Producers behind your faves’ hit records have collaborated for a new music venture. Hit-Boy and James Fauntleroy — who have worked with the likes of Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Rihanna — are the producers behind Bored Ape Rock Band Kingship’s album, Bloomberg reports.

Bored Ape Yacht Club non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have become popular in the Hip-Hop community. Throughout 2021, AfroTech shared reports on Timbaland, Lil Baby, and Future being fans of the collection. Recently, a few artists have invested in Yuga Labs — the Web3 firm behind Bored Ape. Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, and Gunna were a part of a $450 million seed funding round — led by a16z crypto — according to Music Business Worldwide. Other investors included Animoca Brands, The Sandbox, LionTree, Sound Ventures, Thrive Capital, FTX, MoonPay, Samsung, and more. The funding reportedly brought Yuga Labs’ valuation to $4 billion. “Yuga Labs has quickly become a web3 culture, gaming, and entertainment empire,” said Chris Lyons, general partner at a16z crypto, in a press release. “Mainstream adoption in web3 is accelerating at lightning speed, and Yuga is at the forefront of merging culture and innovation for everyone to enter the metaverse. We’re thrilled to invest in this brilliant team and...

The rise of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse are some of the biggest tech phenomenons of the year, and quite arguably some of the most notable innovations since the internet hit society. People may still be coming to terms with what NFTs are, but put more simply, NFTS are blockchain-backed certificates that guarantee the authenticity of a piece of digital media. Look what Jack Dorsey did with his first tweet, which sold as an NFT for $2.9 million. But NFT ownership doesn’t just belong to the big spenders — learn how to mint your first NFT in this recent story Afrotech published. Some experts have also expressed skepticism about the rise and sustainability of NFTs, but for now, they seem promising. As the year winds down and the NFT craze continues to consume the tech industry, check out these NFT collections and projects we’ve been watching.

Timbaland is continuing to thrive in the intersection of music and technology with his latest venture. AfroTech previously shared that the legendary producer launched his first music non-fungible token (NFT) collection in November 2021. Now, he has partnered with the owners of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), an NFT collection with celebrity collectors such as Stephen Curry, Lil Baby, Snoop Dogg and more. Timbaland and BAYC have teamed up to launch Ape-In Productions (AIP) — a metaverse-based entertainment company that aims to discover and amplify artists that are Bored Ape owners, according to a press release provided to AfroTech. Timbaland, his company Beatclub — a global marketplace for music creators — and other creators will develop music for the music company’s first set of releases. According to the press release, the AIP’s roster will feature a select group of Bored Apes who will release original music and animation in the metaverse as NFTs. AIP aims for its artists to reclaim...

Announcements of pro-athletes entering into the non-fungible token (NFT) space have been storming in during the month of August including Cleveland Browns’ Odell Beckham Jr. and tennis player Naomi Osaka. Now, Stephen Curry is one of the latest to get his hands on an exclusive NFT. According to Hypebeast, the basketball superstar purchased a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT for 55 ETH which equates to $180,000 USD. When it comes to the discussion of highly sought-after NFTs, the Bored Ape Yacht Club is a part of the conversation with its limited collection of 10,000 Bored Ape digital collectibles on the ethereum (ETH) blockchain. Hypebeast reported that the NFTs were initially selling for 0.68 ETH back in May. Now, they are 1,500 ETH ($4.8 million USD). Along with the increase of worth, Bored Ape Yacht Club shook up the market after 10,000 Mutant Apes NFTs were sold out in an hour on Aug. 28 — racking in $96 million. According to Bored Ape Yacht Club’s website, Bored Apes are...