This Celebrity Rapper Owes The Feds $6 Million & Predicts "Age Of Bitcoin" - TDV Week in Review: August 3rd, 2014
Hip-hop heavyweight Nas has made headlines recently touring on the twentieth anniversary of his debut album, “Illmatic,” undeniably one of the classic hip hop records of all time.
Hip hop isn’t Nas’s sole endeavor. As the founder of the venture capital firm Queensbridge Venture Partners, Nas – whose full name is Nasir Jones – has invested in disruptive technologies like ride sharing startup Lyft, mobile laundry service Washio and e-commerce platform Fancy.
Nas’s close relationship with Andressen Horowitz’s Ben Horowitz and Chris Dixon led him to digital currency. Nas has already invested in Coinbase. In a July 2014 interview with CoinDesk, the 40-year old said:
[Bitcoin] will evolve into an industry as big, if not bigger, than the Internet. My man Ben Horowitz really opened my eyes to that point. This isn’t of the Internet age, bitcoin is its own age…Obviously challenges will arise from a security and privacy perspective, but the Internet was the same way 20 years ago.
Jones and his team have been buying bitcoin for more than a year. As far as his plans for the future:
“[We're] holding onto it for now, but [we're] looking forward to making transactions in the near future.”
What interests Nas about bitcoin?
“I was really inspired by the boundaries people were pushing,” Jones said. “[Bitcoin] seemed like something people bet against because the government doesn’t welcome with open arms what they don’t control. But it is such a big idea that it could never be controlled.”
Staying true to much of the lyrical content Nas pens, the rapper/entrepreneur is excited to see what bitcoin can do for the unbanked and/or underbanked.
“[I] would love to see how it affects people who don’t use credit cards or don’t have bank accounts,” he said. “[Bitcoin] could be a big opportunity for those folks.”
Nas hinted that the marketing campaign for his next album could involve bitcoin.
Nas is not the only hip hop artist interested in bitcoin. I penned at my blog Bitcoinomics an article entitled, “Hip Hop Loves Bitcoin“. Here is the text to that piece:
The hip hop industry has long been obsessed with money. From 2Pac to indie artists, making money has been a theme throughout. Much of this is simply the acknowledgement that money makes the world go round, a clairvoyant observation. It is this observation that makes bitcoin and hip-hop a match made in paperland…
Most recently 50 Cent said that he would make his new album, Animal Ambition, available in bitcoin - 0.01373 Bitcoin to be exact. The payment through his Shopify store will be processed through BitPay. BitPay executive chairman Tony Gallippi said, ”We are excited to see high profile independent artists use Bitcoin and 50 Cent’s trail as an innovator is outstanding.”
50 Cent was discovered by legendary hip hop artist Eminem, and went platinum under the guidance of Dr. Dre and Eminem with his album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’.” 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, was once shot nine times and survived.
50 Cent has been a noted investor. he invested in Glaceau – the makers of VItaminwater – which made him millions. The company was later sold to Coca-Cola for $4.1 billion. He has sold over 30 million records to date.
Jackson isn’t the only music artist to embrace bitcoin:
Snoop Dogg expressed interest in accepting bitcoin for his next record by tweeting something quite funny:
He later exchanged messages with Coinbase and BitPay, stating “I want to make it happen”. He never ended up accepting bitcoin for his record. Representatives of the singer said it was a joke. The second-half of the tweet kind of gives it away, because while it’s not outlandish to imagine Snoop Dogg embracing bitcoin, it’s hard to imagine his record label has.
The stage has been set for a general adoption of bitcoin by the hip hop community. Two of its biggest artists have flirted with or directly accepted the currency, and the industry, which has historically been aware of money and its attributes, will likely see the utility in the decentralized crypto-currency.
Now three high profile rappers have come out in favor of bitcoin.
Nas’ troubles with the dominant money system may be just what led him to bitcoin.
Everyime you buy a Nas album, you’re paying the government. Nas’s delinquent tax filings have led to his wages to be garnered. His tax debt was $6,000,000 in 2012. His wages are garnished via BMI and ASCAP.
So, if you like Nas, but hate the government, perhaps you’ll just want to sign up at Coinbase and buy bitcoins instead of buying his albums. In the following song, “Money Is My Bitch,” Nas outlines his love-hate relationship with $$$.
Questions or comments? Join me in the discussion section.
Justin O’Connell is the Head Researcher at Dollar Vigilante and Chief Executive Officer of GoldSilverBitcoin. He is also the author of the first full-length bitcoin book, Bitcoinomics, and administrator of the Bitcoinomics website. Justin is also a co-host at Our Very Own Special Show, a lifestyle podcast about music, news, life and other topics. He lives in San Diego, California. His writings mostly deal with gold, silver, bitcoin, technology and culture.
