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Yesterday afternoon, Snoop Dogg tweeted that he is the up-and-coming NFT and crypto wizard, @CozomoMedici. Until recently, Mr. Medici had only been known by his Twitter handle.
I think we’re officially living in the future, and it’s a little confusing. If you don’t keep up with Twitter, NFTs, crypto, or Snoop Dogg, then you’re probably a little bit confused right now. So, let’s try to break it down.
The real Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici was an Italian banker who established his family as the leaders of Florence during the Renaissance. He reigned from 1434 until his death in 1464.
Just last month, somebody created a Twitter handle inspired by Cosimo. They named themselves @CozomoMedici. Cozomo’s bio reads, “Sharing tales & insights from the wild world of NFTs. Follow to connect.” The account’s header photo also depicts an image of four portraits depicting different members of the Medici family. The original Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici is included in the tribute.
It’s not clear how Cozomo originally started catching people’s attention, but folks who keep up with NFTs and cryptocurrency trends seem to have accepted them. In less than two months, the account garnered over 31,000 followers. The person behind the account mostly tweets about crypto, and this is the reason people are taking this person seriously: Records seem to show that they have made trades of NFTs and cryptocurrency worth millions of dollars.
Yesterday, Cozomo announced that they would reveal their true identity on their personal Twitter account, leaving the Medici account for discussions of NFTs only.
“Shortly, as promised, I will dox from my personal account. As my fame is considerable, the tweet will no doubt be discovered. Those who are curious to my identity will soon know it,” Cozomo tweeted yesterday afternoon.
About five minutes later, 49-year-old rapper Snoop Dogg tweeted, “I am @CozomoMedici.”
I am @CozomoMedici
— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) September 20, 2021
The response to Snoop Dogg’s big reveal has been mixed. Some folks were immediately okay with accepting this new reality in which the D-O-double-G is a crypto prodigy. Countless crypto-centric accounts are also inviting Snoop into their world with open arms, even asking him to join their ventures in the NFT space.
Singer Jason Derulo has also been linked to the Cozomo account; earlier this month, he thanked Medici for helping him buy a CryptoPunk. Derulo and Snoop have been friends and professional collaborators for years.
i buy it
it is known Snoop is smart AF (stayed relevant in rap game and industry for 30 years) and certainly knows Jason Derulo
— DCinvΞstor (@iamDCinvestor) September 20, 2021
Others are skeptical. Is Snoop Dogg actually making massive money moves in the NFT space, and is he seriously handing out advice to others about how he’s succeeding? Where does he find the time, and when did he learn how to do this?
Is there a team behind this whole “Cozomo” operation that’s using Snoop Dogg as a brand ambassador? The way Cozomo composes his tweets doesn’t exactly sound like the way Snoop would speak. Still, it’s possible it really is him.
We know Snoop loves absurdity. He’s established himself over the years as one of Martha Stewart’s closest friends, and that’s a juxtaposition that those two love to play with. It gets them noticed, and it makes people laugh. Could this venture into the crypto world stem from Snoop’s desire to remain a prominent part of pop culture decade after decade?
I am desperate to see how this story unfolds. I’m going to bet that within a week, Snoop will drop a track where he says something about Ethereum. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is all some sort of a bigger plan; perhaps Cozomo is actually a collective of celebrities, and Martha Stewart will soon announce her part in it, too.
This wild moment in internet history is about as confusing as the cryptocurrency and NFT worlds themselves. Whoever Cozomo is, they’re staying on brand.
