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NFT NYC & Dreamverse Part 4: Feat. Varun Bajaj (The Husl), Danny Cole (Creature World), Adam Ghahramani (Untamed Elephants, Hello fam!), & Vitaliy Raskalov (On The Roof)
Jeff Kelley, Eathan Janney, and Josh Kriger are back for more interviews from one of the biggest weeks ever in NFTs. From NFT.nyc to Dreamverse to a slew of parties and events, the first week of November 2021 was monumental. In this episode, your hosts pick the brains of guests that demonstrate how diverse the world of NFTs really are. In this episode, they sit down with Varun Bajaj (The Husl), Danny Cole (Creature World), Adam Ghahramani (Untamed Elephants, Hello fam!), and Vitaliy Raskalov (On The Roof). They discuss exciting developments in the NFT space and each guest brings in a new twist showing how much room there is to take NFTs further. From music, photography, charity, imaginary creatures, real creatures, and even death-defying feats, today’s discussion once again highlights the unlimited possibilities in the world of NFT. Don’t miss it!
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NFT NYC & Dreamverse Part 4: Feat. Varun Bajaj (The Husl), Danny Cole (Creature World), Adam Ghahramani (Untamed Elephants, Hello fam!), & Vitaliy Raskalov (On The Roof)
This episode is one of the incredible series we are sharing from our visit to New York City. Keep reading for exclusive access to conversations we had at the NFT NYC Convention and Dreamverse, as well as snippets from our run-in with amazing folks on the streets and in parties in private events. We will hear from the top players in NFT, from people to GaryVee, and discover everything in between. This session is cut right from one interview to the next without much chatter between to keep you the feeling of being there in reading various conversations. We will introduce our guests as they enter.
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I’m here with Varun, who’s doing some exciting stuff around NFTs in music and has an exciting new client that we will hear about on this mini-episode at NYC NFT. Varun, how are you doing?
I’m good. Thanks for having me.
You come highly regarded, and a mutual friend of ours wants us to meet for a long time, so why not meet in person in New York City in the middle of all this NFT action? Why don’t you introduce yourself, full name, what your company is doing, favorite color or whatever works?
NFT NYC: Allowing them to enter the metaverse or the NFT space and tap into that creativity is something that separates the digital asset space from the traditional space.
My name is Varun Bajaj. I am the CEO of The HUSL. We are a music-based NFT record label. What we are doing is onboarding the music world into our digital world, which is the digital assets space. That’s almost a $3 trillion asset class. The NFT landscape is ripe and prime for artists to onboard. We need to educate and bring them on, and we are the conduit for that bridging the normie world but the normies in our case are music, celebrities known all around the world to the NFT world. That’s what we do at The HUSL.
When did you start The HUSL? From my understanding, you made a major 180 degree with your own career to do this. What compelled you to make that shift?
I’m a lawyer by profession based in California but I have been in the crypto space for a very long time since 2013. That’s when I’ve got my first bitcoin. I have always loved crypto and I started dabbling in the NFT world in 2020. I’m still doing law but my a-ha moment was in 2021, a little bit after people sold that mainstream excitement and awareness because, in 2020, it wasn’t that well-known, especially in the normie world and to music executives at that time.
It’s all about mutual connections in the crypto world. They sought me out there, two big music guys. That’s where the idea of The HUSL was born. I ended up deciding, “There’s something here, and I have a lot of connections in the crypto world. Why not build something?” I quit my job as a lawyer and have been doing this since April 2021, and I’m all in.
One of my bold predictions is that I would not be surprised in ten years if creators make more money than doctors and lawyers. We are moving into a creator economy, and this is what we have available to us with all the technology around. Creators, this is our opportunity to thrive.
With doctors and lawyers, it’s a cap-type environment but with creators, especially if they are the ones who are at the forefront of what’s going on, the sky is unlimited. The potential is there. The tools are there where we are very early. Eventually, it’s going to be very saturated, and then maybe it’s a different story but now, if you are a creator, especially in the music world, it’s your time to act and understand what’s going on, and you are very early still, regardless of what everyone in the crypto world thinks. We are very early.
Speaking in very early, we appreciate it when we get a little bit of alpha on the show. Maybe you can tell us about some of the clients you have signed and what you are up to.
