Ghostface Killah, a member of the iconic hardcore hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, has announced the release of 10,000 exclusive music Ordinals on the Bitcoin network, offering holders Creative Commons Zero (CC0) rights to the content.
The American rapper announced on X that the Ordinals will soon be available through a free mint.
The CC0 rights license allows holders to freely build upon, enhance, and reuse the works as they see fit. According to the announcement, the new Bitcoin Ordinals collection was made possible through Ghostface Killah’s collaboration with Rare Scrilla, NakaPepes, and Ordinals Bot, an Ordinals inscriptions platform.
Bitcoin Ordinals are a relatively new concept in blockchain tech. Essentially, Ordinals are unique digital assets created by inscribing content, such as images or text, onto individual satoshis, the smallest denomination of Bitcoin.
By assigning a serial number to each satoshi based on its mining order, known as an ordinal, the Ordinals protocol enables the creation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other assets directly on the Bitcoin blockchain without the need for a secondary layer. However, there are technical differences between NFTs and Ordinals.
While this innovation has sparked interest among some users, it has also raised concerns within the Bitcoin community about the potential impact on network congestion, transaction fees, and the inclusion of non-essential data like artwork and memes.
Ordinals gained traction in 2023 when developer Casey Rodarmor minted the first one on the Bitcoin mainnet. Despite a brief lull in the crypto space, Ordinals recently made a comeback in weekly sales on March 4, outperforming even Ethereum (ETH), according to blockchain-based rankings on CryptoSlam.
According to data from Ord.io, some 1,290 audio files have been inscribed to Bitcoin at the time of writing, making Ghostface Killah’s release a significant addition to the growing trend of musicians leveraging blockchain technology for content control and fan engagement.
While platforms like Sound.xyz and Audius have been using blockchain-powered solutions to empower musicians, the use of Bitcoin Ordinals for exclusive music drops and fan perks is less common. Nonetheless, the technology has gained traction with big-name brands, as evidenced by the NFT marketplace SuperRare’s recent expansion into Bitcoin Ordinals and the release of their “No Brainers” collection.
Ghostface Killah’s first foray into crypto dates back to 2017 when he attempted to launch his own cryptocurrency company, Cream Capital, through an initial coin offering (ICO) which targeted a $30 million raise.
The name of this venture is a direct reference to C.R.E.A.M., a popular song by Wu-Tang Clan released in November 1993 by Loud Records for Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The song’s title is a backronym for “Cash Rules Everything Around Me” and has received critical acclaim worldwide.