Team CryptoInsightfull 
Web3 culture is forever changing. Created by degens, innovators and the curious minds that have ventured into blockchain technology, Web3 culture is thoroughly unique – and one NFT brand condenses, lives and represents Web3 culture more than any other. That NFT brand is Rektguy.
Built around the story of an eponymous translucent skull character that’s a real blockchain degen, Rektguy quickly grew from its humble beginnings as a gift to the community into an emblem of artistic expression, boundless creativity, and a de-facto representation of honest Web3 culture.
With Rektguy, holders, believers and fans can experience a true slice of the Web3 industry that they won’t get anywhere else in the NFT industry – but what exactly is Rektguy, what have they created so far, and how has the project become such a success?
Here’s our complete guide to the Rektguy NFT project.
Key Insights
- Conceptualised in January 2022 by OSF
- Released as a 8,814-piece NFT collection in May 2022
- Heralded for its die-hard, culture-focused community
- Known for in-person events, all-in moments, and celebrity holders
- Expanded into Rekt Brands, Rekt Rewards and Rekt Drinks in late 2024
What is Rektguy?
Rektguy is an 8,814-piece NFT collection, minted on Ethereum in May 2022, and created by OSF – in collaboration with co-founder Mando and AlienQueen, and with contributions from OSF’s own family.
The eponymous character of Rektguy is a semi-autobiographical symbolisation of a typical degen trader, getting “rekt” by the volatile crypto markets. His hooded nature, gloomy overtones and penchant for a drink reflect the all-too-real coping mechanisms that many lean into during a market downturn.
With this bold, stark and honest approach to both Web3 culture and the realities of being a part of the blockchain community, Rektguy resonated with a wide audience, becoming a symbol of shared experiences, degen communities, and crypto culture.
The creator of the Rektguy character is Ovie Faruq, known in the community as OSF. Rektguy’s inception dates back to OSF’s tenure at Barclays bank. Disillusioned with his corporate role, he would doodle in his spare time – and on one fateful day, OSF would doodle a skull figure wearing a hoodie with “gm” printed on it, holding a cup of coffee.
During this time, OSF was dipping his toes into the blockchain industry – and as he began to explore creating NFT art himself, this character would become front-and-centre of his artistic explorations. OSF’s first major NFT endeavour would be the Degenz NFT collection – but in October 2021, OSF minted the first of what would become known as the Rektguy character as a unique 1-of-1 NFT on Foundation, simply titled “gm”.
This character would become the focal point of his digital creations – leading to the conceptualisation of the Rektguy NFT collection in January 2022, and its eventual launch in May 2022.
The history of Rektguy
The Rektguy NFT collection made its debut in May 2022.
Holders of OSF’s prior NFTs, including his Degenz NFT collection, could mint a Rektguy for free, with an additional mint available to the public. A total of 8,814 NFTs were minted over the multi-day minting window. The collection saw immediate success, rising to an all-time high floor price of 1.2 ETH shortly after mint.
As Rektguy was released under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) licence, any holder could make derivative artworks, products and brands from their Rektguy. The first of these, eRektguy, debuted in June 2022, starting a long list of future Rektguy derivative projects.
2022 was a busy year for the Rektguy team. It was during this period that the culture-centric focus of the Rektguy community came to the forefront, with an engaged holder-base led by a few standout community members – interacting in The Dive Bar Discord server and elsewhere. This includes figures such as the ever-enthusiastic The Patron, the mysterious figure known as The Ghost, and later celebrities such as Snoop Dogg and Gary Vaynerchuk.
Hype and excitement rose towards summer 2022, where Rektguy staged The Rekt Show at famed burlesque venue The Box during NFT.NYC 2022. Bringing together the Rektguy community in an official capacity for the very first time, the event was a celebration of the Rektguy brand and the insatiable community they had build up to that point. This show would later be replicated in London, and again in NYC, solidifying Rektguy’s IRL events as must-see attractions.
September 2022 heralded the start of The Metallic War, a fiercely-contested yet friendly rivalry between three groups of Rektguy holders: the Golden Girls (gold hoodie Rektguys), the Silver Foxes (iced hoodie Rektguys), and the Strawberry Laces (strawberry lace hoodie Rektguys). This inner rivalry continues to this day, and serves as a testament to the passion and engagement of Rektguy holders around the world.
