The real Slim Shady isn’t one to take trends lying down. Around a month after creating ‘Shady Holdings’, an account meant to deal in NFTs and crypto-based transactions, Marshall Mathers AKA Eminem has just dropped $452,000 on a simian NFT themed to look like him.

While the rapper didn’t disclose any details himself, the Blockchain experts at Decrypt reported the story. Eminem put down 123.45 ETH on the purchase. Tagged as #9055, the decidedly white ‘EminApe’ wears much of Mathers’ regular style – decked in an army cap, gold jacket, and gold chains.

Twitter user Gee-Gazza, who reportedly sold the NFT to Mathers, was beyond excited. After predicting the purchase in a November 2021 tweet, he went online to thank the rapper for supporting Bored Apes:

Who is Behind Bored Apes?

Built onto the Ethereum blockchain, the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) is a limited NFT project aiming to create high-value pieces of blockchain-verified art. The pieces are pretty scarce at 10,000 units, and also double as membership to an exclusive online hangout called the ‘swamp club.’

The origins of Bored Apes lies in the cryptocurrency upswing of early-mid 2020. After a long slump, the market picked up tremendously – and crypto investors began referring to each other as ‘Apes, in a reference to an iconic Rise of the Planet of the Apes dialogue:

By April 2021, Gargamel and Gordon Goner – the NFTs’ founders – launched Bored Apes. The idea was simple – instead of mere art, NFTs could serve as a digital persona, along with added perks behind the scenes.

Other than the swamp club, Bored Ape owners such as Eminem will also have access to accrued benefits – such as free Bored Ape drops. Last November, all Bored Ape owners received a free ‘Mutant Ape’ drop – some of which can sell anywhere between $20,000 to $1 million.

Digital agency Six claimed credit for bringing Slim Shady into the Ape-verse – joining the likes of fellow rappers Snoop Dogg and Post Malone.

Eminem’s NFT Interests

This isn’t Eminem’s first rodeo around the world of non-fungible tokens. Apart from dabbling in various OpenSea purchases, he’s launched his very own NFT event ‘Shady Con’ – packed with NFT instrumentals and action figures.

“I’ve been collecting since I was a kid, everything from comic books to baseball cards to toys, as well as every rap album on cassette I could get my hands on,” Eminem said in an official statement.

“Not much has changed for me as an adult. I’ve attempted to recreate some of those collections from that time in my life, and I know I’m not alone. I wanted to give this drop the same vibe of, ‘Oh, man I gotta get just that one or maybe even the whole set!’ It’s been a lot of fun coming up with ideas from my own collecting passion.”

As of now, EminApe is out for bids – amassing 4.2069 ETH as its most recent offer. Typical.

(Image Sources: @Eminem (Twitter), 20th Century Fox), Yuga Labs LLC)