當一部分純粹受利潤最大化驅動的參與者。

Hip Hop and Crypto as Technological Innovations

嘻哈與加密貨幣作為技術創新

Hip hop and crypto are both rooted in a culture of technological creativity and innovation.

嘻哈和加密貨幣都植根於技術創造力和創新的文化。

"Marley Marl invented the sample, right?" notes Renata Lowenbraun, music attorney and CEO of independent music Web3 platform Infanity, which primarily focuses on hip hop and R&B.

“樣品是馬利·馬爾發明的，對嗎？” Renata Lowenbraun 指出，她是音樂律師兼獨立音樂 Web3 平台 Infanity 的首席執行官，該平台主要專注於嘻哈和 R&B。

She also highlights the significance of MP3s, as rappers were among the first musicians to wholeheartedly embrace this novel distribution method through online mixtapes, pioneered by artists like Lil Wayne in the mid-2000s.

她還強調了MP3 的重要性，因為說唱歌手是第一批全心全意地透過線上混音帶接受這種新穎的發行方法的音樂家之一，這種方法是由Lil Wayne 等藝術家在2000 年代中期開創的。

The foundation of rap was built upon repurposing old technology to create something entirely new and unique. Turntables became instruments, and vinyl records became samples from which new songs were created. Today, developers fork existing blockchain protocols to create something unique, while memes on Crypto Twitter are constantly being flipped and remixed.

說唱的基礎是建立在重新利用舊技術來創造全新和獨特的東西的基礎上的。轉盤成為樂器，黑膠唱片成為創作新歌曲的樣本。如今，開發人員分叉現有的區塊鏈協議來創造獨特的東西，而加密推特上的迷因不斷被翻轉和重新混合。

"I think the culture of hip hop and the ancestors of hip hop, even, always were technologically advanced, always were thinking about how to do things differently," says Latashá.

「我認為嘻哈文化和嘻哈的祖先，甚至總是技術先進，總是在思考如何以不同的方式做事，」拉塔沙說。

"I think hip hop is literally technology in itself, and so it only makes sense that it would be correlated with Web3."

“我認為嘻哈本身就是技術，因此它與 Web3 相關才有意義。”

Crypto as an Alternative to the Music Industry

加密貨幣作為音樂產業的替代品

Web3 also provides an alternative path to success outside the clutches of major record labels, which have a reputation for being exploitative, controlling, and predatory.

Web3 還提供了一條擺脫主要唱片公司控制的成功之路，這些唱片公司以剝削、控制和掠奪而聞名。

"It is sort of the first time that if you happen to be somebody who is an independent artist and really wants to be successful without relying on streaming or the major labels, you can do that," argues Lowenbraun.

「這有點像第一次，如果你碰巧是一名獨立藝術家，並且真的想在不依賴串流媒體或主要唱片公司的情況下取得成功，你就可以做到，」洛文布勞恩說。

Her company, Infanity, recently partnered with The Hype Magazine, a legendary hip hop magazine, to raise awareness within the hip hop community about the transformative power of Web3.

她的公司 Infanity 最近與傳奇嘻哈雜誌 The Hype Magazine 合作，以提高嘻哈社群對 Web3 變革力量的認識。

The publication was the first to feature cover stories on rappers such as Ludacris and Soulja Boy and, further attesting to hip hop's embrace of new technologies, was also one of the earliest publications to go digital.

該出版物是第一本以 Ludacris 和 Soulja Boy 等說唱歌手為封面故事的出版物，進一步證明了嘻哈音樂對新技術的擁抱，也是最早走向數位化的出版物之一。

Hype Magazine founder Jameelah "Just Jay" Wilkerson tells Magazine that it was Web3's ability to empower artists that initially caught her attention.

Hype 雜誌創辦人 Jameelah “Just Jay” Wilkerson 告訴 Magazine，最初引起她注意的是 Web3 賦予藝術家權力的能力。

"I was like, 'So, we can give artists control of their legacy rights to their stuff?' You know, this is not something that happened in my lifetime. I've been 21 years in, and I have never seen that. I've always seen labels control everything."

「我當時想，『那麼，我們可以讓藝術家控制他們的作品的遺產權嗎？’你知道，這在我的一生中並沒有發生過，而且我從來沒有見過這樣的事情。

"This is the first time that I've met people in the entertainment industry who are willing to teach the artists how to keep their ownership and make

「這是我第一次見到娛樂界的人願意教導藝人如何保持所有權並做出貢獻