The Original Russian Man Behind The ‘Sminem’ Meme Is Launching An NFT Project, So We Spoke With Him To Get The Details

This year has been massive for both NFTs and cryptocurrency, with each becoming more mainstream than ever before. Alongside this, meme-oriented crypto-collectibles are equally as noteworthy, but the recent announcement of Sminem being sold as an NFT will likely pique the interest of anyone in these three intersecting internet worlds.

for the first time online, feast your eyes on the complete #sminem ensemble!
soon I'm going to post some never seen before Sminem photos on foundation</a>, verified by <a href="https://twitter.com/knowyourmeme?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">knowyourmeme – follow me on foundation to be the first that know: https://t.co/OEjoAXAyp3#btc #nft #nftart #ETH pic.twitter.com/ZLJtoFSiAu

— Roman Zuev (@thesminemverse) April 18, 2022

Going back to its origin, the Sminem meme first appeared online back in 2014 but didn’t become a major trend or format until 2015 and 2016 when it began appearing on both Reddit and 4chan. Then in early 2018, Sminem went through its most significant meme phase as it grew into an unofficial mascot for 4chan's /biz/ board, where users joked about Roman as though he was emblematic of a person who succeeded in the cryptocurrency market.

To learn more about this project, we spoke with Roman, the man behind the Sminem meme, and his team to help explain what you can expect.

“In memes, Sminem is a symbol of good luck and a sign of gains and bullish markets as opposed to the Bogdanoffs twins who symbolize bad luck, losses, bearish markets and market manipulation,” Roman said. “Many people have come to love and pray for the return of Sminem to spread and bring wealth to all of his followers. This iconic meme represents the true positive and unlimited potential of NFTs and cryptocurrency as a whole.”

In partnership with Roman and his team at EvloveNFTs, Know Your Meme has certified the authenticity of this NFT (as we did with Doge earlier this year) to confirm its legitimacy and denote its origin. In April, May Oswald (the original creator of Me Gusta) had her artwork stolen and uploaded to an NFT marketplace, which we revealed to be an imposter after speaking with her.

Through this authentication process with Sminem, we are certifying it as Roman’s true NFT project, assuring buyers that it’s from the meme’s true creator.

Roman told us that he hopes the proceeds of the auction will go toward helping him pay for ongoing health issues that he’s been dealing with, including a much-needed surgery for both his back and eyes.

Anyone interested in getting their hands on a piece of this iconic internet history can visit the Sminem NFT Foundation page for more info on the collection, or check out Roman's Twitter account.

“I think it’s amazing to be associated with such a positive message and meaning to the crypto community,” Roman told us. “Being the symbol of green candles and bull markets is fun and I hope to continue to bring positivity and profits to the crypto community and those who choose to mint and HODL this meme for many years to come.”