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Erika Lee

Erika Lee

Erika Lee is a freelance journalist who covers digital art, NFTs, and crypto. She was most recently a Senior Editor at NFT Now. She's a University of Southern California alum and has reported for Business Insider, CBS News, Glamour, and more. Disclosure: No significant crypto holdings, but she owns some NFTs.

Stories by Erika Lee

  • 9dcc's Black Box. Image: 9dcc

    Fashion Label 9dcc’s ‘Black Box’ Offers Mystery Apparel—And a CryptoPunk Prize

    9dcc, the on-chain fashion label founded by pseudonymous crypto personality and investor gmoney, is preparing to release its latest project, the 9dcc Black Box, on December 18. The drop, limited to 2,750 NFTs minted on Ethereum layer-2 network Base, is being billed by the crypto-native luxury brand as a blend of fashion, blockchain technology, and mystery. Each 9dcc Black Box promises a mix of digital and physical rewards. Buyers might find an item from the label’s Collection-01, which ranges fr...

    NewsNFTs
    3 min read
    Erika Lee

  • Leap of Faith: Auction to Benefit Children's Cancer Research Attracts Major Crypto Artists

    A prominent crypto industry creator is channeling his personal journey and using his platform for a meaningful mission: Raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through cryptocurrency donations and NFT sales. Pseudonymous influencer Leap’s upcoming initiative will debut with an art auction at Art Basel Miami on Friday afternoon, bringing together the worlds of blockchain and fine art to support life-saving research. It marks the culmination of months of personal and professional t...

    NewsNFTs
    5 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Coinbase is the leading crypto exchange in the U.S. Image: Decrypt/André Beganski

    Coinbase Ending Direct Crypto Paycheck Feature, New Wallet Integration In the Works

    U.S. publicly-listed crypto exchange Coinbase announced Tuesday it is ending its Paycheck Direct Deposit service, a feature that had previously allowed users to allocate part or all of their paycheck to be paid in crypto.  “Starting November 25, we'll no longer support paycheck direct deposit on Coinbase,” the exchange’s team said in an email sent to users Monday. “Please remove your Coinbase account from your paycheck to avoid delays in getting paid.” However, the decision has sparked frustrati...

    NewsBusiness
    2 min read
    Erika Lee
  • "Ascend" by Ryan Koopmans and Alice Wexell. Image: Koopmans/Wexell

    Dynamic Bitcoin Ordinals Artwork Will Be First Ever Auctioned at Christie's

    On October 10, Christie’s London will host an auction for “Ascend”—a 1-of-1 piece of dynamic digital artwork inscribed on Bitcoin's Ordinals protocol—during its Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale. It will be the only digital artwork in the sale.  This event will mark the first-ever Bitcoin Ordinal to appear in a live auction at Christie’s, bridging the gap between the traditional and digital art worlds.  “Ascend” is a part of “The Wild Within” project created by artists Ryan Koopmans and Ali...

    NewsNFTs
    5 min read
    Erika Lee

  • Gameloft Reveals 'Claynosaurz' Mobile Game Based on Solana NFTs

    Popular Solana NFT collection Claynosaurz and the 3D animation studio behind it are expanding into gaming. On Thursday, the makers of Claynosaurz announced a collaboration with leading game publisher Gameloft to develop a mobile game based on the brand. While specific details about the game have yet to be fully revealed, the development team hinted that it will combine elements of a "choose your own adventure" experience with gameplay reminiscent of hit location-based game, Pokémon Go. The game...

    NewsGaming
    4 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Image: Stacks Foundation

    Bitcoin Network Stacks Devs 'Can See the Finish Line' With Nakamoto Upgrade

    After facing multiple delays, Bitcoin layer-2 network Stacks moved forward with the first part of its highly anticipated Nakamoto upgrade this week. The upgrade is expected to decouple block production from the Bitcoin blockchain, enabling faster and more efficient processing. The Nakamoto upgrade, partly rolled out in April, introduced mock-signing transactions using Stacks' proof-of-transfer (POX) consensus, where miners burn BTC to earn STX rewards. Activation was delayed for eight weeks to f...