September 2022 also marked the start of a challenge, issued by OSF: if Rektguy hits 1 ETH, he’ll get a “rekt” tattoo. At the time, the floor price sat at 0.3 ETH – making that target seem ambitious, but not unachievable. In a show of solidarity, many members of the Rektguy community pledged to join OSF in receiving a tattoo should the collection hit 1 ETH. The floor price steadily rose, until that 1 ETH target was reached in December 2022.
Knowing that the 1 ETH floor was coming, OSF got his tattoo done in advance with Ian Rogers, the CXO of Ledger, at renowned Paris tattoo studio Tin-Tin Tatouages. Sharing the images as soon as the 1 ETH floor was hit, the community response was overwhelming. Other Rektguy holders quickly following up on their pledges too, cementing the passion, camaraderie and degen culture of the Rektguy brand.
This isn’t the only challenge issued by the Rektguy founders. Not only has OSF pledged that he will not cut his hair until Rektguy reaches a 4.2 ETH floor price, co-founder Mando – ostensibly not a “tattoo guy” – has stated he will get a “rekt” tattoo on his posterior should that 4.2 ETH floor become a reality.
2023 was somewhat of a quieter year – even though Gary Vee became a Rektguy holder in May 2023. In 2024 though, it all ramped up once again.
In July 2024, OSF announced that Rekt Brands, a company set up to manage and direct the future of the Rektguy brand, had distributed shares in the company to holders of Rektguys NFTs – becoming the first major NFT collection to do so.
This was followed by a laundry list of cryptic social media posts, all with the caption “Something is brewing…”. Then, August 1, 2024 came the announcement of Rekt Rewards. Through Rekt Rewards, participants could earn DRANK points by completing social quests, and later down the line, for purchasing Rekt Drinks – a new sparkling water beverage developed by Rekt Brands.
September 2024 saw OSF announce that all revenues and royalties from any new artworks he made would be directed to Rekt Brands, growing the company and investing in the Rektguy community.
Rekt Drinks launched on October 30, 2025, available to purchase online in fiat, SOL and SOL USDC, with near-worldwide delivery. The launch was a massive success, with all of the drinks selling out by November 1 – totalling over 222,000 cans.
Five days later, Rekt Brands announced a $1.5M seed round, with investors including Luca Netz of Pudgy Penguins, Zagabond of Azuki, and Jack Butcher of Visualize Value.
Those DRANK points didn’t take long to have an effect, as November 22, 2025 saw the launch of $REKT – an ecosystem token for the Rektguy community. Today, $REKT sits at a market cap of $12.2 million USD, with a fully-diluted value of just over $20 million USD.
The Rektguy X profile was taken over by a $REKT-powered AI agent in January 2025 – and the brand has continued to go from strength to strength. Rekt Drinks had a massive presence at NFT Paris 2025, and their Rekt Radio podcast hit its 100th episode in February 2025.
What’s next for Rektguy?
With a brand that’s as community-centric and community-driven as Rektguy, the path ahead is an open book.
With their recent investment, and efforts in promoting Rekt Drinks in particular, here’s what we could expect in future:
- More Web3-related products. Powered by $REKT, Rekt Drinks has been a huge success. More utility would be a clear boost for the token, so perhaps we can see an expanded suite of Rektguy-branded products in future.
- More community initiatives. Rektguy’s primary strength has always been its passionate, engaged and wildly degen community. Finding ways to capitalise on this following – in a way that benefits both brand and community – could be key to their future success.
- More partnerships. With their big-name Web3 backers, alongside a generally positive sentiment amongst many in the community, there could be ample opportunity to leverage other prominent Web3 communities for the benefit of the Rektguy brand and NFT holders.
Rektguy isn’t just a movement, it’s the movement of the Web3 industry. What started as a doodle in a notebook has evolved into an impactful challenger brand that’s finding new fans everywhere it goes.
Through love, passion and camaraderie, Rektguy has become one of the most well-liked and highly-regarded projects in the Web3 industry – and with the power of the community behind them, their future is as bright as ever.
