Rizzle is back from touching grass with la familia so we spend the first half catching him up on the decade of events that transpired over the last week: namely the breakout success of a couple low-/no-cost OE mints like Jake Butcher's Checks - VV and Lucréce's Defy - Proceed with Caution. Depending on your perspective these new projects are either the coolest new thing under the sun, or a distraction from building more innovative new products.

Luckily, no one knows what's right or wrong! And having a large number of folks that love what's currently happening and a sizable population that wants to avoid appearing to participate in "copycat games" and instead build some new-new to expand the realm of possibilities is what we need to keep growing and expanding. This is the vibe. 

We chat about all that, touch on the Porsche mint and few more intriguing metaversal morsels. 

Enjoy!

@NFT_NYC @FlyFrogsNFT @WaltDisneyWorld @manifoldxyz @jackbutcher @CryptoSteveWand @skeenee_art @ConnieDigital @ericprhodes @0xPolygon @marble_cards @DeGodsNFT @MemeExplorers @poapxyz @aavegotchi @punk9059 @doodles @Porsche @GameOfThrones @Deadfellaz @betty_nft @BoredApeYC @Spatial_io @monaverse @OriginArtMuseum

SOLO EPISODE WITH RIZZLE

Rizzle recorded a solo episode this week (my kiddo has put me through the ringer over the past few days) talking about the ethos that used to/should still be core to this space of our ours: Decentralization & Interoperability. 

He covers the three year history of the WIP Meetup which has tried to embody the best of these two pillars and contrasts it against other silo'd projects that are using this decentralized tech to create limited worlds and experiences.

Shout-outs & Shots-fired:

@napster @Metallica @midjourney_ai @cryptovoxels @monaverse @miguelgarest @Cheaterflums @toxsam @dankvr @OnChainChain @metalympics @Spatial_io @sandyme0ws @itscarolinaduh_ @foxyoga_om @Paradoxx_Media @Ezincr @itsreallysho @DragoNateYT @lordkanwulf @Brook_Hawk @supahmarbler @Tyrberg @fabianospeziari @patriziabarnato

Happy New Year everyone, The Matthew & Rizzle Show is back! Hopefully you were able to touch grass and catch some extra zzz's over the holidays. 

Rizzle and I are back in the saddle and kick off 2023 chatting about: 

- all the no-/low-cost mints artists are launching on their Manifold contracts + on Nifty Gateway

New projects on our radars include mint.fun and nftyauctions.xyz (use at your own discretion) 

Shout-outs & Shots-fired:

@manifoldxyz @niftygateway @VitalikButerin @MetageistVR @mintdotfun @WGMeets @ROBNESSOFFICIAL @maxosirisart @ericprhodes @marble_cards @Hackatao @Cent @NFTimmy @openai @midjourney_ai @hawkwardart @FlyFrogsNFT @Saschlander @monaverse @jaygotgame @Fractilians7 @fabianospeziari @patriziabarnato

Happy holidays yall! A massive thank you to everyone who has listened to the Matthew & Rizzle show this year. Your support and listenership are everything. 

In the spirit of the season, Rizzle and I kicked off the last MARS episode of 2022 talking about *drumroll, please* paying crypto taxes. We're not accountants, but we have been through crypto tax season a few times so offered a few tips that may help folks. 

We also audited the success of the daily Monaverse X Rizzle Advent Calendar parties Rizzle and team have been putting on day in and day out throughout December. 

Make sure to hit up the WIP on Thursday December 22nd from 12 pm PT / 8 pm UTC to send out the year on a pepe-themed high.

Shout-outs & Shots-fired: 

@TokenTax @natealexnft @trislit @NFTbank_ai @marco_tassotti @pepe_designer @skeenee_art @supahmarbler @Tyrberg @MemeExplorers @SamuelLJackson @nftsmart @monaverse @Saschlander @0_Metaverse @BelloneLeandro @VoxelArchitects @toxsam @cryptoavatarsio @Ezincr @raregotchi @EclecticMethod @neonglitch86 @XCOPYART @CultCryptoArt @MetageistVR @cryptovoxels @aavegotchi @TheCryptoArcade @xavieriturralde @missalsimpson @fabianospeziari @patriziabarnato @foxyoga_om @DragoNateYT @ConnieDigital @DLROWiAM

Happy bday Rizzle! 

