Fake Rares

2020variousunverified

Also known as: Fake Rares

Fake Rares is a 2020 meme featuring counterfeit Rare Pepes created by artist Rare Scrilla, who deliberately posted them to the official Rare Pepe telegram group as a rule-breaking troll.

Fake Rares is a community-driven crypto art project on Bitcoin's Counterparty protocol, created in 2021 by artist Rare Scrilla after being banned from the official Rare Pepe Telegram group for sharing an unapproved Pepe card.

pepeblockchain art memestrolling memesnft memes

Origin & Background

Platform
Telegram / Counterparty (Bitcoin)
Creator
Rare Scrilla
Date
September 2021

On September 21, 2021, Rare Scrilla, a prolific Rare Pepe artist and DJ known for his work on the original Rare Pepe Directory (2016-2018), got banned from the official Rare Pepe Trading Telegram group. His offense: sharing FREEDOMKEK, a Pepe card that had been rejected from the official directory back in 2018. The ban violated the community rule that only official Rare Pepes could be shared in that group.

In response, Scrilla immediately created a new Telegram channel called "BEWARE OF FAKE RARES," a tongue-in-cheek safe space for sharing unofficial Pepe art. He offered the FREEDOMKEK card (originally minted October 8, 2017, with an issuance of 300) to anyone who shared it in the Rare Pepe chat as a "Proof of Ban" card. This act of memetic rebellion turned into the founding mythology of Fake Rares.

The timing mattered: in 2021, the NFT market was booming, and many were minting Pepe NFTs on Ethereum to cash in on the bull market. Fake Rares emerged partly as a reaction to this, championing Bitcoin-native NFTs through the Counterparty protocol that the original Rare Pepe community had pioneered.

How It Spread

After Scrilla's ban, the Fake Rares community grew fast. The first 100 members received an airdrop of FAKEASF tokens, a community-created card made by 21 founding artists who were present in the chat when the project started. FAKEASF turned into the directory's access card: to submit a Fake Rare for approval, you must destroy (burn) one FAKEASF token, creating deflationary pressure on the supply of 2,000.

The community quickly attracted artists, collectors, and Rare Pepe enthusiasts who appreciated Bitcoin-native NFTs. Joe Looney, the creator of the original Rare Pepe Wallet, got involved and helped establish infrastructure for trading Fake Rares.

By late 2021, the project had enough momentum to collaborate with mainstream figures. On Black Friday 2021 (November 26), hip-hop legend Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan partnered with Fake Rares for an NFT drop on OpenSea. The collection featured 1,871 NFTs across five tiers (ranging from $75 to $2,000+), each containing original music composed by Ghostface himself, a groundbreaking collaboration between crypto art and hip-hop.

Since Fake Rares launched, over 100 similar directories have emerged on Counterparty, triggering a resurgence of the protocol and Bitcoin-based NFT culture.

Platforms

TelegramTwitter/XScarce.CityOpenSea (via Emblem Vault)

Timeline

September 21, 2021

Rare Scrilla banned from Rare Pepe Telegram; creates BEWARE OF FAKE RARES

September 2021

FAKEASF airdropped to first 100 community members

November 26, 2021

Ghostface Killah x Fake Rares NFT drop on OpenSea

June 2022

Fake Basel exhibition at Parzelle403 gallery, Basel

October 2022

DYOR exhibition at Kunsthalle Zürich featuring Rare Pepe and Fake Rare artworks

May 2023

Progressive Memetics exhibition at Bitcoin Miami

2023

Pepe Fest exhibition in Paris

Fake Rares

2020variousunverified

Also known as: Fake Rares

Fake Rares is a 2020 meme featuring counterfeit Rare Pepes created by artist Rare Scrilla, who deliberately posted them to the official Rare Pepe telegram group as a rule-breaking troll.

Fake Rares is a community-driven crypto art project on Bitcoin's Counterparty protocol, created in 2021 by artist Rare Scrilla after being banned from the official Rare Pepe Telegram group for sharing an unapproved Pepe card.

pepe blockchain art memes trolling memes nft memes

Origin & Background

Platform
Telegram / Counterparty (Bitcoin)
Creator
Rare Scrilla
Date
September 2021

On September 21, 2021, Rare Scrilla, a prolific Rare Pepe artist and DJ known for his work on the original Rare Pepe Directory (2016-2018), got banned from the official Rare Pepe Trading Telegram group. His offense: sharing FREEDOMKEK, a Pepe card that had been rejected from the official directory back in 2018. The ban violated the community rule that only official Rare Pepes could be shared in that group.

In response, Scrilla immediately created a new Telegram channel called "BEWARE OF FAKE RARES," a tongue-in-cheek safe space for sharing unofficial Pepe art. He offered the FREEDOMKEK card (originally minted October 8, 2017, with an issuance of 300) to anyone who shared it in the Rare Pepe chat as a "Proof of Ban" card. This act of memetic rebellion turned into the founding mythology of Fake Rares.

The timing mattered: in 2021, the NFT market was booming, and many were minting Pepe NFTs on Ethereum to cash in on the bull market. Fake Rares emerged partly as a reaction to this, championing Bitcoin-native NFTs through the Counterparty protocol that the original Rare Pepe community had pioneered.

How It Spread

After Scrilla's ban, the Fake Rares community grew fast. The first 100 members received an airdrop of FAKEASF tokens, a community-created card made by 21 founding artists who were present in the chat when the project started. FAKEASF turned into the directory's access card: to submit a Fake Rare for approval, you must destroy (burn) one FAKEASF token, creating deflationary pressure on the supply of 2,000.

The community quickly attracted artists, collectors, and Rare Pepe enthusiasts who appreciated Bitcoin-native NFTs. Joe Looney, the creator of the original Rare Pepe Wallet, got involved and helped establish infrastructure for trading Fake Rares.

By late 2021, the project had enough momentum to collaborate with mainstream figures. On Black Friday 2021 (November 26), hip-hop legend Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan partnered with Fake Rares for an NFT drop on OpenSea. The collection featured 1,871 NFTs across five tiers (ranging from $75 to $2,000+), each containing original music composed by Ghostface himself, a groundbreaking collaboration between crypto art and hip-hop.

Since Fake Rares launched, over 100 similar directories have emerged on Counterparty, triggering a resurgence of the protocol and Bitcoin-based NFT culture.

Platforms

TelegramTwitter/XScarce.CityOpenSea (via Emblem Vault)

Timeline

September 21, 2021

Rare Scrilla banned from Rare Pepe Telegram; creates BEWARE OF FAKE RARES

September 2021

FAKEASF airdropped to first 100 community members

November 26, 2021

Ghostface Killah x Fake Rares NFT drop on OpenSea

June 2022

Fake Basel exhibition at Parzelle403 gallery, Basel

October 2022

DYOR exhibition at Kunsthalle Zürich featuring Rare Pepe and Fake Rare artworks

May 2023

Progressive Memetics exhibition at Bitcoin Miami

2023

Pepe Fest exhibition in Paris