Everyone knows Busta Rhymes. Busta Rhymes has been with us for quite a bit. He’s exciting in the sense that he’s a star name. More importantly, he wants to learn and be that pioneer as to his peers as what’s available and capable but it doesn’t stop there. We have music moments like Steve Rifkind. We are close to signing many people. I can’t name them yet until it’s closed but they are superstars. We don’t necessarily need a household name but we want the music world to understand what’s going on. You combine the megastars with the up-and-coming ones. It creates that ecosystem that we are trying to deliver.
What are your thoughts on all the different platforms out there, both in general from layer 1 and layer 2 levels but also the music platform? Do you see yourself as doing something fairly independent or are some collaborations in the works across the landscape of music? At the end of the day, talking to a lot of these music companies that have come on the show, they are reaching out to other music companies and all hanging out together in the same sandbox.
It’s all about collaboration. It’s not a winner take all mentality. In the music world, there are different niches for everybody to operate in, especially in a creator economy. Artist is very limited in what they can and cannot do with traditional labor. That’s why if you come to the digital asset space, and especially someone like us, we allow that creativity to shine.
One of our clients was a man named Spiff TV, who’s a huge Producer in the Latin American market. One of the things he wanted to do was combine the music-based NFT with an avatar-type project. If you went to the traditional record label and pitched that idea, they think he was absolutely crazy because it doesn’t go through the traditional mold. Allowing them to enter the Metaverse or the NFT space and tap into that creativity is something that separates the digital asset space from the traditional space. Everything works together, and there are different areas for all of us to succeed.
There’s a nostalgic element to an artist like Buster Rhymes thinking about his first hit and some of those old album covers and touring moments. Are you going to tap into nostalgia?
Nostalgia is something everyone should tap into but at the end of the day, it’s the artist’s decision. We are a platform that’s empowering the creatives. Not just Busta Rhymes, any artists that want to work with us, you want to empower them with the tools of what they can and cannot do but we will never tell them what they should do.
However, I highly encourage that celebrities and stars, and even traditional people have something with a nostalgic element because nostalgia creates excitement, loyalty and people. It’s all about a story in the NFT world. If you can create something that has a story, you are going to find a collector out there that’s going to want it. I’m all about nostalgic moments that have real value out there.
Is there anything specific on your roadmap coming up? Any drops and collabs that you can speak to?
I want to give you the best offer but I can’t. Let’s say in ten days, the course of our company could change. We were close to finalizing a massive opportunity. I will come back on after that. That would be the talk.
I’m happy to have you back on, Varun. This is a mini-interview because there’s so much happening here. We wanted to capture some of these moments and amazing people we are meeting and give our readers a taste of what’s happening inside here in New York City. What has been your experience here? Have you ever met any interesting people? Had any conversations that made you think differently about the industry?
I came in not so long ago. I took the ride from Los Angeles to be here for this event.
You don’t seem that tired.
Luckily, I’ve got some sleep but my team has been here, and it’s all about networking and being in this space. As much as I want to do that, I’m mostly focused on building this thing. In the digital asset space, once you are embedded in it in the NFT world, especially as a Creator or a CEO, you meet a lot of cool people. I have a lot of respect for my peers, especially in other music projects. It’s all a beautiful family. The digital asset space is still so small that it’s like a little fraternity and sorority in a way. It’s super cool. We all have that common ground. I’m excited after this is done, so I mingle and see some of my peers.
I will throw in a little bit of alpha. We are working on planning a conference Q1 in LA, and there will be a music component to that conference, so we will have to do something cool there.
Link up. I’m right around the corner.
Where can folks learn more about the hustle and stay in touch with you if they are excited about what you are doing?
There are two ways. Twitter is probably our best outlet where we put news. It’s @The_HUSL. I’m on Twitter as well, @CryptoSteveUrkel. I have a penguin avatar. I’m very much into that whole world. We have a Telegram group as well. Discord is still growing but I would say Twitter or Telegram or my personal is where you will find us.
Varun, thanks so much for hanging out with us and joining us on some of your busy days in New York.
Thank you.