    NewsTechnology
    5 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Image: DeGods

    Activating 'DeGod Mode': 24 Hours in Telegram With the Wildest NFT Cult

    You don’t need to be a DeGods holder to notice their presence. Even if you’re just casually involved in Crypto Twitter or the NFT community, DeGods bullposting has become a constant fixture on the timeline. The level of passion surrounding the project mirrors the intensity often seen in fandoms like BTS or Taylor Swift, albeit within the microcosm of crypto. Some holders and team members call it a cult. Not long ago, the project was facing constant criticism for its decline in floor price and wh...

    NewsNFTs
    9 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Image: Shutterstock

    Sundog Meme Coin on Tron Spikes After SunPump Platform Launch

    Despite falling prices, the craze for trading dog and cat memes may be far from over—it's simply branching out to new blockchains. Tron's flagship meme coin, Sundog (SUNDOG), is flying high since launching on August 15, making waves on Crypto Twitter as the network’s first buzzy meme coin. At the time of writing, its market cap has surged to $126 million after peaking at $325 million. In a recent buying frenzy, a single whale invested $450,000 in Sundog, sending its price soaring. Entered at $5...

    NewsCoins
    3 min read
    Erika Lee
  • A Dead Dad Coin meme. Image: Dead Dad Coin

    Dead Dad Coin: Why an Artist Funneled His Grief Into a Meme Token

    Strange things have happened in the meme coin space in recent months. We've seen a Solana developer end up in the hospital with third-degree burns trying to boost his coin, purported incest used to induce traders to pump a price, and rappers and reality TV stars launching their own tokens. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Thousands of wild tickers inspired by dogs, cats, presidential candidates, and more are emerging daily, but one in particular—bluntly and somewhat morbidly named "Dead D...

    NewsCoins
    5 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Caitlyn Jenner. Image: Shutterstock

    Caitlyn Jenner Launching Ethereum Token Inspired by Olympic Gold Medal on Base

    After launching her own token in May, media personality Caitlyn Jenner is set to debut a new crypto project around the Olympic gold medal she won 48 years ago. Set for Thursday, the launch will offer investors a chance to own a digital piece of Jenner’s 1976 Olympic gold medal via fractionalization. Jenner told Decrypt that she got the idea before this year’s Summer Olympics and wanted to approach it creatively with her team.  “Well, I have been in this space for almost a year now, and I'm const...

    NewsCoins
    4 min read
    Erika Lee
  • The DoodlesTV Super Pass on Base. Image: Doodles

    DoodlesTV Launches With Season Pass on Base for Exclusive Content

    Ahead of impending film and music releases, Ethereum NFT-based project Doodles announced the launch of DoodlesTV Super Pass on Tuesday, with the pass now available for minting on Coinbase's Base—an Ethereum layer-2 scaling network. The launch comes after Doodles’ recent migration of its Stoodio character customization platform from Flow to Base. It is open for minting today for .0021 ETH, or about $7 at present. DoodlesTV is a platform designed to offer exclusive content, premieres, and viewing...

    NewsNFTs
    2 min read
    Erika Lee
  • AI-generated art of rapper Waka Flocka Flame. Image: Waka Flocka Flame

    Why Waka Flocka Flame Insists His Meme Coin Isn't a Cash Grab

    From Jason Derulo to Iggy Azalea and Caitlyn Jenner, there’s been a rush of celebrities flooding the meme coin world—though the initial novelty of this latest wave of celebrity coins may be wearing off on traders, especially amid a rise in scams aiming to capitalize on the craze via hacked social media accounts. Rapper Waka Flocka Flame (aka Juaquin James Malphurs), is part of that pack of recent celeb entrants into the meme coin world—and in an exclusive interview with Decrypt, he said he remai...

    NewsCoins
    7 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Goblintown artwork. Image: Truth Arts

    Goblintown Creators Launch 'Portals' to Let Holders Move NFTs Across Ethereum Ecosystem

    Truth Arts, the company behind the NFT collections Goblintown and Secret Society, is launching a feature that it believes will help shape a multi-chain future for tokenized assets. The team has unveiled "Portals," a platform that allows users to bridge their Goblintown or Illuminati NFTs from Ethereum to one of several supported blockchains. Effective immediately, holders of those NFTs can bridge their assets to Arbitrum, Base, Blast, Optimism, and Polygon—all Ethereum scaling networks—and of co...

