American rapper Artis Leon Ivey Jr., widely known as Coolio, will be honored with a virtual tribute in the metaverse.
This tribute is set to mark the upcoming 30th anniversary of Coolio’s hit single, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which has garnered over 1.5 billion views on YouTube.
The virtual space, created by metaverse studio NetVRk, is designed to replicate Coolio’s custom-built villa and will feature an AI version of the artist for future interactions.
The initiative reflects Coolio’s pre-death passion for new technologies and the metaverse, which he even addressed in a new song set to release next week.
In 2022, during an appearance on PJ Vogt’s Crypto Island podcast, Coolio shared his enthusiasm for the metaverse. He stated, “I am actually heavily invested in the metaverse.” He also remarked, “I have a nice swath of land in the metaverse and barring the internet crashing or somebody dropping an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) on the whole world and there being no power, this would be a good deal.”
The collaboration with NetVRk, which was finalized before his passing, set the stage for this tribute in the metaverse. The virtual villa and AI character are expected to debut with the NetVRk alpha release, and a video preview will be available in the coming days.
This is not the first time the metaverse has been used to honor a deceased artist; last year, the estate of Notorious B.I.G. collaborated with Warner Music Group and The Sandbox to create “Breakin’ B.I.G.,” a virtual tribute with themed experiences, quests, and a unique avatar collection to celebrate the late rapper.