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We are in an incredible event. I’m going to explain it a little bit from a completely bare perspective. It’s a walk into an old-fashioned movie theater here in New York City. There are crowds of people jumping in a bouncy house that’s probably like a football field long at 80 feet, blue people walking around, taking pictures of people like it’s Disneyland or something. Josh, tell me, what is this in real-life terms? What’s it called?
It’s like an adult museum park for mischief, adventure and connection. The first person I met was a chiropractor that was lured into NFTs with a Creature. He didn’t know why he got one, he decided to get one, and now he’s part of Danny’s community. I’m sure there are many people that have come to you with this story but I’m curious more about the genesis of this project and what got you here.
NFT NYC: That happy place that you make, if it’s just you experiencing it, how real is it? What we consider to be reality is really just what we agree upon.
My name is Danny Cole. I bring a magical world to life because it’s fun and makes me feel very at home.
Where did this all come from? What’s the incipient moment that this idea came to be?
When I was in preschool, my earliest memory is I would get into bed and wrap my blanket around me like a cocoon. I would close my eyes and have these pre-dreams. I wasn’t asleep yet but the moment I closed my eyes, I would see stars, objects, beings, and people floating around me in space. It was this incredibly divine, safe place, a very familiar place. We start in that place of divinity. As time goes by, we are brought to the point that we forget that place even existed but you can recognize it when you feel love, nurture, and an experience of God, some might call it.
I would see something that caught my eye in space and zoom into it, and I would be there. Some of my earliest memories there are experiencing life in the ocean as a Merman and seeing that home could be in another person. As time went on, I visited that place in my conscious less and less until I didn’t remember what home felt like.
I was very lonely and not happy to be alive. When you are in that place, you have two options. You accept where you are or you make where you are a place that you are happy to be because there’s no changing that. You don’t get to leave but you can bring to the place that we are all stuck in a place that you want to be. That is Creature World.
**You may have an alternate description of this but I like to tune in for the readers. For the last minute or two, Danny described as his eyes closed. Would you have an alternate description when it said your eyes became your skin or can I say your eyes were closed?**My eyes were closed.Community is important to you, Danny. You put this huge fiesta together. Can you tell us in your own words what does community means to you as a part of this whole creation that you have brought to this Earth?
That happy place that you make, if it’s just you experiencing it, how real is it? What we consider to be reality is what we agree upon. In order to make something real, you need everybody to agree that it’s real and experience it together. That’s an 80-foot bouncy house adventure course where we say, “I’m in the Creature World tonight.”
The important point here is people have talked about community for decades. Civilizations were built on community but at some point along the way, we forgot that community isn’t dictated by one person. It’s created by the community. People had created this idea of community when it was cult, whether it was this leader that didn’t necessarily have the community’s best interest at heart. It’s clear that you have your community’s best interests at heart, and you are manifesting community in what you are creating. What’s next, Danny? What is the calling of your community from here?
I don’t know if I want to talk about it. In the domain that you cover, we put out 10,000 unique avatars. They do something, and nobody knows what yet. They are about to find out. I’m happy to get back together and talk about it but it would be weird if this were the moment I decided to spill the beans.
**People like to spill the beans on our show. We don’t have the luxury of doing them in person and sharing drinks with them to get them to spill the beans but they still do.**I don’t drink.Let’s pause here and let you enjoy your amazing party. You are welcome. Our home is your home. Let’s get back together again soon.Before we go, do you have any call to action for anybody whose reading? We often send people to social things like that. Whatever your call to action is for the person reading, let’s get that before we end.
Stream Junior Varsity.
We appreciate this moment with you, Danny. Thank you for sharing your reality and making it our reality as well, and taking us to that moment of origination. It was beautiful. I appreciate it.—We are in the wrap-up zone at the Arlo. It’s a cool lounge. My girlfriend was excited that we were going to have a chance to talk because this gentleman created the project that enticed her to buy her first NFT. It’s on a topic tier to an art, which is the care well-being of endangered elephants. Adam, it’s exciting to meet you in person here and learn more about all the cool stuff you are doing in the NFT space. Why don’t you start by introducing yourself, and we will dive in a little deeper?
It’s great to be here, and thank you for having me. My name is Adam Ghahramani, I’m here to represent two projects, Untamed Elephants, which is dedicated to saving the elephants using NFTs, art, and community, and Hello Fam, which is releasing NFTs backed by physical stored wine.
