Whitney Houston sings the National Anthem before a game with the New York Giants taking on the Buffalo Bills prior to Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium on January 27, 1991 in Tampa, Florida.
George Rose/GAn early demo recording by Whitney Houston at age 17 is now the highest priced NFT auction item on the Tezos blockchain ever after being sold for $999,999.
OneOf, the green music NFT platform backed by Quincy Jones, announced the unreleased full-length demo recording would be up for auction earlier in December during its two-day immersive art, music and NFT experience during Miami Art Week. The winner of the NFT song auction, which ended Tuesday (Dec. 14), not only has personal access to this recording in their OneOf Vault, but they also have a digital artwork and videos created by another 17-year-old prodigy, artist and photographer Diana Sinclair.
“Being able to collaborate with her music and her family really transformed the way that I saw her in her music videos. I feel more connected to the person that she was. Some of the messages that I put across in my artwork as well, they’re very similar,” Sinclair said in a video from Houston’s NFT collection landing page. She also emphasized how crucial it was to have Black women behind and in front of the cameras for her creation to mirror the way Houston championed Black women on her team. “Working with her voice on something like this really tied me to that time and her in a way that I wouldn’t have had before.”
The rest of the Whitney Houston OneOf NFT collection separates items into different tiers, with gold and platinum items including rarely-seen archival photos of Houston’s early life and career with new, scrapbook-like colorful and vibrant animations (that are still available) and the diamond tier featuring Sinclair’s video artwork inspired by Houston’s discography and “The Greatest Love of All” and “I Will Always Love You” music videos.
Proceeds from the sale of the collection, which has generated more than $1.1 million in sales, will benefit the Whitney E. Houston Foundation, a non-profit organization that furthers the Grammy-winning artist’s work of inspiring and empowering the youth and creating opportunities for their success.
“I’m excited to see Whitney’s legacy and her wonderful music expand into bold new technology of this era,” said Pat Houston, executor of Houston’s estate, in a press release. “It was a joy partnering with 17-year-old Diana Sinclair and watching the artistry of Whitney’s music influence a new generation.”
After finally coming out of the vault in 2021, nine years after the legendary singer’s death, the NFT “represents the genesis of a creative legend,” according to the video on the NFT page.
“Whitney is an icon for the ages,” said Joshua James, OneOf co-founder. “We couldn’t be more excited to be releasing this historical song from the very beginning of her journey as an artist.”
NEWS
There is no question that Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out made a serious impact and continues to hold weight. The project showed that hip hop is not limited by age and proved that a long-awaited return can still land in a major way regardless of the time away.
If you need a reminder, the Virginia duo’s fourth studio album debuted comfortably within the top five of the Hot 200. It secured the number four position and moved an impressive 118,000 units in its first week.
On top of that, it picked up a win at this year’s Grammys, earning Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips.” The album also received four additional nominations, including Best Music Video, Rap Album, and Album of the Year.
It is hard to believe the project will officially hit its one year mark this summer on July 11. Even so, Pusha T is making it clear that both supporters and critics should not be overlooking it anytime soon.
While performing at Coachella yesterday, King Push told the crowd that LGSEO still sits at the top, regardless of genre.
He said, “‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is still the album of the motherfckin year. Whole new year, still album of the year,” per Kurrco. “Album of the motherfcking year until we drop again. We don't care who dropping. It don't matter.”
That is a strong statement for obvious reasons, especially considering the recent claims surrounding Push himself.
Over the same weekend, hip hop social media lit up after several alleged reference tracks connected to Quentin Miller and Push began circulating. Three tracks surfaced in total, but one that drew the most attention was an alleged record titled “Real Gon’ Come.” It is said to come from the DAYTONA era, around 2017 to 2018.
The situation gained traction because fans remember the past tension between Drake and Pusha T before Drake’s clash with Kendrick Lamar. During that feud, Pusha accused Drake of using ghostwriters on tracks like “Infrared,” which appears on DAYTONA. On that song, he raps, “The bigger question is how the Russians did it /
It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin.”
Reactions have been mixed. Some people argue it is not a major issue since Miller’s alleged contributions were limited to hooks. Others point out that the songs were never officially released, so they see no real problem. Meanwhile, critics view it as clear hypocrisy on Pusha T’s part, a perspective that DJ Akademiks has also supported.
