Manifesto
XPUNKS - No false promises. No hollow narratives. No predefined utility.
Last updated
XPUNKS - No false promises. No hollow narratives. No predefined utility.
Last updated
Why? Because life, much like crypto, is hectic as fuck. Picture an Adderall-fueled rollercoaster ride and multiply that tenfold. The pace is relentless, and sticking to a single narrative can make you stale or irrelevant. Our focus? To prevent redundancy and continuously evolve alongside Web3’s relentless tempo. We don’t like to sit back and watch the world unfold, praying for one of our ideas to catch wind. No. We want to delve into more complex undertakings. Through that mentality, we were able to build and merge blockchain ecosystems, send NFTs to the physical moon and throw Berlin-themed raves around the world. We are not defined by what we do, but we sure as hell let our principles seep through our actions.
It’s no surprise that the CryptoPunks set the stage for punk art to dominate the NFT scene. It’s funny because many projects were so lazy that they copied the artwork to a T and gave it a different background and name before releasing it on another chain. We stepped away from that impulse. We didn’t want to replicate another project just to call it our own. We admired the art style and felt like we could give it our interpretation. Our spice, if you will. As such, every attribute from the original XPUNK collection was designed from scratch. The only similarity is the 24 by 24-pixel canvas and the fact that they are addicting to look at.
We used this distinct take on punk art to propel what truly mattered - building a rep in web3. You see, the elements of success of an NFT project moved away from the classic hype and hyperbolic floor prices. It became more about the team and community behind it. Their passion, authenticity and the ability to dig their heels in deep when blood was in the street. Would OMB have come this far as a CryptoPunk-inspired project without ZK and Tony? Would Pudgy have become such a phenom at Walmart without Luca and Lorenzo? Would Claynosaurz be as relevant without Danial and Nicholas? Would MadLads still be able to dominate the charts without Armani and Tristan? We’re trying to say that although artwork might initially get people into a project, the ethos and vision of the leading team keep them diamond-fisting. So before jumping on the derivative naming boat waggon, check out the art and read our whole story.
To start, we front-ran the entire XRP NFT ecosystem by issuing 5,000 tokens during the XRP Ledger airdrop craze of Q3 2021. How is this front-running the market? Half a token would be redeemable for an XPUNK once the NFT tech became available on the XRPL (which was approximately 13 months later). We airdropped the token to farmers, and they made the project go viral within 24 hours. Although it took some time before XRP NFTs came to be, XPUNKs always remained number 1 in the charts.
During this wait, the team could not remain still. As you would imagine, many projects followed suit, hoping to ride the hype train. Many ruggers capitalised on poorly educated minds by issuing tokens without executing their so-called roadmaps. To fight this shitty paradigm, we deployed the MVP of our onXRP platform, a curated DEX interface and an educational platform. Once the tech went live, we dropped the onXRP NFT Marketplace, which, to this day, has been responsible for 63% of the total on-chain NFT-related volume. XPUNKS has been accountable for 35% of that on-chain volume. During the creation of onXRP, we began developing EDEN: Discovery, an extraction/exfiltration shooter set against a backdrop of post-apocalyptic survival with built-in metaverse mechanics. We have pumped significant cash into this venture and are still working behind the scenes to offer both holders and non-holders a top-tier alpha experience in the coming months.
The driven nature of our team and the quality of our products caught the eye of many players in the space. One of them is a Cosmos-based Layer-1 chain called Coreum, which gave onXRP a grant to rebuild and rebrand to Bidds - a 2-chain NFT marketplace for all your things XRP and CORE NFTs. The marketplace is set to release in May/June of 2024 and will be a contender to follow in the Cosmos Ecosystem.
In brief, our team built all of this on a low-liquidity chain during a bear market. Whereas many take on this ‘fuck-you’ mentality toward others, we use this mentality toward ourselves. Gone are the days of self-pity and ego-massaging. Driven by copious amounts of ADHD and Dutch stinginess, we know how to operate under quasar levels of pressure. As a matter of fact, we are looking for more of it. This time, in the realm of Solana.
To put it bluntly, we are a group of professional degenerates who love the space way too much not to be a part of it. The intensity of Web3 is what got us hooked. Now that we’ve created a name for ourselves, we can create IRL and URL experiences for our holders and users alike. Of course, the latest of these experiences has been the dispatch of our NFT collection and metadata to the moon to be part of the first museum on another celestial body, along with legends like Stan Lee, Van Gogh, Picasso and Michelangelo. Needless to say, these are some very nice points we can put on our resume. To amplify and praise achievements like these, we like to throw big-ass underground Berlinesque raves that get our community together to celebrate without being separated by computer screens.
There is no predefined utility. No bullshit. Real things only, done by real people. What can you expect moving forward? Nothing more, nothing less. Just look at what we’ve done and count on the fact that we will continue doing more of what we have done. If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, then that’s more than fine. We want people who value authenticity and understand that this space doesn't come with a set of guidelines you need to adhere to to succeed. And to be fair, making the playbook ourselves sounds pretty fucking decent if you ask us.
Look, we know many people aspire to get rich flipping NFTs. This is entirely understandable. However, we want to come to a point where holding an XPUNK means something more than the cash you’d get for flooring it. We want to move beyond that point. Provenance if you will. In the end, we're building a brand. A brand that can be partnered with streetwear apparel, record labels, or even rave organisations across the world. We want XPUNKS to be used throughout metaverses and holders to keep acquiring more IRL and URL perks. From free branded collab merch to underground rave tickets. From free NFT drops from our Layer-2 ecosystems to owning your very own 3D character across metaverses or whatever the fuck kind of world SORA or AI is going to throw at us in the next decade. The possibilities are vast. Now, even more so, on Solana.
We've already gone to the moon, let's move the goal post.
