Superbasedd: A New Magazine Targeting the Male Crypto Demographic

Crypto’s Demographic Challenge: Superbasedd Aims to Balance the Scale

SALT LAKE CITY — The world of cryptocurrency is grappling with a notable demographic imbalance: a predominance of male participants. In response to this, a new culture magazine is stepping into the fray, determined to capitalize on this disparity more aggressively than a memecoin trader leveraging their credit line. Enter Superbasedd, a fledgling lifestyle publication with deep roots in Los Angeles, setting its sights on launching a print edition that appeals to the more primal instincts of the crypto community.

Featured prominently on the front cover will be a captivating cover girl, while the back will showcase a commanding male startup founder. Nestled in between these visuals will be gripping narratives that delve into the trenches of crypto trading. “We’re all dudes, we’re all degenerates, and if there’s one thing I know about degenerate dudes, it’s that they love women. That’s a really effective way to kick off a brand,” stated Steve McHugh, the founder of Superbasedd.

Women are intended to serve as the “bait” in this compelling strategy, as McHugh and his co-founders envision an edgy yet authoritative magazine that bridges web3 culture with male audiences globally. The plan is to entice readers with alluring imagery, followed by engaging, high-quality content that provides deep dives into the industry.

The question remains whether the combination of sex and culture can successfully sell magazines in today’s market. Iconic brands like Playboy are only now attempting to make a comeback, planning to release an annual glossy edition. Once a cornerstone of male-centric media, Playboy featured articles that resonated with a broad audience well-versed in cultural dialogues. In contrast, Superbasedd appears to be targeting a much narrower audience: younger men interested in cryptocurrency, despite McHugh insisting that their female-forward marketing aims at appealing to “guys” across the board.

The magazine’s content strategy, described by its founders as “dangerous,” reflects the personalities of its team members. McHugh’s lanky business partner, Jake Hillhouse, was scheduled to participate in an undercard bout at the upcoming Karate Kombat fight night in Singapore. However, after suffering a dune buggy accident, he arrived at our impromptu interview sporting an arm sling and a hospital wristband barely 48 hours old.

Despite their challenges, the publication has secured significant funding. Earlier this month, Superbasedd raised nearly $1.1 million by selling NFTs that include a three-year subscription, which has yet to launch. An additional subscription option will offer one year of access for $99.

McHugh intends for Superbasedd to explore aspects of the crypto world that mainstream media often overlooks or has deserted. Among the major publications focused on cryptocurrency, only Decrypt employs journalists dedicated to capturing the often bizarre and whimsical expressions of industry participants. These narratives frequently veer into the absurd or even scandalous; for instance, the memecoin factory Pump.Fun regularly sees creators engaging in outrageous stunts to boost token prices, such as the infamous incident involving a livestreamed crack smoking and head shaving by a stripper.

“Our edginess will start with the girls and culminate with crackhead dev,” Hillhouse quipped.

Superbasedd aims to share these wild stories alongside in-depth profiles of leading male figures in the cryptocurrency space. During our discussion, McHugh floated the idea of featuring Raj Gokal and Anatoly Yakovenko, the founders of Solana, for the inaugural edition set to release in October.

It’s undeniably peculiar for a publication focused on cryptocurrency to bet on print as its primary distribution method, given the decline of traditional journalism in the 21st century. However, the Superbasedd team believes that tactile formats can still succeed when combined with the visual strategies of the Instagram era. Their approach involves first capturing attention through striking images of attractive women, then maintaining that interest with concise articles that present stories in easily digestible formats, potentially mirroring the style of social media threads.

McHugh envisions Superbasedd evolving into a staple of “high snobciety,” with enough prestige to grace the coffee tables of affluent households in the Hollywood Hills. His belief is rooted in the idea that America’s celebrity culture can render the magazine widely relevant.

At present, however, Superbasedd is heavily investing in initiatives that will resonate primarily with the most dedicated NFT traders on Solana, the blockchain on which this publication is closely aligned. Recently, Superbasedd acquired the intellectual property for the Catalina Whale Mixer, a once-popular NFT collection with a market cap of $2.5 million, for less than $50,000, according to McHugh. The team is also planning to take over the Thug Birdz NFT collection in the near future.

The trio behind Superbasedd joined mtnDAO to work on outreach initiatives targeting other crypto founders, McHugh, a two-time attendee, noted. Collaborating in physical crypto workspaces can expedite startups as they navigate the unique and often bizarre business propositions within this industry, such as launching a new token.

“We’re not developers, we’re not builders; we’re content creators and startup enthusiasts,” McHugh concluded.