Is CZ the Jay-Z of Crypto 🐐

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• FTX takes another unexpected casualty, Coachella

• Yuga Labs acquires Beeple's 10KTF, adds him as Advisor.

• Nike launches Web3 platform dotSwoosh

• Alameda apparently owns a wallet with 92 BAYC NFTs 👀

• Gary V's preview of Fly Fish Club in NY looks pretty ambitious

• Azuki Sponsors an In Real Life Formula 1 Race Car 🏎💨

CZ Zhao: Villian👿 or Hero 🦸🏻‍♂️

CZ the CEO of Binance has been in the news lately overshadowed by the utter scandal that is Sam Bankman-Fried. Following the interaction with the two, it's hard to tell if CZ was genuinely concerned about SBF or was hell bent on destroying his rival from the start.

The Short Version 📖

The friendly (some would say they are frenemies) between CZ and Sam Bankman-Fried has a long trail on Twitter. It's not a secret the two founders of the #1 and #2 crypto exchanges in the world were going back and forth. But two weeks ago, things took a turn when CZ first shared a near earth-shattering tweet to the world of FTX.

This brought up the infamous response (and now an obvious blatant lie) from SBF claiming all was clear on his end. As the Crypto world questioned the situation and a buzz arose soon after, Sam continued to lie (we didn't know for sure at the time), and needed CZ to swoop in and help.

But of course we know what happened, CZ never went through with the non binding agreement due to the terrible books of FTX. The FTX website paused withdrawals before many could withdraw their funds and panic ensued in the markets. SBF apologized then didn't in another tweet where he expressed it was just part of the game that is played and he unfortunately got caught with the wrong end of the stick.

If you're confused as to exactly what's happening, timelines, who's suing who, well so are we. It's times like these where it's ok to turn off the socials for a day and reflect internally with yourself. React less emotionally and try to think with reason.

If you were affected by the FTX scandal we want to wish you the best in these challenging times. No one deserves what happened and we just hope this sets a precedent that protects the Web3 community moving forward.

Artist Spotlight: Serwah Attafuah

Serwah Attafuah is an artist from West Sydney, Australia who creates surreal cyber dreamscapes & heavenly wastelands populated by afro-futuristic abstractions of self with strong ancestral & contemporary themes. She describes herself as a multidisciplinary artist & musician, afro-punk, afro-surrealist and afro-futurist who has been in the digital art scene since 2012.

Serwah has collaborated and been commissioned by clients including Mercedes Benz, Nike, GQ, Adobe, Paris Hilton and Charli XCX. Recent notable achievements include her participation in Sotheby's 'Natively Digital': A Curated NFT auction and 'Apotheosis': a live motion capture experience with Soft Centre at The Sydney Opera House.

If you'd like to support Serwah's work you can find it on Foundation and other popular 1 of 1 NFT art platforms.

🚀 Important Links: Serwah's Twitter, Website, Instagram

Are DAO's Going To Save NFTs 🏦

Balaji Srinivasan is probably the godfather of the modern day Web3 DAO coining the term, The Network State a concept he defines as "a highly aligned online community with a capacity for collective action that crowdfunds territory around the world and eventually gains diplomatic recognition from pre-existing states."

Big words Balaji, but the premise here we find truly fascinating.

Could groups of people who have specific interests align to form a nation based on those values?

Well all they need to do is put the world "DAO" after it and call it a day right? Well, not so fast.

Balaji's beautiful letter to Web3 is impactful because it creates a rhetoric that allows new ideas to be conceptualized free of historical influence on today's society. The idea of a digital nation launched first as an online community before materializing physically on land after reaching critical mass is something we can vibe with. You can read The Network State here for free.

Special Mention

Another notable DAO is Afropolitan, an initiative run by visionary leader Chika Uwazie whose goal is creating a decentralized nation for the African diaspora. Only time will tell if she can achieve this, but judging from the fact she's raised 2.1 million from the godfather Srinivasan himself, could this be a sign that this underrated and under discussed factor in the NFT game could save us all?

Sponsored Content: Today's newsletter was sponsored by MetaWin.

• Is CZ the Jay-Z of Crypto

Follow the team:

Olumide Gbenro, Chris Hauser, Sandro IEVA

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