Yuga Labs Names Daniel Alegre as New CEO, Hip-Hop in Web3
Yuga Labs, the Web3 behemoth behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club and Otherside, recently announced the appointment of Activision Blizzard President and COO Daniel Alegre as its new CEO.
Alegre, whose term at Yuga will begin in the first half of 2023, succeeds Nicole Muniz, who will stay on as both a partner and strategic advisor to the organization.
Alegre brings a wealth of experience to Yuga Labs, having overseen the international delivery of franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and Candy Crush. He also spent more than 16 years at Google, serving as the company’s President of Global and Strategic Partnerships and in several other positions.
Hip-Hop in Web3
There’s an attention disparity between genres in Web3 music. While hip-hop and electronic (and, to a much lesser extent, pop) dominate the space, each seems to exist in its own microcosm.
Considering how electronic music is dependent on technology, it’s not hard to grasp that it’s easily found a foothold in Web3. But what about the others?
While EDM has proliferated throughout the blockchain, in reality, it’s hip-hop that may be the most genuine reflection of the NFT space. We’re not talking about mainstream rap/hip-hop, though.
While on one hand, superstar electronic DJs like 3LAU, Dillon Francis, and Steve Aoki have solidified their lasting names in Web3, frontrunners of the hip-hop scene have been relatively few and far between.
Sure, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, and a handful more seem to be here to stay, but it can’t be ignored that countless stars like Lil Uzi Vert, Trippie Redd, A$AP Rocky, and so many more have become involved in NFTs just to turn around and almost immediately pull their names out of the ecosystem.
As such, it has largely remained up to the digitally native creators of the NFT community to build out the blockchain hip-hop space — and surprise, they’ve been absolutely killing it.
From multitalented artist LATASHÁ leading the charge through Zoratopia, to rappers like Heno., Black Dave, MoRuf, and more providing a basis for independent prosperity via music NFT platforms, hip-hop has taken over as the backbone of the Web3 music space.
Making the leap into Web3. Just how hip-hop artists can bridge to the Web3 world is being explored by numerous brands, including Soulection, Death Row Records, and Rolling Loud — which, through a PFP project called LoudPunx, hopes to become an incubator for hip-hop in Web3.
But while this eventuality may still be a ways off, for now, the NFT community can still get in on the ground level by supporting the creators of culture and uninhibitedly celebrating the biggest music NFT moments of 2022 and beyond.
