Chris Crocker, who went viral on YouTube in 2007 after uploading the iconic (infamous?) “Leave Britney Alone!” video, now revives the meme as NFT.
When the video was first uploaded to YouTube 14 years ago, it broke two million views in its first 24 hours. In the clip, a distraught Crocker mourns over the media’s treatment of pop star Britney Spears. The instant popularity of the video drew a tremendous amount of attention and publicity to Crocker, who continued to post on his channel until he deleted his YouTube account in 2015.
For those who need a reminder, NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. It is a completely unique form of blockchain-based cryptocurrency. Each NFT is encoded with a Certificate of Authenticity, similar to a high level work of art – and “Leave Britney Alone!” From Crocker. video is the last piece of digital art you can own.
Crocker, 33, launched an auction for the famous video on Sunday April 11. The NFT will go to the highest bidder.
Millions of viewers laughed when the Britney fan first shouted the infamous words “Leave Britney alone!” over ten years ago, but in 2021, Crocker’s post is more relevant than ever. In light of the #FreeBritney movement, many other fans and celebrities are speaking out against the tutelage exercised by Spears’ father and the general media frenzy surrounding the singer.
“I made this video as a high school dropout teenager in my grandparents bedroom,” Crocker writes in the auction description. “I had no idea what impact his message would have years later. Maybe society is finally starting to understand it.”
The auction ends around 9:30 p.m. ET tonight. At the time of publication, the current highest bid is worth around $ 21,263.
