Ep 157 | DJ Kaku Trailblazes NFTs in Asia

Nov 14, 2021

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A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Earlier this year there was a lot of buzz about this thing called NFTs. These days you know that something’s definitely gone more mainstream when it’s talked about on The Ellen Show and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

What are NFTs, these non-fungible tokens? I was curious about the whole thing myself which is why I’ve asked Kaku, a Taiwan-based DJ to be my guest on this podcast. He’s a trailblazer in the NFT space, the first influencer not only from Taiwan but from Asia, to get into the NFT market.

I did some research in advance, to prepare for this interview as I do when dealing with a topic that I’m less familiar with. But as you’ll hear in the interview, I was learning all about NFTs as Kaku spoke to me. After the interview I did some further research, and re-listened to this interview as part of the editing process. That’s when I noticed that each time I listened to the interview, I picked up on something new.

If you’re really interested in learning more about NFTs, I encourage you to listen to this episode more than once to really understand what’s being discussed. Also check out the links to resources and articles that I’ve included in the Talking Taiwan show notes for this episode. And Kaku gives some great advice on how to understand what NFTs are.

One last thing, NFTs present an exciting opportunity but they are still in uncharted territory. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to safeguard your own assets, to do your research, and to protect yourself.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Kaku’s upbringing and connection to Taiwan
How he started DJing
How he made DJing a career
What he was doing before becoming a DJ
How his style is different from other DJs in Asia
His early interest in music
His early musical interests and influences
What it’s like being a professional DJ
The challenges of being an Asian in the entertainment industry
How the pandemic has affected him
How Kaku was initially known for making the genre of music called Jersey Club
A clip of the Jersey Club genre that Kaku is known for
The track PASS OUT by Nitti Gritti & Gaeko (개코) & Kaku
An exclusive preview of the new track BLINK by Kaku and Freekill featuring Elle Vee (due to be released in December)
How Kaku is the first DJ in Asia who’s gotten into the NFT space
Origin Protocol
Audius
3lau (pronounced: boo-lao), the number one DJ in crypto and NFTs
What is an NFT
The different ways that NFTs can be used
The challenges of protecting your intellectual property in the NFT space
How Kaku got interested in NFTs
What is blockchain technology?
Counterfeit NFTs
How NFT lingo is similar to sneaker culture
Kaku’s first NFT and how it was related to the (RED) Foundation
Kaku’s collaboration with an artist named Jonni Tsayto create his first NFTs to raise money for (RED)
Kaku’s NFT collaboration with Jonni for the Inspiration4 NFT auction for SpaceX benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
How the Inspiration4 NFT auction raised about 200,00 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
How NFTs can be utilized to raise money for charity
How Kaku created NFTs and collaborated with Jonni
The events, promotion and education related to Kaku’s first NFT drop
NFT projects that Kaku is promoting and working on
Kaku’s plans for a future merch drop that’s connected to NFTs
How NFT’s are used by musicians
0N1 Force the first anime-based NFT
Ethereals art is hand-drawn by artist Jimmy Danko
Purchasing NFTs
How the profile picture NFT market works
Profile picture based NFTs (aka PFP NFTs)
When PFP NFTs are minted, it’s like a random raffle and comparable to opening a pack of Pokémon cards
How social media has become an asset
Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs
The opportunity that NFTs presents for digital artists
Protecting your access to NFTs and cryptocurrency
Whether or not creators who intend to sell their NFTs need to already had a large following in order to be successful
Kaku’s advice to join an NFT community on Discord to learn about NFTs
How artists can make money with NFTs
The environmental impact of NFTs
Kaku’s advice for people who want to create NFTs
What Kaku learned from his first NFT drop