Being The Bridge: How Cordell Broadus (aka Champ Medici) Is Empowering Artists In The Tezos Ecosystem
Champ Medici (aka Cordell Broadus) on his partnership with the Tezos Foundation.
1,350 words, 7 minute read
The relationship between arts, culture, Web 3.0, blockchain technology, and NFTs is evolving at a breakneck pace. Even as the much-ballyhooed “NFT Winter” rolls on, big changes are afoot in the ways artists of all stripes engage with the communities who support them and the ways in which they market their creative works to those communities. And, despite the protests of those loudly declaring the death of NFTs and even blockchain itself, these technologies are playing an important role in driving these changes forward. Nowhere more so than right here in the Tezos ecosystem.
As growing numbers of artists continue to coalesce in the thriving Tezos art scene, a digital renaissance of sorts has been taking shape. With a bevy of the best NFT marketplaces in the business on offer, partnerships with important legacy institutions taking shape, and a foundational layer that is well ahead of the industry curve in its quest to scale for the Web 3.0-driven future ahead, the Tezos ecosystem has become an important landing place for artists and collectors from every corner of the globe.
Enter: Champ Medici (AKA Cordell Broadus), Creator of The Champ Medici Arts Fund in partnership with the Tezos Foundation.
Champ’s efforts to support emerging artists have been the impetus for the founding of an important international partnership aimed at helping emerging artists to stake their claim in the Web 3.0 realm and find their footing in this rapidly evolving and important artistic medium for the digital future.
To hear Champ Medici tell it, however, this partnership is about a whole lot more than just the continued growth of the Tezos art ecosystem. For Champ Medici, this partnership — and the Champ Medici Art Fund itself — are really about empowering artists from historically marginalized communities to claim their rightful place at the big table in the Web 3.0 revolution to come…
“I’m just trying to be the bridge between the culture and Web 3.0, because we’re always late to the party. We’re always just the talent. I wanted to make sure that we had a piece of the pie and we were part of the decisions that were being made and bringing in the cool factor. I wanted to focus on that.”
Source: Champ Medici’s Instagram
It’s difficult to talk about Cordell Broadus and the significance of his ongoing partnership with the Tezos Foundation without mentioning his lineage. Cordell is the son of hip hop legend and cultural phenomenon Snoop Dogg (or ‘Cozomo Medici’, as he’s known in the Web 3.0 space). This fact is significant for a number of reasons, not least of which is that it brings with it the involvement and support of some very important names in the world of music and art, like music hip-hop legend Russel Simmons (pictured above). While it is Cordell who is driving the bus on the Tezos Foundation partnership, Snoop Dogg’s ongoing input, support, impressive business acumen, reach, and connections are not something that should be taken lightly…
“We’re a team. It’s not me, it’s we. That’s just how we work. We have a 25-year age difference, so we’re able to get two different perspectives, and I think it’s extremely important to work with someone who has the experience. I’m going off of my gut and having my finger on the pulse of the culture, but he has actual experience in this industry and business and having longevity and having IP — I mean, Snoop Dogg is an IP if you really think about it. He’s been doing this before me, I just put it in terms where he was able to understand it and monetize in a way that’s authentic to him.”
As the son of one of music’s most successful and recognized names, Champ Medici has a unique perspective on the crossroads between art and digital technology. For him, the Web 3.0 space offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring art back to its roots and return control of the art to the artists, where it belongs…
“These artists have already been selling NFTs, they just weren’t NFTs yet. Mixtapes and CDs are NFTs, when you think about it. You’re selling your content — your creative vision — to a community that’s loyal to you. These assets that you’re selling were physical, but they became digital into streaming and things like that, so now you’re further removed from your community. I just wanted to try to make it intimate again and make that experience for the fan and the consumer more personal.”
Champ Medici’s decision to realize his vision here in the Tezos ecosystem is a significant one, and not one that he and his team made lightly. Partnering with the Tezos Foundation to form the Champ Medici Digital Arts Fund was a decision founded on an alignment of visions for what NFTs and Web 3.0 could really mean for artists moving forward if executed with an artists-first vision in mind, something Champ Medici spoke about during his recent appearance on TezTalks Radio…
“I’ve got a team that’s smarter than me and knows a lot more than me, so when they brought it to me, it just made sense. We’re aligned on a lot of the same visions. I want to just continue what I’m doing — just being the bridge and connecting things that didn’t exist before, so us creating this fund together is to help bring awareness to minority communities and uplift creators and bring diverse creators forward so we can all have a piece of the pie. Ownership is key.”
Empowering artists is at the core of Champ Medici’s quest to realize his vision in the Web 3.0 space. For him, partnering with the Tezos Foundation represents an important opportunity for stakeholders on both ends, and should benefit everyone involved every step of the way. While his focus is on shining a spotlight on artists who might otherwise miss out, the long-tail effect of doing so could (and should) be good news for everyone…
“That’s the stuff that I like doing. If Tezos can help amplify that, that’s amazing. On our end, we want to bring more users to the blockchain and more wallets to Tezos. That’s the beauty of it all. It’s a beneficial relationship on both ends.”
Champ Medici’s passion for art spans across music, art, sculpture, and beyond. As his partnership with the Tezos Foundation continues to evolve in the months ahead, the possibilities for empowering artists truly are endless. Although we’ve barely scratched the surface of the transformation that Web 3.0 is driving, partnerships like this one ensure that Tezos will remain ahead of the curve in maximizing the potential that it will have to offer…
“I think everything should be just cross-pollinated, if you ask me. I love playing video games and being immersed in those types of environments where everything is in front of you. With the Oculus and all these new products that Apple is making, that’s where this is all going. So if I can try to get ahead of that and have a little piece of what’s being created and what’s being innovated, that’s happiness for me.”
Add amazing folks like Cordell Broadus and the team behind him moving to involve themselves here in the Tezos ecosystem to the growing list of signals that Tezos is ready for the Web 3.0 revolution ahead. As the Champ Medici Arts Fund moves forward with its mission to bring new talent into the space and shine a spotlight on their work, we’ll be watching closely, and we can’t wait to see where all of this leads!