After bashing NFTs just a few months ago, hip-hop mogul Kanye West has apparently had a change of heart.
The billionaire artist’s company has filed multiple Yeezus trademarks, including for “metaverse experiences” and NFT marketplace.
“Do not ask me to do a f-cking NFT,” Ye said in a handwritten note he posted to Instagram earlier this year. Ye stressed he was “building real products in the real world.” But he did leave the door opening by ending the note with “Ask me later.”
West changed his name to Ye in 2021.
“Later” has come, and his latest trademark applications focused on West’s Yeezus moniker, with many in the Web3 space.
Crypto enthusiasts use the buzzword Web3 to describe the “new” Internet, one centered on decentralized blockchains, which are the shared ledger systems used by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether.
“Proponents envision web3 taking many forms, including decentralized social networks, ‘play-to-earn’ video games that reward players with crypto tokens, and NFT platforms that allow people to buy and sell fragments of digital culture,” The New York Times reported.
In late May, Mascotte Holdings, Inc. company, West filed multiple U.S. federal trademark registration filings for Yeezus.
The applications also include a wide range of potential products inside and outside of the crypto space, including apparel, video games, retail stores, cosmetics, board games, action figures, Christmas tree ornaments, face masks, retail stores, computer goods, plush toys, subscription services, nail polishes, facial makeup, video game software, amusement park rides, among other things. In all, West has filed 17 new trademark applications around his Yeezus name, Complex reported.
The filings, which were completed on May 27, do also mention “metaverse experiences” and the potential of “providing an online marketplace for buyers of blockchain-based non-fungible,” or NFTs, items.
“Unfortunately, the filings list only very basic descriptions of potential product offerings and do not go into any detail about the types of NFTs that West might pursue or what kind of metaverse experiences he may deliver,” Decrypt reported.
West is following a growing number of celebrities entering the Web3 space. Rihanna filed trademarks in the metaverse for her Fenty Beauty brand earlier this year.
