From Snoop Dogg to Amitabh Bachchan, celebrities at home and abroad who joined the crypto craze in 2021

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Dec 31, 2021, 19:52 IST
From Snoop Dogg to Amitabh Bachchan, celebrities at home and abroad who joined the crypto craze in 2021
  • Celebrities are looking at non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as a way to connect with fans and remain relevant in the digital age.
  • Having celebrities tout cryptocurrencies has also helped add to the sector’s legitimacy.
  • But, not every celebrity's ride has been a smooth one — just ask Kim Kardashian.
It’s not just brands that rode the crypto wave of 2021, but celebrities as well. Some did it to connect with fans, some to remain relevant and a fair few are genuine ‘believers’.

And, despite the regulatory uncertainty in India, the biggest names from Indian cinema — including legends like Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth — are now jumping onto the bandwagon as well.

While this may be a way for celebrities to diversify their earnings, it’s also a boost for cryptocurrencies. Having big names back the industry adds to its legitimacy and drives awareness among the masses, provided it’s done in a responsible manner. If not, you may be singled out by the UK's financial regulator for misleading fans.

Here’s a quick look at the celebrities who joined the crypto craze in 2021:
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Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg
Wikimedia Commons

Martha Stewart’s BFF and renowned rapper, Snoop Dogg, came out of the woodwork to reveal himself as the face behind the NFT influencer CozomoMedici. Under the pseudonym, the rapper has been buying digital art, including Meebits, Nyan Cats, Stampus and, unsurprisingly, Stoner Cats.

According to his account on OpenSea, Snoop Dogg is currently in possession of nearly 500 different NFTs.

But, that’s not where the Snoop Dogg NFT saga ends. Instead, that’s where it begins. After the reveal, the rapper went out to announce a partnership with The Sandbox where he already launched a bunch of NFTs. He’s also building a replica of his mansion, where fans will be able to party with the Doggfather as he hosts live concerts within the metaverse.

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey
Wikimedia Commons

The American singer and songwriter has been doing a couple of ads for online games this year, but ‘crypto’ was not a thought that crossed anyone’s minds.

The pop star surprised the crypto community and outsiders alike when she took to Twitter and encouraged her followers to get on the Winklevoss twins’ crypto exchange, Gemini, and buy Bitcoin.

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Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian
Wikimedia Commons

While some celebrities have had a happy crypto ride, others have had to face some harsh criticism. Kim Kardashian, known for the reality show Keeping up with the Kardashians, told her Instagram followers — around 250 million of them — to buy Ethereum Max, a cryptocurrency that has since only lost value.

As a result, Kardashian got a special mention from the UK's financial watchdog — the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) — for being one of the many influencers putting retail investors at risk by pushing cryptocurrencies that haven’t properly been vetted.

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan
BCCL

While international stars started getting into the cryptoverse as early as 2017, big names from Bollywood have only started to surface now. And, among the first to launch his own non-fungible (NFT) token was the veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan. The KBC-host’s collection was auctioned off for a record $1 million.

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Salman Khan

Salman Khan
BCCL

The ‘bhai’ of Bollywood, Salman Khan, chose to back the NFT marketplace BollyCoin in November. And, starting December 30, BollyCoin went live with a collection of NFTs based on the Dabangg franchise.

BollyCoin is currently partnered with Salman Khan Films, Arbaaz Khan Productions, Sohail Khan Productionz, Reel Life Productions, and Salman Khan himself for static NFTs.

Rajinikanth

Rajinikanth
BCCL

Not just Bollywood, but Tollywood’s biggest star — Rajinikanth, the impossible man — is jumping into NFTs. Even though the man himself has not launched his own NFT, the digital art marketplace Diginoor.io is giving Rajinikanth fans a chance to buy NFTs from his movies Sivaji, Chandramukhi and Kabali.

The film-based NFTs were launched on his birthday, December 12, are include deleted scenes and previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage from the sets of these blockbusters.

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Kamal Haasan

Kamal Haasan
BCCL

Kamal Haasan, despite having shifted from the world of entertainment to the world of politics, doesn’t seem to be too concerned with how the Indian government is going to govern cryptocurrencies.

Instead, he’s chosen to dive head-first into the metaverse with Fantico. According to the company, Hassan is the first Indian celebrity to have his own digital avatar in a digital world.

Sunny Leone

Sunny Leone
BCCL

Sunny Leone, the American-Canadian actress, launched her NFT collection Misfitz in November. It consists of 9,600 NFTs that are “completely unique, minted on the Ethereum blockchain” — and was immediately sold out.

The launch was significant because while Leone may not be one of the biggest names in Bollywood, she was the first actress to enter the space, which has thus far been dominated by male names.

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Raftaar

Raftaar
BCCL

The Indian rapper, artist and one-time comedian, Raftaar, didn’t go the NFT route. Instead, he agreed to accept payment in cryptocurrency instead of dollars for his performance in Canada.

According to IANS, Raftaar has been an ardent admirer of blockchain technology and accepting payment using the same technology is like a dream come true for him.

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