Yesterday was the hypemaster of the metaverse's bday, and as per tradition, crazy ass avatars gathered in Rizzle's CV apartment (originally gifted to him by Twobadour) where the Rizzle Block was born and still lives (currently hidden beneath the bar there). It's a silly tradition if you think about it, but it's our silly tradition that's been going on three years strong in CryptoVoxels.

CryptoVoxels is rich in much more metaverse history as well. Evilvoxels shared a recent tweet highlighting the value of CV parcels *after* the original builder passes away irl. All the builds built and designed by the late, great Alotta Money, for example, are time capsules that keep the spirit of their original designer and creator alive. CV as 'Store of History' is a powerful, powerful feature.  

Matt Kane just released his new project "Etch" in collaboration with 0xdeca and it taps the same rich history of the blockchain by giving everyone the tools to annotate NFTs in a way that results in unique generative works of art. Make sure you check it out: https://deca.art/etch

We wrap up the episode reflecting on the public square debates on Crypto Twitter concerning Operator Filters, or marketplace re-sale blockers. 

Shout-outs & Shots-fired:

@hueviews @manifoldxyz @Fractilians7 @neonglitch86 @supahmarbler @twobadour @cryptovoxels @Brook_Hawk @FlyFrogsNFT @RizzleBlock @JamesSW16 @money_alotta @bnolan @MattKaneArtist @dankvr @0xDecaArt @seaofarrows @AsyncArt @Spotify @WhatsApp @foxyoga_om @NonFunGerbils @LukeGerbil @MetageistVR @thesarahshow @missalsimpson @DragoNateYT @toxsam @aavegotchi @fabianospeziari @patriziabarnato @cryptoavatarsio @HumaniumMetal @niftygateway @monaverse @opensea @Vince_Van_Dough @polygonalmind @AvaStarsNFT

The people have spoken and 2022's most popular MARS episode was this classic MARS episode originally released in January 2022 (which seems sooo long ago) when Matthew & Rizzle spoke with Sky Mavis & Axie Infinity co-founder, head of growth, community guru Jiho about... a lot. 

Topics discussed include: the (then) upcoming mega update at Axie Inifinity, recounting the monumental growth of 2021, and all-things community like starting an early community, the three C's of community (communication, cadence and consistency), community scaling and much more. 

Everyone who listens to this episode is in for a tweet so please enjoy this masterclass in community and metaverse nation state building with the one and only Jiho.

Shout-outs & Shots-fired: 

@nftsmart @niftytime @theWIPmeetup @NFTland @metalympics @nft42_ @foxyoga_om @ezincr @sandyme0ws @MattAndRizzShow @Jihoz_Axie @axieinfinity @skymavishq @CryptoKitties @discord @SubstackInc @Medium @FortniteGame @Warcraft @MrBeast @loomnetwork @niftygateway @cloudwhiteNFT @AxieFreak @irfreak @ChuckFresco @dan_OpenSea @EddOpensea @pranksy @j1mmyeth

MONAVERSE ADVENT CALENDAR EVENT FTW!!!

After a string of critique heavy episodes, Rizzle and I decided to shift focus to the more positive side of crypto: namely having fun. Crypto has always been fun, if you knew where to look, especially around the end of the year holidays.

Way back in 2019 and 2020 the NFT marketplace Mintbase threw legendary, month-long Advent Calendar events deep in the heart of CryptoVoxels. Crypto projects sponsored the event gifting tokens, art and NFTs. Amazing memories were made.

Well this year (literally tomorrow December 1st) Rizzle & Monaverse are playing this back. A month-long Advent Calendar celebration will unfold daily in Monaverse. Stay tuned for the announcement tweets from Rizzle and Monaverse. 

This is part of a broader trend though that started back in 2018 and has continued until this very day: artists not giving a fuck and just doing their thing. That vibe is infectious and imho is responsible for everything fun in crypto. That's also the reason why I think that if you're not having fun you're doing crypto wrong.

