Universal Music Group’s next-gen label 10:22PM has formed KINGSHIP, a group consisting of four characters from the Bored Ape Yacht Club, one of the most successful NFT projects of all time.

10:22PM founder Celine Joshua has engineered the first exclusive agreement to create a metaverse group. The label will release new KINGSHIP music, NFTs, community-based products, activations and experiences in the metaverse, establishing a new level of artist, fan and community engagement. Bored Ape and Mutant Ape Yacht Club owners will have early access to all KINGSHIP NFTs, experiences and narrative selection.

“I started 10:22PM to push the boundaries of innovation in the music industry, and with KINGSHIP, we’re literally inventing what’s possible in real time,” said Joshua. “Just as we would with any artist or creator, my team and I will work with KINGSHIP to sharpen their vision and develop their unique sound. Each member of the group has their own story and personality that influences and contributes to KINGSHIP’s overall narrative. Through music and events across the metaverse, we will bring the apes in KINGSHIP to life by building communities and entertaining audiences around the world.”

Jimmy McNeils, a leading NFT collector known as j1mmy.eth, is furnishing the apes in KINGSHIP, which consists of a Mutant Ape and three Bored Ape characters, including rare Golden Fur and Bluebeam Apes.

The Bored Ape Yacht Club minted 10,000 NFTs in April that sold out, leading to the creation in August of the Mutant Ape Yacht Club, a collection of 20,000 mutant versions of the original apes.