Vakseen x Bo Diddley
"Everything I know I taught myself." — Bo Diddley
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — How do you bring an iconic rock 'n’ roll star to the Metaverse? Dutch NFT startup LegacyNext entered into a collaboration with the Bo Diddley Estate and with the well-known American NFT artist VAKSEEN to create a Bo Diddley NFT collection.
The thing that Bo Diddley’s name most often calls to mind is his singular beat: Bomp ba-bomp-babomp, bomp bomp. Scanning his hits, like “Bo Diddley,” “Hey Bo Diddley,” and “Who Do You Love,” it might be the most influential musical motif since Robert Johnson brought back the I-IV-V chord progression from the crossroads.
This and other musical and performative innovations earned Diddley the apt nickname the Originator, not to mention spots in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and countless other accolades. As Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead has said of Diddley, “That groove is everywhere. It’s so fundamental. It permeates. You can hear it in all different kinds of music, and it moves so nicely.”
As a teenager, Diddley (born Ellas Otha Bates) began honing his craft on the guitar, eventually developing a style that seamlessly blended blues, R&B, and protean rock and roll. He became known for his flamboyant stage presence, humor, and showmanship, not to mention The Twang Machine, his signature rectangular guitar.
He was a cultural icon and trailblazer who faced significant racial discrimination during his career — receiving no royalties on his work until 1989 — and worked tirelessly to advocate for the rights of black musicians. Diddley was also one of the few male rock musicians of the time to include women instrumentalists in his band, notably Peggy Jones (AKA Lady Bo), a lead guitarist.
Diddley died in 2008 in Archer, FL, less than a two-hour drive from the childhood home of Otha Davis III, the similarly self-taught music producer and artist who shared a given name with Diddley and who would also rechristen himself, using the name Vakseen.
This drop sees these two cultural forces come together as Vakseen debuts “The Originator,” his homage to the other Otha. In these three pieces, Vakseen captures the essence of Bo Diddley's trailblazing style, flamboyant personality, and musical contributions in a way that words or photographs could never accomplish.
The Originator NFT series is on sale from January 26 at Makers Place:
BO DIDDLEY NFT DROPS
The Originator
1/1 at $500 reserve
The Originator (Bitcoin Variant)
5/5 at $300
The Originator (Grammy Variant)
5/5 at $300
"The Originator" is a digital painting of Rock and Roll, Blues, and R&B Hall of Fame artist, Bo Diddley. Bo ushered in a new era of music and completely changed music, pop culture, and the world. This series was created to celebrate my favorite pop icons, as well as the inherent power of pop culture. Art is so powerful, and I love how our culture connects people across the world through shared moments of admiration and inspiration.
For more information, please contact:
Lucas van Zandvoort
Phone: +31 6 18199098
Dead Horse Branding
Danielle Reiss
Phone: (949) 421-9787