NFTs: the celebrity buying race

Celebrities are buying NFTs. We analyze which are the ten most expensive NFTs purchased by public figures. 

Snoop Dogg takes the top spot in this ranking as he is the celebrity who purchased the most expensive NFT, paying $7,088,229 for “Right-click and Save as guy.” 

Moreover, Snoop Dogg also spent the most money on a single NFT, according to a study of NFT purchases. In second place was Gary Vee, who purchased CryptoPunk #2140 for $3,953,216. Finally, in third place was Justin Bieber, with a purchase of $1,301,550 for BAYC #3001. 

The 2021/2022 study of NFT purchases by celebrities

CoinGecko, the world’s largest independent aggregator of cryptocurrency data, used transaction data from OpenSea, SuperRare, and Etherscan to find the most expensive NFTs purchased by celebrities since the beginning of 2021. 

The study looked at fifty different celebrities who would purchase one or more NFTs, to find out who are those who have spent the most money on NFTs. 

Snoop Dogg

As previously anticipated, Snoop Dogg, the American rapper and personality, takes the top spot with his purchase of Right Click and Save As guy, which at the time of purchase reached a staggering $7,088,229 (1,600 ETH). 

The rapper bought the piece, listed on SuperRare by artist XCOPY, in December last year and added it to his ever-growing NFT collection.  

After all, Snoop is no stranger to buying expensive digital artwork. Just last year he revealed that he operated under the alias of wealthy NFT collector Cozomo De Medici. 

Considered a “whale” among the cryptocurrency community, the rapper has a collection of valuable NFTs spread across several accounts. These include several CryptoPunks, Bored Ape and a second XCOPY piece that he purchased for $3.9 million.  

Gary Vee

Serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, commonly called Gary Vee online, takes second place with his purchase of CryptoPunk #2140, which he bought for the impressive sum of $3,953,216 (1,600 ETH). 

Despite transferring the same amount of Ethereum as Snoop Dogg’s purchase, Vee was an early adopter of the trend, buying this NFT five months earlier when Ether was valued at $2,470.76.  

Vee is an avid collector and supporter of NFTs: his OpenSea account indicates that he has purchased about 7,000 NFTs from various projects. 

He has amassed a cult following, in part due to the hype he generated within the crypto community, later launching his own comic book collection of NFTs called VeeFriends. 

Justin Bieber

Pop music icon Justin Bieber takes third place with the purchase of Bored Ape Yacht Club #3001 for $1,301,550 (500 ETH) on 29 January 2022. 

After the purchase was announced on Twitter, many users immediately mocked the celebrity, suggesting that he had paid too much for a monkey with common traits and characteristics. 

Indeed, the floor price of the NFT at the time of the sale was 104 ETH, or $270,908, meaning that Bieber paid almost four times more than necessary to add it to his collection. 

The NFT depicts a sad, unshaven monkey with dark brown fur, wearing a black T-shirt on a blue background. 

Steve Aoki

American DJ and producer Steve Aoki takes fourth place with Doodle #2238, purchased for $862,056 (269.69 ETH) on 7 January 2022. 

After the purchase, Aoki paused one of his live performances midway through to enthusiastically show fans the NFT, designed by Canadian illustrator Scott Martin. 

Aoki also purchased CryptoPunk #6473 for 65 ETH ($160,599) in July 2021, which he then sold for 300 ETH ($974,034) a few months later. 

Logan Paul

Logan Paul, the YouTube character turned boxer, takes the fifth position with the purchase of K4M-1 #03 from the 0N1 Force collection. Entering the NFT space in February 2021, he purchased this NFT for the sum of $624,669 (188 ETH). 

Logan has a close affiliation with Gary Vee and appears to have a fairly diverse portfolio of NFTs, with at least two accounts according to OpenSea. In fact, his two largest purchases exceed the $1 million threshold when combined. 

Neymar

Brazil and PSG superstar Neymar ranks sixth with his purchase of Bored Ape Yacht Club #5269 for $569,531 (ETH 189.69) on 20 January 2022.  

Neymar purchased Apes #5269 and #6633 from the BAYC collection on the same day for a combined sum of $1.05 million. The soccer player made BAYC #6633 his Twitter profile picture shortly after the purchase. 

Marshmello 

Masked electronic music producer Marshmello occupies seventh place, buying CryptoPunk #8274 for $504,069 (130 ETH) on 19 October 2021. 

Marshmello appears to own a few cryptocurrency wallets, but his most valuable NFTs are in his OpenSea account “itsmarshmello.” 

Madonna

Pop legend Madonna ranks eighth, with her purchase of Bored Ape Yacht Club #4988, bought for $466,461 (180 ETH) on 14 March 2022. 

In addition to owning several NFTs, Madonna has created her own digital art collection entitled “Mother of Creation.” These three NFTs were created in collaboration with the famous artist Beeple and feature a nude, computer-rendered version of the singer interacting with the natural world. Despite causing some controversy due to the bizarre nature of the content, one of the pieces was sold in May this year for the incredible sum of 170.5 ETH – about $350,000 at the time of purchase. 

Eminem

American rapper Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, takes ninth place with his purchase of Bored Ape Yacht Club #9055, paid $453,776 (123.45 ETH) on 31 December 2021. Eminem purchased the monkey, which looks a bit like himself, from Twitter user @gee_gazza. The NFT depicts a white-furred monkey on a gray background wearing a gold jacket and chain and a box-shaped military hat similar to the one worn by the rapper. 

Tom Brady

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady rounds out the top ten with the purchase of Bored Ape Yacht Club #3667, paid $453,062 (133 ETH) on 5 April 2022. Brady’s Bored Ape wears a World War II pilot’s helmet and smokes a cigarette against a military green background. 

The NFL veteran is one of many famous sportsmen who have purchased an NFT, including Shaquille O’Neal, Steph Curry, and LaMelo Ball. 

CoinGecko COO and co-founder Bobby Ong noted:

“Celebrities buying NFTs are testament to how NFTs have begun to intertwine with popular mainstream culture,” observed COO and co-founder of CoinGecko, Bobby Ong. “Whether for investment purposes, used as a social signal or a means to gain access to exclusive communities, the NFT sector has a high growth potential that is still largely untapped today.”