Application Type
Grant
Proposal Overview
On behalf of TAPZ GALLANTINO and the greater team, we are seeking funding to propel the release of Tapz’ upcoming debut album “ALL FOR WHAT” through the rollout of the album’s lead singles “THE WAY IT IS,” and “DESIGNER PAIN.” Upon the successful release of “METAL ON MY TEETH” via funding from Harmony’s ONEPITCH event, we are excited to move forward in exploring and ultimately securing a continued partnership with Harmony. Through a successful launch powered by web3, we are confident the rollout will not only materialize into sustainable and continuous success for TAPZ, but will undoubtedly attract close knit creative collaborators of TAPZ GALLANTINO – in line with our ultimate goal of bringing the next generation of global tastemakers into the Harmony ecosystem.
Tapz brings over 10 years of experience as an independent musician and creative. He first caught the attention of Apple Music’s Zane Lowe through the release of “KILLA,” a self-written and self-produced track that debuted on the charts alongside the likes of Adele and Justin Bieber. He found global success once again through his feature on Hermitude’s “The Buzz” which has over 100 million streams and counting on Spotify.
After claiming a #2 spot on Spotify’s Viral Charts and attention from industry vets across the world, it’s no surprise Tapz’ synth-like voice caught the attention of GOOD Management and the likes of Kanye West and Rick Rubin. This resulted in a deal with Kanye and his management team in 2018.
Although Tapz has proved his talent over the years, we truly believe this album serves as a turning point in his career – propelling him into the upper echelons of musical excellence.
We are partnering with Venice Music Co., a company which not only offers premium distribution and label services, but whose go-to-market strategy embraces and believes in the future of web3 in the music realm.
Through his years of experience and navigating the industry, TAPZ has been able to both befriend and collaborate with what we confidently consider the next up and coming creatives of this generation. We believe these creatives, whom we also proudly denote as global tastemaskers, would make excellent additions to the Harmony ecosystem:
Theo Outlandish - Zimbabwean born artist, specializing in Alternative Hip Hop. TAPZ sonically produced and co-wrote his debut EP. Upon Theo’s arrival to LA in May 2022, they will begin working on Theo’s debut album.
Tochi Bedford - Nigerian based developer, producer, and artist. Tochi has found success as a producer building alternative music palatable to the masses, paving a way to bridge Lagos and the globe via Santi and Odunsi The Engine. TAPZ and Tochi met 2 years ago via Web 2 – their relationship has developed from making music together to venturing into Web 3 in tandem. Tochi is currently solidity and programming on the Harmony blockchain.
Coco and Breezy - Coco and Breezy are DJs, visual artists and entrepreneurs. In 2009 they founded their eyewear company Coco and Breezy Eyewear. Which have been featured in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and more, but their most notorious design was the “third-eye” sunglasses they designed for the late Prince. TAPZ met the twins on his first visit to the United States in 2016, but had already connected with Coco via Web 2 for a year or so before that. Given the right opportunity, the sought-out duo is open to exploring a venture into Web3.
Yavez Antonio - Yavez Anthonio is a photographer & director based between Amsterdam and New York. With a strong IRL and Web2 presence Yavez has worked with the likes of Nike, Patta, Bape, Tommy Jeans, Adidas, Audi, Soulection, Daily Paper, Guess and GAP. Yavez and TAPZ’s relationship began in 2018. upon being introduced to each other through a mutual friend. sharing a lot in common as well as the same immigration attorney, they have stayed close and have continued to collaborate with each other on visual ideas as well as sonic ideas.
TJO (Johnatan Tremblay) - Blue chip visual NFT artist based in Canada who has worked with TAPZ on two visual pieces – one being TAPZ’s EP artwork released December 2021. Their support for each other’s creative and professional endeavors also led to TJO becoming TAPZ’s first collector in Web3 by purchasing TAPZ’s first NFT drop of a painting and animation titled “Working on Dying”.
Josef Adamu - Josef Adamu is a Creative Director and Consultant born and raised in Toronto, though now based in New York. In 2017, he founded Sunday School Creative, a marketing brand agency that caters to the development of creative campaigns and content marketing for some of the globe’s most reputable brands, from apparel, to music, to sports. Shortly afterwards, Josef and TAPZ met in New York and connected on their shared passion for their African roots. Josef’s work can be found through the streams of Facebook, Nike, Spotify, Converse, and many more.
Christine Kazanchian- Christine Kazanchian is an Armenian-American multi-media painter, dancer/choreographer, and model. Christine received her B.A. in Art History at Stanford University in 2018, during which she worked in Armenia as a translator for the Matenadaran Manuscript Repository in Yerevan and as a choreographer for a community theater in the city of Stepanakert, Armenia. TAPZ and Christine met upon her return to LA. And Now, based in her roots of Los Angeles, Christine is working towards her gallery debut in and out of the metaverse.
Babyboy Geniuse (Mzwetwo Gallantino) - Babyboy Geniuse* is a music and visual artist project by Zimbabwean born multidisciplinary (songwriter, producer, engineer, pianist, creative director, editor) artist Mzwetwo Gallantino. Together Mzwetwo and TAPZ founded GALLANTINO, an all encompassing creative household. Their connection began in their teens and together they’ve produced music that has charted all over the world. Despite their multidimensional creative relationship, TAPZ is currently on Mzwetwo’s team on the sonic side as “songwriter, producer, engineer,” and on the visual side as video editor, graphic designer, and art director.
