Welcome back to the second Mad News Rewind, catch up on the first edition here:
Backpack Exchange did not exist when the Mad News launched in June 2023, by January 2024 it was the fastest growing CEX in crypto.
Dive into the events which have placed Backpack and Mad Lads on top of the Solana ecosystem!
September, 2023
Issue 13 | Issue 14 | Issue 15 | Issue 16
The Mad Lads are a social media engagement machine
Community engagement is a strong suit of the Mad Lads fanbase and the world saw it in action this week.
The Mad Lads dominated the chase for a spot on the rear wing of a Formula 1 racecar in a competition sponsored by Kraken NFT and Williams Racing.
Voting began on Monday, after twenty four hours of voting the Mad Lads were neck and neck with projects like DeGods and Claynosaurz.
It wasn’t long before Mad Lads had more than twice the amount of votes as the second place DeGods.
Backpack begins to scale the team and hiring begins (and hasn’t stopped since then)
Do you have what it takes to work on the Backpack X project?
Send your resume, LinkedIn, and/or Github to Armani.
X stands for [REDACTED]
We all know what X stands for now but less than one year ago Backpack set Twitter on fire with a cryptic video touting an October…something.
Twenty four minutes later they posted another teaser saying that “X stands for [REDACTED]”.
Mad(der)Crab David is the newest Honorary Lad
MadderCrab David now holds the shiniest Mad Lad in the collection.
The next honorary has gone out to a true Mad Lad. Someone that has not only supported this community since day one but also supports the safety of the Solana network every single day. Thanks for everything!
-Tristan Yver via Mad Lad Discord
Visa announces USDC support via Solana blockchain
#Solana trended on Twitter after news broke that credit card and payment platform Visa was adding USDC support using the Solana blockchain.
Visa has been experimenting with crypto payment solutions since 2021 and expanded their existing stablecoin settlement capabilities to utilize the Solana blockchain.
degen poet clipped this succinct explanation by Anatoly Yakovenko about what makes Solana an attractive blockchain for traditional finance brands.
Visa added weight to the commitment by releasing an official report detailing why Solana is the best blockchain to process financial transactions.
Visa is scaling their USDC settlement pilot to include the Solana blockchain, enabling enterprise-grade throughput at virtually no cost for Visa issuers and merchant acquirers on Solana.
DeFi Land lets the alpacas run
DeFi Land was one of the first projects to launch an xNFT and they are back with an addicting ‘temple run’ style game that puts you up against other players on a live leaderboard.
Download Alpaca Run from the xNFT Library.
Mad Lads host meetup at Metacamps headquarters in Singapore
The Mad Lads hosted a meetup for holders and dozens attended the event that was held at the Metacamp’s headquarters.
This meetup was just one of nearly a dozen Mad Lads events that have taken place over the last several months.
Swag giveaways were in full swing creating a new generation of “Fock it.” stans.
Seven Mad Artists are heading to Amsterdam
The Mad Lads held a creative competition with the end goal of sending holders to Breakpoint.
High quality submissions reigned supreme and in the end seven winners were chosen:
Two steps forward, one step back
Backpack Wallet removes in-wallet messaging, usernames, friendships and hookable push notifications in it’s first major code update.
Armani Ferrante dropped a masterclass thread that tackled the WHAT, HOW & WHY behind the major Backpack update.
Read the complete unadulterated thread here.
Although these experiences were fresh, new, exciting, and created much of the magic of the original Mad Lads mint, we think that in the context of "X" - coming in October - we need to put them aside and come back to them at a later date.
Armani Ferrante
Compressed NFTs continue to reign supreme on Solana
It has been about six months since cNFTs (compressed NFTs) launched on Solana. Since then 52M+ cNFTs have been minted on the blockchain.
There are more than 2x the amount of wallets holding cNFTs than there are traditional NFTs.
October, 2023
Issue 18 | Issue 19 | Issue 20 | Issue 21
Rick’s Rolls are back on the menu
Mad Lads trolled the internet again as anticipation of October announcements reaches new highs.
Rick Astley made his second appearance in a scene reminiscent of the trojan horse “Say Cheese” snapshot.
Fans were encouraged to visit a new section of the Mad Lads website and met with another troll.
Lads on 🔒#LadsOnLock
Backpack dropped another major software update with the release of NFT collection locking.
With this new feature, I can confidently say “Backpack is the safest place to hold your Mad Lads NFT.”
The NFTs are locally locked and protected in your Backpack wallet.
Learn more about Collection Locking here.