    NewsNFTs
    3 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Doodles is bringing its Stoodio platform to Base. Image: Doodles

    Doodles Will Migrate Avatar Creation 'Stoodio' to Ethereum Layer-2 Base

    Doodles, an NFT-driven entertainment property, is making a move. On Monday, the project announced that it will migrate its “Stoodio” avatar customization platform to Ethereum layer-2 scaling network Base, departing the Flow blockchain in the process. The transition, set to take place in mid-July, aims to leverage Base's cheaper and faster transactions compared to the Ethereum mainnet. Base, which was developed by popular crypto exchange Coinbase, is gaining steam within the increasingly crowded...

    NewsNFTs
    4 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Jaylene Cook, a prominent creator on the Solana-based app Only1. Photo: Jaylene Cook

    Would You Pay $40K in Solana for a Date With a Playboy Playmate?

    Crypto Twitter’s attention span tends to be short-lived, with fresh controversial topics quickly replacing the previous talking points—but Jaylene Cook recently found herself the main topic of conversation on the timeline for more than the typical news cycle.  That's thanks to Only1, a crypto OnlyFans alternative on the Solana blockchain, where she offered three spots for a date with her—for 250 SOL, or a cool $36,000 apiece as of this writing. Her top-tier Date Night Pass offers the following b...

    NewsBusiness
    6 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Frank and Malcolm from DeGods at Donald Trump's May 2024 NFT event. Image: DeLabs

    He Went Viral for Asking Trump a Question—Did It Save Crypto in the US?

    Unexpected moments can have surprising ripple effects. This was vividly illustrated when a pair of NFT builders from DeGods project creator DeLabs—founder Frank (aka Rohun Vora) and Chief of Staff Malcolm—visited Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort earlier this month for an event for Trump NFT holders, and went viral for asking the former president a crypto-related question. The exchange not only captivated online audiences, but has also convinced some industry observers that they helped influence...

    NewsTechnology
    6 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Artwork from Nina Chanel Abney's "Super Punks World" collection. Image: Yuga Labs

    New CryptoPunks NFT Collection Unravels After Backlash to 'Woke' Artwork

    CryptoPunks is arguably the most iconic and influential profile picture (PFP) collection in the NFT world, and after getting the project into museums, Yuga Labs has been trying to expand their entry into the art world by letting notable artists riff on the IP with the official Punks stamp. But the first effort, revealed Monday with the launch of a new Punks-branded NFT collection, faced immediate backlash from collectors and crypto observers alike—including claims of “woke” artwork, sometimes ac...

    NewsNFTs
    6 min read
    Erika Lee, Andrew Hayward
  • Artwork from DeGods. Image: DeGods

    Why Did DeGods Leave Solana for Ethereum? 'I Was Just Being a Pussy', Says Founder

    In a candid tweet Thursday, DeGods and y00ts NFT project founder Rohun Vora (aka Frank DeGods) took a critical look at his previous decisions, especially those made during tumultuous times for the well-known collections. His reflection sheds light on the pressures of community expectations and being a founder. “I used to try to move mountains to appease the community in times of chaos," he began. "Every single time it's backfired." Throughout the years as the leader of DeGods, he has made many d...

    NewsNFTs
    4 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Content creator Jennifer "Jenndefer" Duong. Image: Jenndefer

    How Jenndefer Became a Crypto Twitter Main Character via 'Fantasy Top'

    Jennifer Duong, aka Jenndefer, has far fewer Twitter (aka X) followers than some of her Fantasy Top "hero" compatriots. But the influencer-driven crypto game has quickly turned her into one of Crypto Twitter’s main characters, as has her other content around Blast. Jenndefer quickly carved a niche for herself when she dove headfirst into Blast, the Ethereum layer-2 network known for its lucrative incentives ahead of an upcoming airdrop in late June. However, it was in Fantasy Top—a blockchain-ba...

    NewsGaming
    5 min read
    Erika Lee
  • Source: Shutterstock

    Bitcoin Runes Haven't Lived Up to the Hype? It's Still Too Early to Say

    Runes, the new fungible token standard on Bitcoin, had enthusiasts buzzing when it launched in April amid the quadrennial Bitcoin halving event. But less than a month later, the early impact appears less monumental than many Bitcoin backers expected.  The Runes launch indeed saw a flurry of immediate activity, with hundreds of token tickers launched within the halving block. But demand has decreased partially due to expectations, and amid a cooling crypto market that has seen broader price decli...

    NewsMarkets
    5 min read
    Erika Lee
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