For the most part, the NFT space prides itself on having a massive community of like-minded individuals. However, in a large group like it, there are always those who tend to go against the flow. While most people think of it as a negative thing, individuals who challenge the norm are essential to innovation. One such project that aims to change the status quo is Not Okay Bears.
In the past, the venture has earned the ire of many and has divided the community, especially regarding the venture’s issues. Because its artwork showcase left-facing Okay Bears on Solana blockchain, some call it a knock-off collection that was put on the Ethereum blockchain. On the other hand, its supporters and many supporters believe in the vision of the enterprise, its advocacy for mental health awareness and a form of artistic expression.
However, things are looking up for the highly turbulent NFT venture. Recently, it has undergone some changes after NFT influencer Hustler (Joe Vargas) took over. He has been a solid supporter of the project since its inception and the instrumental part of Not OKay Bears going viral, and now, he has acquired ownership of the whole Not Okay Bears project. In fact, Hustler is responsible for the viral quote “Solana is for the poor” which is now a part of the culture of Solana that has been embraced by the Solana community and even creators of Solana as humour. Hustler began the ‘Ethereum vs Solana’ war that was started as a competitive in nature banter.
Hustler shared his plans to purchase the venture via the popular social media site Twitter. He wrote, “BREAKING: I just made an offer inside Not Okay Bears Discord to take over the project 100%. The founder has 6 hours to respond in my DMs or offer is off the table.” He then tweeted later that day, “Word is out. I am now the Founder [Owner] of @Not_OkayBears. We are really not going to be okay.”
Following this change, the new Not Okay Bears owner joined a Twitter space hosted by another NFT influencer. When people asked him about his decision to put a 7.5% royalty on secondary sales and how he could justify it, Hustler directly answered, “We don’t have to do anything … The project has no money. We can’t do anything with no money.”
While the response earned the frustration and dismay of many, Hustler and his supporters maintain that it was the right move and will fight the hypocrisy that runs rampant in web3. Hustler pointed out that the vast majority of the NFT space is hypocritical as the same people mad at what Not Okay Bears are doing, their wallet is filled with stolen art and derivatives that they are okay with as long as they are making money. After all, many other new and established projects impose royalties. Hustler even called out the criticisms made by some that only seem to target Not Okay Bears and not many other projects.
He expressed in the tweet, “GM to everyone besides the ppl that launched a new project and added 5%-10% royalties because that’s a big no-no to the NFT hypocrites. You’re new & not supposed to make money according to them. Shame on all of you. Don’t worry tho, they will cherry-pick who to be mad at.”
Since the inception of Not Okay Bears, Hustler has added utility to support mental health awareness, added a roadmap to the project and much more. Not Okay Bears has donated over 35eth to support mental health awareness thus far and will continue to support the initiative in the future.
It goes without saying that Not Okay Bears has had its fair share of problems in the short past that they have overcome with perseverance and focusing on building a bond with their community. However, with Hustler leading the enterprise, people are eager to see what awaits the highly promising venture in the future as many are very happy with what they have seen from him thus far.
Buy and sell Not Okay Bears NFT on OpenSea.io, LooksRare.org and X2Y2.io. View more at NotOkayBears.art.
