#JAY-Z Auctioning Reasonable Doubt NFT at Sotheby’s

There’s a new item on auction at Sotheby’s: a non-fungible token created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of JAY-Z’s debut Reasonable Doubt. JAY-Z commissioned the NFT from the Baltimore-born, Brooklyn-based multi-disciplinary artist Derrick Adams. It’s called Heir to the Throne, and you can preview a static image of the NFT below. The bidding starts at $1,000, and the auction closes on Friday morning, July 2; a portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the Shawn Carter Foundation.

“With this NFT project, we jointly embrace the opportunity to further the conversation about how artists of different mediums contribute to a more inclusive society,” Derrick Adams said in a statement. “My portraits aim to capture the sensibility, optimism and beauty of urban life, and in JAY’s work I’ve found tremendous kinship.”

Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Global Head of Science and Popular Culture, said, “It’s fitting that JAY-Z’s pioneering lyrical brilliance is commemorated through the iconic vision of acclaimed artist Derrick Adams in a bold new medium.”

Last week, Roc-A-Fella Records sued co-founder Damon Dash, alleging that Dash could not sell or auction his own Reasonable Doubt NFT, as the rights to the record belong to the label. Dash claimed that the lawsuit was filled with inaccuracies, but, days later, TMZ reported that a federal judge found JAY-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records’ claims to be “credible and correct.” The judge also said Dash “has no right to sell the album or any rights to it,” according to Music Business Worldwide.