Other notable collaborators and creatives in TAPZ’ network:
- Sara Khalid
- Sylvan Lewis
- Tkay Maidza
- Brent Faiyaz
The rollout of the 3 lead singles and the ALL FOR WHAT album will be accompanied by a visual component that can be divided into two parts: the physical artwork and their respective NFTs. TAPZ will be creating 19 physical paintings, each one of them aligned to a track in the album. The NFTs will each be based on the paintings, but with unique digital animations and twists. The NFTs will be released in pairs every month after the album release. Each NFT artwork will have multiple versions and TAPZ will gift at least half of them to his most loyal fans, who will then be onboarded to Web3 and be incentivized to promote TAPZ’s art and music – the power of the combination of fandom and ownership.
TAPZ will also be doing music NFT drops at one or more of the following platforms: Sound.xyz, Catalog, MintSongs, and/or Audius. Each platform has its own nuances, but all of these platforms offer a way for TAPZ to directly sell his music to fans using Web3 tools. Moreover, the platforms assist in marketing the drops, thus helping to maximize visibility and reach.
Both the visual and music NFTs will not only complement the ALL FOR WHAT album as a whole, but will also serve as TAPZ’s launchpad into Web3. By analyzing all digital wallets that have interacted with TAPZ’s NFT smart contracts, we will be able to map out his Web3 fans and do subsequent campaigns that will be like a snowball, increasing in assertiveness, size, and scope.
Once TAPZ reaches a critical mass of Web3 fans, we will launch the TAPZ GALLANTINO DAO. It will be a creator DAO, through which TAPZ will be able to finance and coordinate, together with his fans, on all aspects of his multifaceted artist career. We will launch the DAO through the Harmony ecosystem, onboarding all of his fans to Harmony, and subsequently set up governance mechanisms and stakeholders.
The intersection of culture, entertainment, and tech (web3 specifically) has never been more pertinent – and the relevancy will only increase as time goes on. TAPZ, who intends to serve as a bridge between Harmony and his ecosystem of multidisciplinary artists, is also very much looking forward to serving as a case study for other creatives looking to launch their career in the metaverse and beyond.
Team
Morgan Alston
Aside from being TAPZ GALLANTINO’s full time manager, she is also an Events & Experiences Manager at a marketing agency for film & TV. Prior to her joining the agency in Summer 2021, the remaining sum of Morgan’s professional career was spent at Appian for 5 ½ years. Her professional experience includes project and events management, data analysis and performance marketing, campaign and strategy development, as well as relationship building and client services. Morgan is also a part of the founding team of Social Crucifixion, an apparel brand and creative incubator.
Tapiwa Mutingwende
Tapiwa, on stage known as TAPZ GALLANTINO, is an Zimbabwean born multidisciplinary creative — outside of his personal creative endeavors, he’s the co-founder of an apparel brand and incubator for creatives on web3. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communications.
Tochi Bedford
Tochi is a Nigerian based creative and developer currently learning solidity and programming on the harmony blockchain. Most recently, Tochi notably has production credits on Cruel Santino’s most recent album release, in addition to being a self-produced musician as well.
Erik Kim
Erik is a data scientist with a background in finance and business development. Serving as the team’s head web3 strategist and treasury manager, his previous experiences include: working as an analyst at BTG Pactual, LATAM’s biggest independent investment bank; founding a green coffee exporting company; and working in data analysis for the healthcare and crypto industries. A long-time crypto enthusiast, he is now working in the intersection of data, crypto, and culture at Social Crucifixion.
Advisors:
Kudz E. Taziva
George Hughes
Sammy Chand
Proposal Ask
$75,000
Justification
Mixing & Mastering - $10k
Music Video Production - $5k
Press Support - $15k
Digital Marketing - $20k
Creation, minting, and distribution on the blockchain & NFTs - $15k
Team - $10k
Metrics for Success
Month 1
- Launch TAPZ GALLANTINO Creator DAO
- 50k album streams
- Host 2 Twitter Spaces
- Begin expansion of TAPZ GALLANTINO Telegram, Twitter and Discord communities
- Mint first phase of NFTs aligned with album tracklist
Month 2
- 100k album streams
- 1wallet integration for TAPZ GALLANTINO & Tastemakers
- Continue expansion of TAPZ GALLANTINO Telegram, Twitter and Discord communities
- Mint second phase of NFTs aligned with album tracklist
Month 3
- 150k album streams
- Host 2 Twitter Spaces
- Continue expansion of TAPZ GALLANTINO Telegram, Twitter and Discord communities
- Mint third phase of NFTs aligned with album tracklist
Month 4
- 300k album streams
- Continue expansion of TAPZ GALLANTINO Telegram, Twitter and Discord communities
- Mint fourth phase of NFTs aligned with album tracklist
Month 5
- 400k album streams
- Host 2 Twitter Spaces
- Continue expansion of TAPZ GALLANTINO Telegram, Twitter and Discord communities
- Mint fifth phase of NFTs aligned with album tracklist
Month 6
- 500k album streams
- Continue expansion of TAPZ GALLANTINO Telegram, Twitter and Discord communities with a target audience size of 500 members across all tools
- Mint sixth and final phase of NFTs aligned with album tracklist
External Links
TAPZ GALLANTINO | Official Website
to have the Harmony community participate to ask questions and provide feedbacks.