Justin Bieber Doubles Down on Bored Apes With K Purchase as Celebrity NFT Frenzy Peaks

The Artist’s Journey

On February 4, 2022, the worlds of pop music and digital collectibles collided in spectacular fashion when Justin Bieber — one of the most recognizable celebrities on the planet — purchased his second Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT in the span of a single week. The Canadian superstar acquired Bored Ape #3850 for 166 ETH, worth approximately $470,000 at the time, following up on a jaw-dropping 500 ETH ($1.3 million) purchase of BAYC #3001 just days earlier. At a moment when Bitcoin traded at $41,500 and Ethereum hovered around $2,983, Bieber’s spending spree underscored just how deeply celebrity culture had penetrated the NFT ecosystem.

The timing was no coincidence. February 2022 represented the absolute zenith of NFT hype — a period when Bored Ape Yacht Club had become the ultimate status symbol in both crypto and mainstream culture. With a floor price of 99.3 ETH (roughly $296,000), the collection had transcended its origins as a niche digital art project and evolved into something resembling a luxury brand. Celebrities, athletes, and musicians were all clamoring to join the club, and Bieber was leading the charge.

Collection Mechanics

Bored Ape #3850 was far from a random purchase. The NFT featured several rare traits that made it particularly desirable to collectors. Its Bandana Blue hat appeared in only 0.89% of the 10,000-strong collection, while the Grin Diamond mouth trait was even rarer at just 0.78% occurrence. Combined with pink fur, a purple background, a puffy vest, and bored eyes, the ape represented a carefully curated digital identity — exactly the kind of status piece that high-profile collectors seek.

What made this purchase especially notable was that BAYC #3850 had never previously been sold on OpenSea. The NFT had only been transferred between accounts, making Bieber the first public market buyer. This detail mattered enormously in the NFT community, where provenance and transaction history contribute significantly to an asset’s perceived value and narrative appeal.

Utility & Perks

Bieber’s Bored Ape purchases were part of a broader pattern of celebrity engagement that gave the collection its cultural power. Owning a Bored Ape granted access to exclusive community channels, commercial usage rights for the individual ape’s image, and entry into what had become one of the most influential networks in entertainment and technology. For a global pop star, the commercial IP rights alone were significant — Bieber could theoretically use his ape’s likeness on merchandise, in music videos, or across branding materials.

The broader NFT market was thriving alongside these celebrity endorsements. On the very same day, Buzzfeed News published a bombshell investigation revealing the real identities of Bored Ape Yacht Club’s pseudonymous creators: Greg Solano and Wylie Aronow, two Florida residents in their 30s who had built a multi-billion-dollar brand under the pseudonyms Gargamel and Gordon Goner. Their company, Yuga Labs, was simultaneously raising capital at a staggering $5 billion valuation — a number that would have seemed absurd just a year earlier for a project centered around cartoon ape images.

Secondary Market Action

The Bieber purchases coincided with a broader moment of peak euphoria in the NFT market. Just one day later, CryptoPunk #5822 — one of only nine ultra-rare alien punks — would sell for 8,000 ETH (approximately $23.7 million), setting a new all-time record for the collection. The Bored Ape Yacht Club floor at 99.3 ETH represented nearly $300,000 for the cheapest available ape, and trading volumes across platforms like OpenSea were shattering records.

However, beneath the surface of these headline-grabbing sales, competitive pressures were mounting. A new marketplace called X2Y2 launched on February 4, initiating what the crypto community dubbed a “vampire attack” on OpenSea by offering zero-royalty trading during its beta phase. This aggressive strategy highlighted the growing tensions between creators who relied on royalties and platforms competing for market share through fee cuts.

Final Verdict

Looking back at Bieber’s February 2022 Bored Ape purchases, they serve as a perfect time capsule of the NFT market at its most euphoric. The combination of celebrity buying power, anonymous founders revealed, record-breaking sales, and billion-dollar valuations created a moment that would prove impossible to sustain. Yet the cultural impact was undeniable — Bieber and his celebrity peers brought NFTs into mainstream consciousness in ways that pure crypto enthusiasm never could. Whether viewed as prescient investment or cautionary tale, the purchases reflected the genuine belief among many high-profile individuals that digital ownership represented a fundamental shift in how we think about art, identity, and community. The broader market would soon face a significant correction, but on February 4, 2022, the party was still very much in full swing.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. NFT investments carry significant risk, including the potential for total loss. Past celebrity purchases do not guarantee future value. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.