Snoop Dogg and Eminem will bring theirBored Ape Yacht Club(BAYC) NFTs to the VMAs this Sunday,performing from inside Yuga Labs’ upcomingmetaverse game “Otherside.”
The rap superstars will perform their song, “From the D to the LBC,” according to MTV and Yuga Labs.
“Otherside” is still in development and does not yet have a confirmed release date. According to the company, theWeb3metaverse game is currently in “Phase 1,” meaning only owners of itsOtherdeed land NFTsand select developers have been able totry out aspectsof the MMORPG-inspired title.
This VMA performance is yet another example of NFTs bleeding into mainstream culture.NFTs—unique blockchain tokens that signify ownership—have become digital status symbols for therich and famous, and Bored Apes have been co-opted for everything fromfast food restaurantstoM&Ms.
The promoters say Snoop and Eminem’s “Otherside” performance will be a never-before-seen experience. Their music video for “From the D to the LBC” came out two months ago and features 2D animations of their Bored Ape NFTs, but no metaverse footage.
Since its release, “From the D to the LBC” has been a notable success, both for the rappers and for the emerging trend ofBored Ape-themedmusic videos. The “D to the LBC” YouTube video has garnered over 46 million views and a VMA nomination for “Best Hip-Hop” song. On Spotify, the track has racked up nearly 25 million streams.