For a lot of Hip Hop followers, the Wingstop restaurant chain is synonymous with Florida-bred rapper Rick Ross. The self-described “Biggest Boss That You Seen Thus Far” opened franchises in Alabama, Georgia, New York, and other states.
According to Business Insider, Wingstop filed a multi-class trademark to sell “downloadable virtual goods” in the metaverse. The application reportedly includes the creation of an online marketplace for trading NFTs, digital assets, and artwork.
Wingstop is looking to follow other restaurants, such as McDonald’s and Panera Bread, into the metaverse. Trademark lawyer Josh Gerben told Forbes, “I think you’re going to see every brand that you can think of make these filings within the next 12 months.”
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reportedly takes eight to nine months to review trademark requests. For Wingstop, the brand’s filing signifies “an exciting public step to serve the world flavor in a virtual space.”
Numerous Hip Hop stars have embraced the metaverse. For example, Rae Sremmurd’s Swae Lee took on the role of Chief Entertainment Officer for the mafia blockchain-based game Syn City.
Snoop Dogg helped create a virtual mansion in the Ethereum-based metaverse game The Sandbox. In February, Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out announced a partnership with Super League Gaming to produce live streams of the sketch comedy show’s Metaverse Remix.
Virtual reality and augmented reality spaces have also become regular venues for live performances. Acts such as H.E.R., Post Malone, Wiz Khalifa, Offset, Kid Cudi, The Roots, and Latto entertained computerized crowds over the last three years.