“NFTs, and web3, that’s what I’m working on” I yell over the crowd noise. Quickly a small crowd turns towards me “oh I want to learn!” everyone echoes around me. “NFTs don’t start with money, I have to tell you the stories” I start, and soon enough I have to speak about this inner voice that is now the source of my confidence. “She is from Buenaventura…” the Colombians around me turn around “Cómo así? Do you know where that is?” Filled with pride I answer that I discovered this place because of a web3 artist, that I feel a pull to that area, that I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I want go there because I have to be in the space that inspired the best song written by gen z.
I’m at an industry mixer, the sort of thing that drains me quicker than I’d like to admit, but I’m used to pushing through. This time, though I’m full of energy, I hear Kasbeel’s reach voice in my mind “mmm Yo Soy Dios” over and over. It is infectious, it gives me confidence, it’s also a miraculous achievement in music. The most magical creations are usually born out of pain, the rose that grew from concrete, Tupac sang. There is no better description for Kasbeel. Buenaventura, is not what people think of when they think of music from Colombia. It’s usually Reggaeton from Medellín, a city that bloomed beautiful art out a tainted past.
Kasbeel defies so many odds, with older tech hardware she began recording songs using free YouTube beats and uploading them to Facebook. Her refreshing perspective and clever songwriting quickly resonated with young audiences. All kinds of derivative works started sprouting all over Tiktok & Instagram, extending her message exponentially. The moving image of Kasbeel, sitting in her room and speaking as the voice of the unheard even made it to the Twitter accounts of famed politicians. It was clear that her magnetism was undeniable, and the internet intensified the message.
Enter the summer of web3 bloom, her business partner: Colombo, a Water and Music DAO member was taking a deep dive into the transforming power of this new iteration of the internet. “Going through the traditional route of - join the discord - I got in touch with the team @ Glass Protocol. It was early stage for them and super early for us. I hit them up though DM and showed them “Yo Soy Dios” and they flipped!” Fueled by the support of the team at Glass, Kasbeel minted her music video as one of the first mints on the protocol, a piece that sold on the same day that was listed. This is where her story begins to take off in a different direction.
Kasbeel’s team took part of the earnings of her first sale to reinvest in her live show. The costs of paying for rehearsals, transport and other needs were covered so that by the end of 2021 bookings began rolling in. Kasbeel played shows during the holiday season in Cali, Colombia. The other part of the proceeds was used to go back into the studio to record demos for future creations, this is where her second web3 single, “Reflejo,” was born.
Dayo, founder from Glass ushered Kasbeel into other curated platforms in the web3 space. Starting off in 2022 with a Catalog profile, Kasbeel and her production team got to work in order to finish the aforementioned track. All the while, “Yo Soy Dios,” a canonical version was listed and sold on Catalog, allowing her team to catch another wave of growth, finishing production on the track and diving into the production for a music video in Bogotá. This video is now available as part of an innovative drop on Zora, which is redefining what provenance means in web3 as it reflects back to the traditional music industry.
Kasbeel’s ability to innovate with rudimentary tools does not stop with her, she is surrounded by a team who also works in continuously inventive ways. Finding solutions to limitations that web3 has yet to address, while echoing her determinate passion that cascades throughout her art. She is the story of why I am convinced the future is in web3, because everyone involved in her creative world is working towards and around her art. Demanding more from herself echoed by a team that continuously demands more from themselves and the tools available at their disposal. She, like her team, is innovation, not because they think they are, because they exist in it.
