Pop Spotlight

After a two-year hiatus, Rolling Stone is back at the center of Super Bowl festivities with the return of Rolling Stone Live. With a star-studded guest list, one-of-a-kind fan experiences, and a packed lineup of musical performances, Rolling Stone Live is bringing the heat to Los Angeles ahead of the big game.

The event marks the beginning of an ongoing partnership between Rolling Stone and cryptocurrency platform Coinbase. Together, they’ll collaborate to mint an exclusive NFT (non-fungible token) that’ll be offered as a limited drop to the party’s Coinbase Wallet users. Later in the year, the original static design will be animated before it’s available for purchase on Coinbase NFT, a peer-to-peer NFT marketplace. The limited release will offer fans an extraordinary chance to own a piece of history created by some of the crypto space’s most influential digital artists. Below is a roundup of the creators behind the design of this exclusive release ahead of Super Bowl LVI:

Deadfellaz

The Deadfellaz have made being undead an entire vibe with a collection of 10,000 NFTs minted on the Ethereum blockchain. Each unique Deadfella is randomly generated from more than 400 individually illustrated traits like tattoos, outfits, piercings, and accessories. The Deadfellaz are also explicitly inclusive and don’t have any gender expressions tied to their characteristics, a nuance that co-founder Betty was dead set on including when she developed the idea for the NFT collection. Betty is the concept creation and community lead at Deadfellaz, who focuses on using her work to further the social and community causes she’s most passionate about.

 

Elise Swopes

Elise Swopes has made a career out of exploring the juxtaposition between untamed nature and urban landscapes, working with brands like Apple and Adobe on mesmerizing projects that push the boundaries of digital art. But over the last year, Swopes has also started making waves in the NFT market. Her series “Displaced: Giraffe in the City,” a dreamy, otherworldly collection of NFTs, sold out within minutes and immediately bolstered Swopes’ name in the NFT space. She’s also a staunch advocate for getting more women of color into the worlds of crypto and NFTs, and her long-term creative project supports the Sunrise Art Club, a group dedicated to building a more inclusive and diverse crypto community.

 

Boss Beauties

The rise of mission-oriented NFT collections has been a welcome evolution in the emerging marketplace, and the Boss Beauties series has been one of the trend’s shining examples. Their line of 10,000 NFTs features digital illustrations of women from around the world, inspired by vision boards submitted by a global community of Gen Z women. The Boss Beauties collection sold out in an hour, and part of the proceeds from primary and secondary sales will help support My Social Canvas, a nonprofit providing scholarships, mentorship, and internships to young women.

 

KidEight

The graphic designer and 3D artist known as KidEight is who major record labels call when they need someone who can blend the holy with the vulgar. Angels wearing Chanel-emblazed balaclavas, futuristic rappers with platinum halos, and a Louis Vuitton Shroud of Turin are commonplace in his highly-sought digital collections. His work in the NFT space has focused on his creation, EVOL, a pint-sized cherub decked out in Cuban links and designer ski masks that have fetched sky-high prices in the NFT market.

MikeGrillMadeIt 

Michael Grill is a Vancouver-based artist and designer by way of New York, and his work displays his unique illustration style and heterodox sources of inspiration from Catholic traditions to the NBA. Mike’s “Rennaisauce” and “Da Burning Bush” NFT collections are playful and unmistakably New York, combining classical imagery with contemporary flourishes as if someone ripped open the space-time continuum and let a Miami hypebeast run free in ancient Rome.

MarkTheHabibi

The Habibi Workshop is the brainchild of MarktheHabibi, the artist behind the NFT collection Generation: Habibi. The Habibis are beautifully rendered figures with lightbulb-shaped heads that evoke physical materials like marble and clay; the renderings are so detailed that you can even see faint fingerprint marks on some of them. Generation: Habibi is starting with 1,000 NFTs, but there are plans to expand it slowly and deliberately over the coming years, creating a community that’s in it for the long haul.

 

Domino

The multi-hyphenate artist broke through late last year after hustling for more than a decade as a musician, fine artist, and even part-time magician. His NFT album Presessence Vol. 1 was a resounding success, giving 777 holders a chance to listen to Domino’s music along with exclusive access to airdrops, bonus content, and even VIP experiences at live shows. Domino’s success has inspired other musicians looking to dip their toes into the NFT waters, and he’s created a buzzing, supportive community in the process.

Giant Swan

Giant Swan is a painter and sculptor, but instead of canvas and clay, his creations exist in the digital plane. He’s focused on integrating virtual and 3D sculpting as a way to build his unique digital worlds, using techniques gleaned from real-world experience and inspired by his work as an art director on high-profile projects from Miami to Shanghai. His NFT work taps into those varied inspirations and his desire to experiment with everything from beautifully rendered 3D models to digital studies in texture and color.

Alida Sun 

Alida Sun’s art seems to exist outside the bounds of place and time. The artist and futurist splits time between Berlin and New York, and for over 1000 days and counting she’s created a new generative artwork by using algorithms and artificial intelligence to craft completely original pieces. Alida’s work spans mediums, blending installations with live performance and those generative pieces into a unique, perception-bending artistic experience.

 

Jeff Manning

Jeff Manning’s work tends to make you do a double-take. The Philadelphia-based graphic artist has worked with brands like 20th Century Fox and Adidas to bring his spellbinding digital works to life. His art is inspired by Afrofuturism and Surrealism and he creates his eye-catching compositions by combining traditional illustration style with collage and cutting-edge motion techniques. Manning is also the co-founder of the creative workspace and studio FourNineteen Co. Studio, where he focuses on creating artwork that resonates and connects with his expanding audience.

Mister Goldie

If Basquiat ended up as a digital artist, his work might have looked something like that of Chicago-based NFT creator Goldie. The emotive, raw illustrations interspersed with sideswipes of color and all-caps text are Goldies’ signature, but perhaps most exciting is his “Scary Garys” series. The forthcoming NFT collection draws inspiration from the Indiana city, with saturated, Frankenstein-like drawings that are rough-hewn but familiar, like a cartoon elevated to the realms of fine art.

Emonee LaRussa

Emonee LaRussa’s mantle is bursting at the seams: The Emmy-award-winning motion graphic artist has worked with superstars like Kanye West and Lil Nas X, crafting playful, dynamic animations that go anywhere her mind takes them. Emonee is also the lead artist in Voice’s NFT Residency program, where she’s helping some of the world’s best young artists bring their work to life in the digital realm.