Let’s start with the elephants. After we went to Thailand and had a chance to see some elephants that had been abused, I’ve got it right away. These are magnificent creatures, and it’s very expensive and complicated to take care of them. They have their quirks and personalities, and they eat a lot. What inspired you to start this project? What was the genesis story around it coming to beat?
We have an interesting history. We were created by another team early on. Untamed Elephants was the very first NFT project with a charity component driving it. Since then, almost every NFT project has donated a percentage to charity. Usually, it’s a one-time donation. We are driven by helping elephants throughout everything we do. How the leadership transition took place is I was working on Hello Fam, and the community needed someone else to step up and take over Untamed Elephants. I had all the resources and a deep love for the nonprofit and elephant world.
We have seamlessly taken over. The first thing that we did was strengthen our nonprofit bonds. We have a two-way relationship with three different elephant nonprofits, 2 in Kenya for African elephants and 1 in Sri Lanka for the most endangered elephants in the world, Sri Lankan elephants. They are in our Discord, and we do co-events with them. Their CEO dropped by and thanked people for their support. We are launching an elephant rescue mission in Sri Lanka coming soon where NFT holders can participate, and the CEO of the nonprofit can take them all over the country with us to get some behind-the-scenes on elephant rescue.
Tell us a little bit about the original collection, what the experience has been in terms of growing that community, and what’s coming up next.
All the elephants have a cool streetwear type of art to them. They are all a little bit bored and slackers, and they are all dudes. One of the first things that our team and community said is, “In the elephant world, the matriarchs lead the herd, so let’s make a new collection of untamed matriarchs rarer than the elephants.” We’ve got a great Italian fashion designer artist who’s a woman who can drive the female angle. We are launching that soon. It’s free to claim if you own two untamed elephants or a small Mint price to Mint as well.
What are the outcomes you have produced so far? How much money has gone to these nonprofits, and what are your goals for 2022 with continuing to give? We have seen projects slap on the charity of social impact stamp without real long-term goals but my understanding is this is a sincere, earnest effort to help these elephants for a long time. What have you done so far, and what are your hopes for the future?
I’m thrilled that we have donated $55,000 so far, and it comes at the perfect time. Our Kenya partner uses the funds to jail one of the biggest poaching kingpins in the world. Our Sri Lanka partners were devastated by COVID. Their volunteers can’t travel as much. The elephant quarters are all messed up, so every small donation to them that they personally thank us. For our elephant rescue trip, we are paying a lot of money to them as well, so those funds will be great. Every product we release moving forward will have an elephant charity component, and we host weekly Stampede Sunday charity drives where you get raffle tickets for donating to charity as well.
I’m not entirely familiar with the layout of the model but what’s your perspective with paying the internal bills to keep the lights on? Any of the funds used for the team or do you make money by buying your own elephants to support the cause? How does the royalty breakdown work, and how do you sustain this over a long time?
NFT NYC: What we really want to do is actually start empowering the community to start understanding what clinical trials and cancer treatment are and cutting through a lot of the pseudoscience that’s already out there in the ether.
I’m invested in a project like that.
Which one?
Thanks, Tony. We appreciate your time.
Thank you so much. I appreciate you all.
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It feels like a small, chill conference room.
My name is Vitaliy Raskalov. I’m from Russia. I came especially to New York City for NFT, and I do urban exploration stuff. We climb illegally in interesting underground places like rooftops, tunnels, and all of that stuff. In New York City, we have a pretty huge community. We have even been arrested for trespass.
I feel so bad for your parents.
It involves travel, complexity and risks.
In Brazil, they will shoot first then ask.
It was a black sense of humor.
It’s your art form but be careful.
We will see in Miami. I will go there.
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EdgeOfNFT.com/discord NFT NYC ConventionDreamverse
Important Links:
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Spiff TV – Instagram
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@The_HUSL – Twitter
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Telegram – The HUSL
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@CryptoSteveUrkel – Twitter
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Major Dream Williams – LinkedIn
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@CancerNFT – Twitter
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@Raskalov – Twitter
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Wikipedia – Vitaliy Raskalov and Vadim Makhorov
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iTunes – Edge of NFT