Start here...

GM, crypto homies! Let’s be honest, Web3 needs some sauce! It needs flavor! We need more than just salt and pepper in the mix. What I’m saying is... we need actual cultural diversity in the blockchain space. So guess what? I’m here to provide the perfect solution to that! I’m on the path of creating and curating the dopest collection of black art the blockchain has ever seen. So tag along for the journey and be a part of history if you will.

Let's take a break from buying the popular mediocre NFT’s and let’s focus on the work that actually has a meaning and purpose behind it. Art with style, colors, and emotion. Reinvest in the artists. Reinvest in their vision. Reinvest in the culture. There is so much hidden talent within black and brown creators but a lack of access. We are going to fix that! My team and I are working to educate, empower, and engage BIPOC creators in Web 3. There’s enough room for all of us to eat (succeed)!

What did Will smith say?

“Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down.” Lol just kidding.

But on a serious note to make a long story short, prior to Web 3 I was “wilding” or really enjoying life as some would like to say. I was a young man with no purpose for myself and no urgency. All I had was vibes. (sorry to those who knew me then) Life was on auto-pilot and I was making decisions based on how I felt in the moment. Leading me to making a series of bad decisions and putting myself in a bit of a pickle.

Picture this, it’s my senior year of high school. One Friday night my homie hits me up and asks if I want I go to this party. You already know what my answer was. It just so happens that that very same day I get kicked out of my parents’ crib. (another story for another time) So I hit this party. I'm vibing and having a good time. Smoking, drinking, and just living my best life. I reconnected with this young lady I knew. (you know where this is going) We leave the party together and boom one thing leads to another. We’re in the backseat of my homies car hooking up. (sorry dad) All of a sudden there’s a knock on the window. A cop pulled up. Flashlight all in the window. I'm shook. She shook. I'm sitting here in just skin and bones when they walk up to the door. They knock on the window and pulled me out of the car. I'm caught pants down, highly inebriated, and 3.5 on me. This is how my life got flipped-turned upside down.

When MLK gave his “I have a dream” speech he wasn’t envisioning me spending the holiday of his remembrance in jail. What’s lower than rock bottom? Whatever it is, that’s where I was. You know when you’re in a hard place you start regretting and repenting. That was me. I had to re-evaluate every decision that got me to that point. And I made a promise to myself to make my next move my best move. 6 days later I'm a free man (thank you God). Just in time to take my SATs and get accepted into college. Beyond clutch. Cause had I missed those SATs, let’s just say I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. I would’ve gone out sad.

Pandemic or Bandemic

Fast forward. It's the end of 2020. Pandemic going crazy! I’ve made some moves but not to the exact that I wanted. I’m in a clubhouse room. Listening to some random guy talk about Blockchain. And it clicks. My mind is blown. I fall down the rabbit hole and devote my entire being to learning everything I possibly can about Web 3. (now look who has a purpose) Few months late I create 40 acres DAO. With the mission to create self-sustaining communities of color, through blockchain. I’ve grown it to over 400 members. Personally helping onboard hundreds of black and brown creators into the space. Along with creating the Alphaverse Studios. My very own social club + co-creating space designed to create the next generation of Web 3 apps.

I know you want more proof of how dope I am so here’s some other things I’m involved in...

• 40 ACRES DAO
• BIPOC coalition fund
• Lyricist Lounge DAO
• E3 Digital School Of Entrepreneurship
• Austin’s first metaverse dance studio
• Weekly Metaverse Meetups
• Mint Factory

THE MISSION

Through the support of $RUSS Holders, we’re going to build the craziest, dopest, most fly collection of all time. Reinvesting back into what matters most. THE CREATIVES.

This will be historic! There is no lack of creative genius. And surely no lack of money circulating. I just want to serve as the bridge between the two. Truth is, we gotta take a break from the apes and monkey derivatives. There are some truly amazing artists and it pains me every time I see a super dope piece that’s not getting the recognition it deserves.

STAY TUNED

Now that you know a little bit about me, be on the lookout for more blogs as I continue to share how I went from just being a mugshot to corporate meetings with different CEOs to building space in Web3 for people who look like me. From learning how to be involved with $Russ tokens and support to more embarrassing stories; I got a lot of educational and entertaining content lined up for you all.

So I’ll leave you with this note. This will be your ticket to all the dope stuff I’m doing in these next few months. SXSW is the first stop. And we’ll kick it off with the FAMILY REUNION! Excited to be sharing news with you guys more on that in the next few days. Peace out, and much love to you guys.

Sincerely,

-Russ