Boardroom spoke to Web3 expert Champ Medici at VeeCon 2022 and NFT.NYC about everything he has planned to take over the space.
Champ Medici defines himself as a crypto entrepreneur, but Snoop Dogg’s multifaceted son is so much more than that.
“I walked away from the NFL and jumped in the metaverse,” Medici told Boardroom at VeeCon 2022.
It’s no secret that Medici, born Cordell Broadus, has a plethora of options when it comes to building something. Instead of following the path everyone else laid out for him, he built his own Web3 brand and is considered one of the most influential figures in the growing industry.
Medici first learned about crypto from the late Nipsey Hussle in 2017, as Boardroom reported, and he said Hussle would always talk to him about “what’s next” in life. When Medici turned 19 and started tapping into more money, he said he looked to Hussle for advice on what to do with it.
“He instantly told me [to] invest in cryptocurrency and real estate and to read the 22 Immutable Laws of Branding,” Medici told Boardroom. “It was so much game right then and there, but I didn’t really listen to it then because I thought I was on top of the world.”
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Medici may not have listened to Hussle right away, but he soon jumped into the crypto investing world, and his work in the space has been taking off ever since.
Breaking into Web3
Medici told Boardroom at VeeCon 2022 that he found faster success with his Web3 work than anything he had done previously. Medici has played sports, walked in fashion shows, made music, and attended UCLA to study film, to name a few experiences. He said he took his extensive knowledge base into Web3 when he decided to give the space his all. But Medici’s not just in the industry to get to a bag, he says; it’s more about leaning into the opportunity.
“It’s new, and there is so much potential,” Medici said about the Web3 industry. “There are so many different careers driving into this market, and I think there’s a lot of room for innovation.”
Medici’s first few investments in the Web3 space were in MoonPay, Sound, and Cardano. He saw opportunities to really push his crypto ambitions through NFTs as well, which is why he started buying them. Most notably, Medici owns NFTs from collections such as Bored Ape Yacht Club, Doodles, and CryptoPunks.
Medici went from learning about crypto five years ago to leading multiple projects and even consulting for The SandBox, MoonPay, and his father’s Web3 work. He said he was trying to convince Snoop to break into the industry for a while, and once he began to understand the philosophy behind Web3, Medici convinced his father to invest in the space.
“When we went to Miami last year for Art Basel, we were meeting with everybody,” Medici said. “That’s when I knew that when we got home, I was gonna sit him down and tell him your next album gonna be on the blockchain.”
And that seems to be true since Snoop teased earlier this year that he’ll be dropping some music under the newly NFT-focused Death Row Records.
Above all, Medici is working to connect more people to the Web3 world in any way he can. He said many people could really show off their talents in this space that couldn’t be showcased with traditional careers.
“It’s an even playing ground,” he said.
Bored Taco
One of Medici’s latest Web3 projects is Bored Taco, which was unveiled at ApeFest during NFT.NYC this week. Medici became a partner in NFT restaurant group Food Fighters Universe (FFU) to bring his concept to life in two months. Bored Taco’s branding includes Medici’s Bored Ape. Medici said he was inspired to create Bored Taco after seeing how FFU brought Bun B’s trill burgers to LA with Bored & Hungry, an NFT-themed restaurant.
Supporters got their first taste of Bored Taco via a food truck along with Bored & Hungry and Snoop’s Dr. Bombay’s Sweet Exploration. Boardroom got an exclusive first look at the FFU installation down at ApeFest on opening day.
FFU was founded in March by restaurant entrepreneurs Andy Nguyen, Kevin Seo, and Phillip Huynh to bridge the gap between food and Web3. The NFT restaurant group is preparing to launch its first NFT collection in June with 10,000 tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. Sales from the mint will go toward building FFU restaurants and experiences like food truck pop-up at NFT.NYC.
Medici’s Bored Taco pop-up is only available during ApeFest right now, but the team has plans to take it worldwide.
What’s Next?
Next, Medici says he wants to focus on promoting his cannabis brands. This includes his partnership with Mobland on virtual cannabis farms and his Bored 8th Cannabis line with the BackpackBoyz Club and Cookies, the renowned cannabis brand and dispensary.
Medici has been all gas, no breaks since hitting the stage at VeeCon a month ago, which he described as an opportunity of a lifetime. He said the experience felt like a full-circle moment since he spent some time last year watching videos of Gary Vee teaching the community about opportunities in Web3.
Medici has his hands full, but the crypto entrepreneur is inspired now more than ever to continue creating and building in Web3. He’s created a whole brand behind his Web3 persona, Champ Medici, and he has big plans to take his brand to new heights.
“I can have my own identity,” Medici said about his Web3 persona and work. “People not asking me about my pops. It feels good.”
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