RR/BAYC, an NFT collection attempting to “recontextualize” the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT series without imagery deemed offensive by some, saw its trading volume skyrocket following the release of an hour-long video criticizing the original collection by YouTube influencer Phillion.
“Recontextualizing” Apes who are bored
Following a viral YouTube video, the trading volume of a BAYC derivative has skyrocketed. The NFT collection, RR/BAYC, is a spin-off of the well-known Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC).
RR/BAYC, which was created by internet artist Ryder Ripps, saw its trading volume increase from 3.6 ETH on June 19 to 2,861 ETH on June 21 on Open Sea.
The most popular NFT project of all time is the Bored Ape Yacht Club. The cheapest NFTs in the collection, which have been broadly accepted by celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Stephen Curry, and Jimmy Fallon, reached an all-time high of 153.7 ETH ($420,430) on May 1.
The surge in interest in the derivative collection could be attributed to the release of an hour-long video titled “BORED APE NAZI CLUB,” in which YouTube influencer Phillion criticizes BAYC founders Gargamel and Gordon Goner for “trolling” people into purchasing NFTs that he claims contain hidden Nazi, racist, and colonial imagery.
The video concludes with Phillion encouraging BAYC holders to “burn” their NFTs in order to protest Nazism and instead purchase from the RR/BAYC collection, which Ripps claims he assembled to provide a non-racist and “recontextualized” alternative to the original BAYC images. At the time of writing, the video had received over 440,000 views.
Ripps’ January piece was the basis for Phillion’s charges. Ripps formerly held a Twitter area stating that the BAYC collection was racist; he is also the creator of CryptoPhunks, a CryptoPunks knockoff in which the past NFTs are flipped (they look to the left instead of to the right). RR/BAYC appears to have the same art as BAYC, with the exception that the collection only contains 6,900 objects (instead of 10,000). Its floor price is 0.55 ETH at the time of writing.
To read our blog on “Instagram of the Bored Ape Yacht Club hacked, $3 million NFTs were taken,” click here
