The Mad Lukas Interview 📰 A Mad Lads Viet Nam Editorial
An interview with Mad Lads Vietnam's own Mad Lukas chronicling his introduction to the community, being bullish on Backpack and what he sees in the future for the Exchange.
The following is a Mad Lads Vietnam interview with one of their most prolific holders and crypto investors, Mad Lukas.
It’s because of Mad Lads that I aped into Solana on time, before SOL exploded.
Can you share about the first time you bought an NFT? What were the features of the first Mad Lads you picked up? What was your mindset when choosing Mad Lads with those traits?
Mad Lukas: As I remember, it was the end of September (2023) when I heard about the Mad Lads NFT collection from Xóm NFT and Mad Lads Vietnam folks.
I was really curious because of the catchy name, then I checked it out, and all I could say was "WAO, the artwork is focking stunning.”
Back then, SOL was just around $20/SOL, and the floor price of Mad Lads was about 50-60 SOL, roughly $1000-1200 per Lad.
Initially, I just bought two Mad Lads at floor price but made sure they had some cool traits like blue eyes, a hat, and smoking a cigarette.
Later, I started hunting for cooler NFTs.
The Mad Lads I picked usually met high rarity standards, especially having traits like "smoking" and "holding a gun."
On September 28, 2023, I bought a Galaxy Lad whose rarity rank is 482 (#2973) with a cool appearance, a super clean suit, bright eyes, and smoking a cigarette with a Solana-colored smoke trail.
Then, I went searching for a Lassie to make a couple, kinda like a gift NFT for my wife: Mad Lad #1943 – Lassie holding a gun, having long beautiful hair, and putting on a super retro yellow Rebel Jacket, her hair color and lipstick match so well.
Among the many Solana NFTs you hold, why are you so bullish and enthusiastically shilling Mad Lads, and has your opinion on Mad Lads changed over time?
Whenever I hold an NFT, I always deep dive into it. I discovered that the team behind the Mad Lads collection are truly Solana OGs who've contributed a lot to the Solana ecosystem:
Then I noticed the culture in Mad Lads and the Backpack team; they have "crazy and daring style" – a vibe you can't find in any other NFT collection.
It's not just about showing off the craziness in images, but also about actions outside the norm.
And don’t you think that all of us have our own kind of crazy to some degree?
That’s exactly why I'm so bullish and enthusiastically shilling Mad Lads!
So, my view on Mad Lads won’t change over time, since I’m pretty mad myself (at least in terms of thoughts and actions when executing something, except for doing extreme sports!)
Little disclosure: It’s because of Mad Lads that I aped into Solana on time, before SOL exploded.
Are there any Mad Lads in your collection that have special meaning for you?
Of course, it must be my couple, Galaxy #2973 and Lassie #1943. They're not just a couple in the blockchain space but also in real life, when my wife and I attend blockchain events.
How do you feel interacting with the Lads holders community?
I can't deny that the Lads holders community always has a super cool style. Probably no other NFT community could do the same things as the Lads do.
Why? Being a Lad holder, you're always in touch with other Lad holders. Just reading the comments, you can tell who they are. Sound familiar?
Lads follow Lads
WAO
Lads on Top
Fock it!
Not just that, whenever Armani & Tristan post something on X, all the Lad holders seem to amplify it by copying and quoting exactly the same.
It’s quotes on quotes which is really fun! Focking mad and cool!
How did you decide to buy more Mad Lads? Why did you stop at four?
Honestly, I regret not minting Mad Lads in the early stage.
I’ve been in the crypto market since 2017, but I aped in NFT a bit later than others. I wasn't deeply involved with ETH-based NFTs, only becoming an OG when I started with Mad Lads in the Solana ecosystem.
My buying position was pretty good IMO, so I won’t purchase any more Mad Lads. Currently, I've staked my Mad Lads in the Backpack wallet and gained quite a lot of gold coins.
Have you faced any challenges holding NFTs in general and Mad Lads in particular?
Not really because people usually call me Diamond Hands.
So, holding NFTs I love in my wallet, admiring them daily, and occasionally getting airdrops from other projects to Lad holders.
And Mad Lads deserves to be the top Solana NFT collection - rewards from Backpack partners are always plentiful.
What do you think about the future of NFTs and Mad Lads?
NFT can do things that holding coins/tokens in a wallet can never achieve. Sense of community, culture, and individuality are obvious in NFTs, especially membership which will be the most prominent utility of NFTs.
We are still in the early stages, not yet at the peak of NFTs, so I am completely confident in the future of NFTs in general and Mad Lads in particular.
Mad Lads NFTs will continue to be a long-term companion with the Solana ecosystem. And with the way of implementation they're following, Mad Lads will remain at the top for a long time.
Do you have any thoughts on the development of Backpack Exchange (about the narrative of exchange token, the services it provides, and whether there's a niche Backpack could exploit to become a must-use CEX)?
First of all, let's talk about the human aspect. I know that Backpack team built their products right through the bear market, after the infamous collapse of FTX.
You can see the dedication and meticulous planning in Armani’s strategy.
I’ve always had massive respect for Armani on this.
Tristan’s passionate and enthusiastic energy was incredibly evident at the Consensus 2023 event.
Working at OnBlock VC, I really understand startups, and our style is always to invest in people, to trust the team. We’re willing to invest in small projects, but ones who have lots of experience and know exactly what they have to do!
Backpack’s starting point from the Solana ecosystem seems very smart to me.
Because Solana has recovered and grown strongly, any project or exchange needs a main blockchain as a starting point before gradually supporting other blockchains.
Since it’s still very young, Backpack will need to roll out many features like multi-chain support, margin/futures, launchpad, launchpool, listing various other coins… and especially the exchange’s own token.
Once all these elements are in place, Backpack’s number of users and volume will definitely soar.
It’s the classic tale of the little guy getting big that everyone wants to see!
Do you think that Backpack deserves the valuation of 200M USD?
Currently, Backpack is just in its Series A funding round, so the future valuation of Backpack will likely be even higher once it achieves certain milestones.
Given what the Backpack team has accomplished to this point, I think many VCs will want to inject funds in the following rounds.
Thank you. Lads on Top!