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Snoop Dogg and Russell Simmons announce a new NFT collection called the 'Masterminds of Hip Hop' to benefit Hip Hop pioneers.

Hip Hops founding artists. The idea is something Ive had for the last couple years, Simmons tells HipHopDX. Then over the last two months, this feeling that we should do something to compensate and to give credit to the original founding fathers of Hip Hop intensified. I felt more and more increasingly compelled to do something. A post shared by Russell Simmons/Gdas (@unclerush) Simmons contacted DJ Hollywood, pioneering New York City DJ Eddie Cheeba, Grandmaster Caz, MC Sha-Rock, Busy Bee Starski and other Hip Hop luminaries who pre-date recorded music to create their own non-fungible token (NFT) but he didnt stop there. A lot of these guys who were pre-recording performance artists, we got it right away, he says. And then we went out and got Big Daddy Kane and Doug E. Fresh, and were closing Slick Rick. I mean all of that era, were closing them soon. Others involved include Public Enemys Chuck D,MC Lyte, Nikki D and more. A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) Simmons, who was instrumental in bringing EPMD,Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, LL COOL J and other celebrated Hip Hop artists into the public spotlight throughout the 1980s and 90s, feels the lack of support for some of the building blocks of the culture is criminal. My interest is not to be in the entertainment business, he says. Its to make sure I draw attention to the founding fathers. So now that Ive started, I have to do a documentary, a book and start to really make sure these NFTs sell and these guys make the money. Weve already given advantage to all of the people I mentioned and even some of the founding fathers, but some people dont even have bank accounts and we wouldnt even be here without them. Were standing on the shoulders of people who are struggling in many cases. This is why I wanted to do it. Read more