The Hood Rats team gets it!
In a world where the initial NFT fad has come and gone creators need to go about things differently to attract value. One way to ensure value is to craft NFTs that are not here temporarily, like the fad, but around for the long run.
That’s why Hood Rats use ArDrive and ar.io gateways to permanently host and serve all of their NFTs.
This underlying infrastructure to all of their NFTs guarantees the longevity of their creations to anyone who purchases them. There will never be any worry about whether these digital creations will go missing.
With ArDrive they have fused the image and metadata and secured them forever.
We wanted to learn more about Hood Rats and the team behind them. So we sat down with their community manager, Jorge De Leon, to discuss all things Hood Rats.
Tell us about Hood Rats
Hood Rats is a captivating NFT collection that draws inspiration from my lifelong passion for anime and iconic fictional universes like Star Wars. Throughout our collection, you’ll discover elements reminiscent of classic animes such as Dragon Ball and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, among others.
How did you come up with the inspiration for Hood Rat NFTs?
The concept for the Hood Rats NFT collection was born in October 2021. My alter ego – El Tío – envisioned this unique project. The real magic began in March 2022 when we embarked on the creative journey with Hadeas, our Lead Artist. We took meticulous care in crafting every aspect of the collection, deploying the contract onto the Ethereum blockchain on July 1st, 2022. We chose to keep both the art and metadata hidden until they met our meticulous standards.
What has been the reaction from the broader community?
Our project has received tremendous support from the community. Collectors have shown unwavering loyalty, and we are deeply humbled by their commitment. Prominent figures in the Web3 space, such as Hashlips, have recognized our contributions to the community. We’ve even had the privilege of being featured in the first Web3 community-authored fictional novel, “Circumfusion,” which originated within Hashlips’ community, Sketchy Labs.
How did you find out about Arweave and ArDrive?
Our journey to discover Arweave and ArDrive began during extensive research into blockchain technologies. As we sought a reliable solution for ensuring the longevity of our collection’s art and metadata, we were introduced to Arweave late in 2021, primarily through Hashlips’ educational YouTube videos where he endorsed Arweave as an ideal choice for permanent data storage.
Did you look at other storage providers before ArDrive?
Before settling on ArDrive, we did explore other storage providers, notably IPFS and the Pinata platform. However, we encountered limitations with the latter, as they charged based on the amount of data and the number of files uploaded per account, which didn’t align with our goal of preserving our collection for centuries.
What was the process like getting the Hood Rats onto ArDrive?
Initially, we uploaded the initial batch of ten thousand metadata JSON files and PNG image files using ArConnect and the Bundlr CLI tool. This allowed us to pay upfront for the entire upload, automatically create the necessary manifest files, and utilize various tokens, including AR, Ether, and Matic, for payment.
Several months later, as we sought to integrate new features based on the ERC6551 standard, we leveraged ArDrive’s user-friendly web-based platform for a seamless reupload process. ArDrive empowers even non-developers to effortlessly upload files onto the Permaweb.
What comes next for Hood Rats NFTs?
With a solid smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain, an incredibly supportive community, the implementation of innovative standards, and our collection’s data securely preserved on Arweave, we are poised for significant growth.
We’ve already taken steps to establish a robust presence on social media and empower our community to contribute ideas, such as short films, movies, comic book series, lore, interactive games, and a metaverse space.
Furthermore, with the introduction of the ERC6551 standard, each digital collectible can now have its unique address on the Ethereum network, opening up limitless possibilities for expansion. Our founder envisions releasing eight more collections in the future, all interconnected with our genesis collection, Hood Rats NFT, ensuring that we continue to build and network for years to come.