Dane Greer joins The Roster 🚴🏽
Dane Greer brings big air to The Roster in a new way. The native Hawaiian has spent a majority of his life on two wheels (and flying through the air).
Attis shines in Kraken’s #RearWingTakeover
The rear wing location is one of the most expensive pieces of real estate where an NFT has appeared, tens of millions of fans were introduced to Mad Lads that weekend.
The Mad Lads dominated the chase for a spot on the rear wing of a Formula 1 racecar in a competition sponsored by Kraken NFT and Williams Racing.
Kraken NFT and Williams Racing hosted an IRL fan experience centered around F1 and digital collectables.
The venue featured two full size F1 cars with Mad Lads prominently displayed on the rear wing.
“The world Chico, and everything in it.”
Lads released a 1/1 love letter to a pop culture powerhouse that personifies the “fock it” mentality.
Scarface is a 1980s film that chronicles the tale of Tony Montana, a Cuban refugee seeking his fortune in America.
Embodying the possibility of a person rising from the bottom of society to the top, Tony Montana has become a cultural icon, as well as one of the most iconic film characters of all time.
Hear me roar! 🦁
Professional snowboarder Lyon Farrell joined The Roster.
Lyon is the first “winter sports” athlete to join The Roster and is currently working to qualify for the Winter Olympics on Team New Zealand.
The Roster is filled with exciting creators that express the “fock it” mentality and are working to bridge the gap from web2 content consumers to activated web3 fans.
First ever Crypto Policy Bootcamp held in Washington D.C.
The Solana Foundation collaborated with Polygon Labs to organize the first Crypto Policy Bootcamp this week.
Crypto founders, CEOs, VCs and other stakeholders heard insights from policy experts and Congressional aides on:
- the state of key legislation
- different types of advocacy
- how to communicate value propositions for the blockchain
November, 2023
Issue 22 | Issue 23 | Issue 24 | Issue 25
X stands for the Backpack Exchange
The Block broke news this week that X stands for eXchange.
Web3 digital wallet company Backpack has announced it is launching a cryptocurrency exchange after securing a key license from the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, or VARA.
Backpack, which was started by the crypto infrastructure company Coral, said in a statement that its new exchange will be regulated after being issued a Virtual Asset Service Provider, or VASP, by VARA.
-The Block, Backpack launching cryptocurrency exchange with Dubai license
More than 50,000 email addresses were registered for a chance at beta access.
Mad Breakpoint comes to a close after a week in Amsterdam
The Mad Lads booth was mobbed by holders and the curious all week long at Breakpoint.
Lad, what if I told you we have 300kgs of merch at Breakpoint?
There was hardly a moment where the team wasn’t fielding well wishers and those curious about the Backpack Exchange.
More than 500 pieces of swag were distributed to holders within the first few hours of setting up shop.
Michelin 3xplorer Club also adds Alberts trait to their Ethereum-based collection
The Michelin 3xplorer Club minted last month and included a Mad Lads trait in their artwork.
Backpack Exchange opens its doors 🚪
100,000+ sat on the waitlist when Backpack Exchange opened its doors for the first time.
Armani Ferrante showcased the first public reveal of the Exchange design and user experience while streaming on Twitch.
Mad Lads holders were the first group to register and begin the KYC (Know Your Customer) process.
Mad Lads holders and early registrants to the Backpack Exchange were eligible for a $PYTH airdrop
This news set the proverbial timeline on fire and registrations for the Exchange skyrocketed.
Backpack Exchange excitement sends Mad Lads trading volumes to new heights
Mad Lads NFTs experienced a rapid rise in trading demand and floor price after the launch of the Backpack Exchange.
The Roster adds professional surfer Kai Paula to it’s ranks
Kai is the sixth Roster member and brings more island vibes to our timelines.
He has been building his content bank for years and has appeared in numerous surfing publications.
Backpack Exchange launches trading for 110,000+ users
Early users of Backpack were limited to SOL/USDC deposits and SOL staking for the Pyth airdrop promotion.
As we reach the end of the staking phase for the inaugural Backpack Exchange beta, some numbers to share from our compliance team.
~ 150k KYC submissions
~ 115[k] approved
~ 5k rejected
~ 30k pending
Solana headed to Miami Beach for Art Basel with a stable of artists that merge digital and traditional design concepts
Artists like Lisanne Haack, Eko33 and Sleepr are being featured in an installation called “ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE” from December 8th-10th
The Solana community is making its debut at Art Basel Miami Beach, the leading international art fair, taking place Dec. 8-10, 2023, with VIP preview days on Dec. 6-7.
The Solana exhibition, entitled Artists in Residence, will showcase a new fusion of traditional art and technology.