Before the review, lets look at this month’s TDV Homegrown content.
First, Justin O’Connell had a look at bitcoin storage, not the contradiction you’d think. Then we investigated Utah’s concealed weapon permits and why you need one. Next, as he does in all of our subscriber publications, Jeff rounded up absurdities of statism from around the globe. Sinn Hooper introduced a new series on sex and drugs, which proves to be a monthly must-read… Then, we finished with TDV’s resident advice columnist, Dear Slavey.
If you’re interested in receiving articles beyond what you read here everyday, consider our weekly subscriber-only publications, like our Issue, Dispatches, and Homegrown. You may subscribe here.
On to the review…
Monday July 28
Joel Bowman with an intriguing essay on libertarianism.
“That’s the real problem with statism, dear reader. All its various machinations are, in one way or another, inherently prescriptive. You try to mind your own business. You try to live a quiet and decent life… but there’s always someone telling you there’s a better way: their way. Oh, and they’ll be needing your money and/or person to make it happen.”
Tuesday July 29
THE NSA MOVES TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Wendy McElroy on the national spy agency’s latest intrusions.
“One program is called the Minerva Initiative after the Roman goddess of war. A June 12th article in the Guardian explained, “A US Department of Defense (DoD) research programme is funding universities to model the dynamics, risks and tipping points for large-scale civil unrest across the world, under the supervision of various US military agencies.” [Note: Minerva funding is typically channeled through less controversial agencies such as the National Institutes of Health.] Established in 2008, Minerva was budgeted to fund approximately $75 million worth of behavioral research over a five year period. It is now six years later. In 2014 to date, Minerva has distributed approximately $17.8 million.”
Wednesday July 30
HOW AND WHY YOU GET ON A TSA WATCH LIST
An invaluable document for any traveler.
“The instruction guide is reprinted and analyzed by The Intercept in a July 23rd article entitled ‘Blacklisted: The Secret Government Rulebook for Labeling You a Terrorist.’ The Intercept is an online periodical co-founded in February by Glenn Greenwald in order to report on government documents released by Edward Snowden and others.”
Thursday July 31
WHAT FEW KNOW ABOUT TOR MIGHT SHOCK YOU
Jeff with some interesting insight on the “onion” browser.
“Technology is constantly evolving. In ten years the Internet will look nothing like it does today. Talk of a “darknet” and “clearnet” will become more pervasive as the free market develops ways around the undermined aspects of online privacy. In today’s climate, it is more important than ever to be on your toes when it comes to protecting privacy. Many people get the impression it is impossible to enjoy online privacy. While I do not believe it to be impossible, it is much more difficult than most people think.”
Friday August 1
HOW’S THAT RECOVERY WORKING OUT FOR YOU?
Jeff on our increasing poverty.
“That number is bad enough. The typical US household has had its net worth decline by 36% in a decade when adjusted for inflation. But, it’s worse than that. That inflation number, be sure to remember, is the inflation figure adjusted by the government’s CPI which heavily understates inflation. Money printing (which is what inflation is which causes the symptom of price inflation) has averaged more than 7% per annum since 2003… That is more than triple what the US government states for inflation. If accounted for properly the real decline in a typical household’s net worth is well higher than 50%!”
Saturday July 12
Jeff Berwick with his weekly address to TDVers.
TDV VIDEO
Our feature video is direct from FreedomFest 2014, as Kyle Platt catches up with Jeff. Their discussion revolves around ideas. First, what is the most radical and wild investing advice Jeff has for libertarians? Second, what is an idea or statement that Jeff has heard on his interview show that blew his mind, and completely changed the way he thought about things?
Have a look at our wide array of informative videos featuring interviews, opinions, and analysis on TDV’s media page.
TDV SERVICES
Don’t forget, TDV is much more than a newsletter. We also offer many of the solutions to the problems we identify in the letter to help people internationalize their self and wealth to protect themselves from The End Of The Monetary System As We Know It (TEOTMSAWKI). Check out all our services designed to help you gain more freedom in your life here:
Remember, if you have any questions, concerns, or issues with what you’ve read on TDV, write us at: [email protected].
Thanks as always for reading or subscribing!
Managing Editor
Source: http://www.dollarvigilante.com/blog/2014/8/3/this-celebrity-rapper-owes-the-feds-6-million-predicts-age-o.html#6468
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!
Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!
HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.
Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.
MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)
Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser! Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!
Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.
Smart Meter Cover - Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).
| Online: | |
| Visits: | 1,602,085,819 |
| Stories: | 8,146,378 |
Whistler Blowers, Insiders