Shout-outs & Shots-fired: 

@artblocks_io @ArtOnBlockchain @MacTuitui @TrustWallet @mintbase @nategeier @carolinwend @cryptovoxels @opensea @cent @AxieInfinity @monaverse @MemeExplorers @rarecandyxyz @Mighty_33 @MetaJAX @DAOrecords_ @SugarClub_ @skeenee_art @AsyncArt @raregotchi @iamckbubbles @rara_social @TheLoveHandlz @aavegotchi @sandyme0ws @catswilleatyou @beeple @CryptoMotors_io @VoxelArchitects @Fractilians7 @poapxyz @MattKaneArtist @kennethchongeth @Coldie @missalsimpson @SuperRare @mightymooseART @n0shot1 @mlibty @0xSteady @steadybreaks @0_metaverse @MetageistVR

RIP Cryptovoxels.

With the passing of time, it's inevitable that we'll see many crypto projects fail and fold. While projects fail for myriad reasons, in the crypto space an unfortunately increasingly common reason why crypto projects fail is from deviating too far away from their original mission & community. This is usually not an overnight phenomenon, but instead occurs as a result of a million individual small decisions that compound over time. 

Luckily there are many crypto projects that are keeping it 100 with their mission & community. Projects like AsyncArt, ArtBlocks, Manifold, NG, POAP and Monaverse exemplify the ways you can create a successful crypto project: have founders that use their project, passionately; build in public; listen to the community; bias for quality over quantity. 

Every decision matters though. One major mis-step can sink a community and in turn an entire crypto business. Rizzle and I chat about the response to the SuperRare RarePass their released last week and the divided response from their community and the space at large. We also discuss the slow-motion train wreck that is Cryptovoxels as an example of pretty much all the things a project can do to ensure it fails.  

Shout-outs & Shots-fired: 

@supahmarbler @Tyrberg @Flynnjamm @0xSteady @fabianospeziari @monaverse @SteadyBreaks @cryptovoxels @bitpixi @bnolan @cent @artblocks_io @MattKaneArtist @niftygateway @maxosirisart @missalsimpson @poapxyz @worthalter @KnownOrigin_io @rarible @AsyncArt @ArtOnBlockchain @conlan @n0shot1 @OnChainChain @dfinzer @xanderatallahh @rareperkins @SuperRareRoses @SuperRareJohn @justinmmelillo @dccockfoster @gcockfoster @manifoldxyz @richerd @NonFungibleLuke @discord @Twitter @SuperRare @opensea

The mainstream media is once again (literally, for like the 400th time) jumping on the grave of crypto pronouncing it dead in the wake of the FTX/Alameda implosion and Genesis shit shows. Unlike the previous 400 times crypto died, however, the MSM seems to believe that big tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and their ilk are approaching death's front door as well in light of the recent wave of layoffs occurring at these places.

Rizzle and I chat about why journos keep getting this shit so wrong, what the metaverse is today, and what we think the future of the metaverse may and may not look like. We also revisit the spreading contagion from the CEXs and how folks can stay safe and wrap up with a preview of what folks can expect at the WIPsgiving that we'll be throwing at The WIP tomorrow at 12 pm PT.

Shout-outs & Shots-fired: 

@cryptovoxels @Apple @monaverse @MetageistVR @dankvr @trislit @AndrewSteinwold @boomboxheads @TrustWallet @Ledger @rainbowdotme @stellabelle @Ezincr @opensea @Cent @niftygateway @BoredApeYC @franklinisbored @cryptopunksnfts @fabianospeziari @0xSteady

Jfc another decade happened over the last week. Hope yall are staying safe out there. 

Before touching on the FTX fiasco and the state of CEXs in general, Rizzle and I chat about the NonNFT Summit, the best cryptoart gathering ever organized by the incredible Neurocolor & Moxarra, touch on some of the early plans for Rizzlefest, and debate ebay's $45M acquisition of the cryptoart marketplace KnownOrigin.

Shout-outs & Shots-fired:

@NonNftSummit @Moxarra @pasteinpeace @SuperRare @verticalcrypto @co1born @micolmicolmicol @ScrillaVentura @sextileband @basileus_eth @WGMeets @hnftfest @stellabelle @NFTlondon @KnownOrigin_io @eBay @niftygateway @jimbob_87 @mightymooseART @skygolpe @editionalapp @bnolan @opensea @artnome @makersplace @rarible @manifoldxyz @coinbase @FTX_Official @Gemini @Poloniex @poapxyz @fabianospeziari