Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt Is 25 Years Old Today And He’s Celebrating With An NFT

Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt Is 25 Years Old Today And He’s Celebrating With An NFT

Jay-Z’s landmark debut Reasonable Doubt turns 25 today. And to celebrate the anniversary, Jay-Z is auctioning off… *checks notes*… an NFT inspired by the album cover. Heir To The Throne, which was the album’s original title, is a one-of-one animated digital artwork created by multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams. You can see a static image of it above; the full animated version features glowing red embers and smoke rising from Jay-Z’s cigar in the shape of the number 25.

“Over the years JAY has collected and supported my work, and so this collaboration is particularly fulfilling,” Adams says. “With this NFT project, we jointly embrace the opportunity to further the conversation about how artists of different mediums contribute to a more inclusive society. JAY’s album Reasonable Doubt changed the game 25 years ago, and continues to influence so many of us. It tells the story of someone from Brooklyn occupying the urban space — a place that is as central to my own work as it is to his. My portraits aim to capture the sensibility, optimism and beauty of urban life, and in JAY’s work I’ve found tremendous kinship.”

Heir To The Throne: An NFT In Celebration Of Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt 25th Anniversary is being sold by Sotheby’s in a special single-lot auction. Online bidding starts at $1000 and is open until Friday morning; a portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the Shawn Carter Foundation. The digital artwork is also on view in real life at Sotheby’s York Avenue Galleries and virtually via Sotheby’s gallery in the Voltaire Art District in Decentraland.

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