The Marathon Lion NFT is a limited edition digital collectible that gives Proud 2 Pay community members exclusive access to discounts, drops, and branded content through the e-commerce site, The Marathon (Vault). Since the NFT announcement, the Marathon brand has earned over $100,000 in NFT purchases within 24 hours, according to information provided to AFROTECH.
The NFT artwork was hand-drawn by designer Christian Archerone Lucero, The Marathon’s original designer. Per the Vault website, his skills have contributed a great deal to the brand’s success, so the Marathon team decided to take things a step further. With 10,000 unique digital assets, members can unlock artistic representations of significant moments in Nipsey Hussle’s life. NFT owners can also claim physical products based on what is showcased on their particular NFT.
“The release of The Marathon Lion NFT marks our official Web 3 integration of Nipsey’s game-changing Proud 2 Pay business model birthed in 2013,” The Marathon Clothing team said, according to a press release. “Existing Proud 2 Pay members who purchased Crenshaw or Mailbox Money will receive early access to The Marathon Lion NFT via airdrop. New members will have an opportunity to join in the tight-knit Proud 2 Pay community when the newly minted Marathon Lion NFT is offered to the general public.”
The launch’s success is a callback to how Nipsey Hussle’s “Proud 2 Pay” campaign originally started. For the release of his 2013 mixtape, “Crenshaw,” he created and signed 1,000 hard copies, each priced at $100, with a focus on rewarding his loyal fans. In under 24 hours, the Los Angeles, CA, rapper sold every copy. Since then, his mission has been to give back to the community, and this initiative continues to live on through his family and brand team.
Additionally, the NFT release kicked off The Marathon & Crenshaw letterman jacket drop. This jacket will be the first significant drop from the collection featuring an embedded NFC chip integrated into its design. By tapping on the product from a mobile device, members can claim the digital collectible associated with the jacket and guarantee the authenticity of ownership, per the Vault website.
The company hopes that Nipsey Hussle’s dream of deepening the connection between creators and fans will be continued by “inviting collectors to actively participate in shaping The Marathon brand through connected ownership experiences,” per its website.
