*This project has been supported by Lens Protocol.
The crypto world often appears harsh, fixated on money (and parties), with little regard for anything else. From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem like an exclusive, selfish ecosystem driven by financial speculation and number$.
However, within this space, there are projects aiming to present a different image. One such project is Booga’s “Man of Crypto” (MoC), which aims to highlight the social, community-engaged, and more human-centered narrative of the crypto world. As a longtime crypto enthusiast, Booga has been exploring the Web3 landscape, engaging with local communities while navigating challenges like market crashes and technical glitches.
In MoC, he undertakes a global quest with only his crypto wallet and a light suitcase. His mission? To find out the real state of crypto adoption. Acting as an ‘evangelist 3.0’, he sheds light on the transformative potential of blockchain tech. His approach resembles a theatrical reality show, offering a more accessible, human, and external perspective of the crypto universe.
In his latest chapter, Booga takes on the music industry. Rather than focusing on power dynamics and big names, he seeks community collaboration and motivation. Through this endeavor, he aims to demonstrate that crypto isn’t just about industry influence—it’s about social impact and human stories.
Recently, I had a chat with Booga just before the release of his new project chapter, supported by Lens Protocol. We discussed the origins of MoC, explored its upcoming drop, and pondered what the future holds for this innovative venture.
Hi Booga. Could you share how and when you first got involved in the crypto world? What were the key moments or motivations that led you to explore this space?
Back in 2015-16, right after Russia took Crimea, I was completely broke; I felt that there was no perspective for me, and I started looking for ways to go beyond Ukraine to find myself in the world. At that time, I could hardly speak English, but I became a “Rising Star” at Upwork (freelance).
At that moment, I was lucky to get two offers: Lead the dev team in Vietnam and be a scrum master in an identity startup led by the ex-General Secretary of Interpol. The first one brought me to Asia, and the second one introduced me to crypto. That's how my journey started.
Thanks for providing us with some context. Your project, Man of Crypto (MoC), aims to focus less on speculation, tech, and money, and more on community and accessible narratives. How do you think this approach can improve the perception of the crypto world and what strategies will you use to achieve this?
There are too many fakers in crypto, and you can see that all of them are here for the money. They come here for the money, they make money and go and you can feel it. I came here not for the money, and I stay here because I believe in a better world and want to be part of it. I think when people see what I do, they can feel it.
Meme tokens, NFTs, pumps, and dumps are just the tip of the iceberg, crypto goes beyond it. So my strategy is simple:
- To be real, who I am;
- To do things that I believe in.
Can you explain the overall vision of MoC? You describe it as venturing the globe like a crypto-powered Indiana Jones, challenging yourself to explore and uncover the real state of crypto adoption. How do you plan to bring this vision to life?
I work in crypto and travel all around the world. So I thought, what if I’ll have a mission to change people's perspective on crypto from trading meme coins to showing how cool the future could be if people use it broadly?
So I am on a mission to try all new inventions in real live film as a documentary / reality show and see what happens!
What role does crypto play in the overall narrative of it? How do you intend to use crypto to enhance storytelling and engage a wider audience in a more accessible and enjoyable manner?
On my adventures, I will use the latest crypto technology in the real world in extreme cases. This is something that people will not do in daily life, but it unlocks a perspective on how cool crypto technology could be. For example:
- On MusicNFT, I’ll try to produce a track, drop it as MusicNFT, and try to reach Snoop Dogg, to show how this emerging tech can unlock life-changing opportunities;
- Regarding real estate topics, I’ll try to buy a castle in Portugal and convert it into a community-owned, tokenized social house. To show what the future of coliving could look like.
For the next chapter of MoC, you aim to go into the crypto-music industry. Seeing that Snoop Dogg, a mainstay in the music industry, has around 5,000 owners of his NFT, how does the project plan to challenge this and potentially do better? What inspired this goal?
In this challenge, MoC will show that tech is emerging, and anyone with good motivation and belief in themselves can reach the level of Snoop Dogg. Also, besides the number of NFTs, the question if it could be a life-changing opportunity. The tech itself can’t make you successful, but a combination of tech, motivation, and hard work could inspire other people to try.
Reflecting on how Dr. Dre mentored Snoop Dogg and helped shape his career, you aspire to collaborate with Snoop in a similar format, 30 years later. Could you explain how you plan to achieve this collaboration and outline the different steps involved in this ambitious project?
Dr. Dre gave a spin to Snoop with a tape recording, and now, 30 years later, Snoop can spin MoC with MusicNFT. Snoop Dogg is truly a global rap star, and there is no way I can add anything to his music. But I grew up in crypto and know how cool NFT tech could be. PFP is just the tip of the iceberg. So imagine if we mix Snoops' music with my NFT talents and create a first-of-its-kind truly global NFT when every fan in the world could have a piece of it. Imagine an evolving object, with social & interactive elements when 80 million Snoops fans will connect to one global community.
Can you provide more details about the steps and milestones of this new chapter? How do you plan to execute each phase?
To release MusicNFT, we need 3 elements: a track, NFT, and my ability to perform it. So we split the show into three episodes/milestones.
- In the first episode, we flew to Milan to produce a track;
- In the second one, we flew to Lisbon, an NFT Creators gathering, and learned about NFTs;
- In the third episode, we flew to Paris, learned how to Dj, Dance and perform on the stage.
Before each milestone, we just know what needs to be done, but we have no idea what is going to happen in each episode, so it’s a true adventure that uncovers a new milestone when the previous one is reached.
If you succeed in selling more NFTs and building a larger community than Snoop Dogg, what would that mean for you and the project? What are your plans if you achieve this level of success?
To be honest, numbers are just a north star where we should go. If we reach those numbers, it means that we are going in the right direction, and hopefully, it will unlock the next level - meeting Snoop Dogg in real life.
The ultimate goal isn’t to show off that we can do better than Snoop Dogg, but rather that we can do anything to get a chance to meet him IRL. If we succeed, we will ask for collaboration with Snoop.
Could you talk about your collaboration with Lens Protocol for this project? How did this partnership come about, and what role does Lens Protocol play in achieving your project's goals?
I am a regular guy, and I know that If I am going alone on this adventure, the chances to succeed will be much lower than if you go together. And because I am neither an influencer or KOL I simply started asking for help from almost everyone in the space who could be related or interested in such collaboration. Fortunately or unfortunately, I got many rejections during this adventure. But I kept moving forward. When I was almost about to give up, I showed it to Paris and the Lens team. Surprisingly to me, they believed in this project, and offered help to bring this to reality.
I believe Snoop Dogg will respond if the show gets enough traction and the Lens team helps to make it happen. Our target for the show is to get 1M views on X & Lens and aim for 10k mints on Zora.
Do you have any projects in mind after completing the MoC initiative? How do you envision the future of your work in the crypto space, and what new areas are you excited to explore?
After this adventure, I’ll start preparing for the next big adventure: Buying Castle in Portugal. I will be on an adventure, to set up DAO in Switzerland, Tokenize, Fundraise, and buy Castle in Portugal and convert it into a social space and innovation hub, owned and governed by the DAO.
What are your long-term aspirations for MoC? How do you hope to influence the crypto world and inspire others to engage with it in a more fun and accessible way?
As I start getting traction with such initiatives, I would like to work on more crypto projects that can impact real life and contribute actively to building a new world. I’ll try to use the latest crypto technology to solve global problems and improve people's lives where possible.
Thank you for your time. Good luck!
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