Shigga Shay Drops Space Bars for NFT Collectors

Singaporean rapper ShiGGa Shay discusses his spacey 16-bar track, exclusively made for collectors of his drop on Crypto.com NFT.

ingaporean rapper ShiGGa Shay is making his NFT debut on April 13 at Crypto.com/NFT, with a collection centered on a 16-bar verse recorded exclusively for the drop. Titled “SPACEBARS: PRELUDE,” the track features Shay’s space and NFT related wordplay over an ethereal beat by his frequent collaborator U.K. producer superjdoug. Split into three segments, the song provides the soundtrack for variations of three animated outer space scenes depicting Shay as an astronaut — all based on the cover art for his two-track 2020 EP “365,” originally illustrated by Singaporean street artist EBAO and brought to life in 3D renders by U.S. creative agency Wild Portals.

The “SPACEBARS” collection will include nine distinct 3D animated NFT cards of tiered rarity — 900 common, 90 rare and nine ultra rare — distributed among a total of 999 mystery packs each containing one card. Collectors of all three scenes, regardless of rarity, will be able to redeem an “Original Legendary” NFT featuring the entire 16-bar track. Furthermore, holders of rare and ultra-rare cards will be granted access to online listening sessions where Shay and his producers will preview unreleased music — and the nine ultra-rare holders will additionally receive a video shoutout from the rapper himself. Full details are subject to change and will be provided by ShiGGa Shay on the “SPACEBARS” drop page once live.

A proud “Lion City” representative, Shay is one of Singapore’s most prolific emcees. At the vanguard of the city-state’s burgeoning hip-hop scene, he is a cofounder of the Grizzle Grind Crew — considered the country’s “foremost hip-hop collective.” In fact, Shay was even invited to rock an “officially unofficial” White House State Dinner for Singapore after-party by the former U.S. ambassador to Singapore. At the party, attended by lobbyists and politicians, the emcee performed his hit record “Tapau” from the soundtrack for the film “3688” — in which he had a starring role — rapping about Singaporean coffeehouse staples such as kopi siew dai, bandung, Milo dinosaur and kaya toast.

A proven champion for his culture, Shay is also at the forefront of technology in music. In 2020, according to his bio, Shay became the first Southeast Asian artist to host a virtual concert where audiences were transported to fantastical 360-degree environments — broadcast across Asia via cable TV partner TechStorm. In 2021, he performed the opening ceremony of the first-ever Global Esports Games, rapping as an avatar in mixed reality as well. He has also shared the stage with hip-hop and pop culture icons, from Wu-Tang Clan to Jaden Smith.

“What’s fascinating for me is how NFTs and blockchain technology are going to change the music industry. I’m so excited for the limitless possibilities that are going to happen with music in the NFT space.”

Source: Medium.