Mark Wilson — the artist known as diewiththemostlikes — has a truly unique style to his art and a presence that could be described as grotesque, performative, thought-provoking and hilarious all in one packet of rolled-up ground beef.
In a digital art market where supply can be infinite, the Indiana-based artist really stands out from the crowd with his ability to garner attention by often ridiculing the NFT space and eliciting both humor and sadness within his work.
An author of five books, diewiththemostlikes has a passion for not only visual art but also scribing his streams of consciousness. He originally minted his first NFT on March 26, 2021, on Foundation after a random account on X reached out because Wilson had made a joke campaign poster for comedian Eric Andre that went viral.
“This dude reached out and just said, ‘Hey, I have a Foundation invite. Would you want to mint a piece on there?’ I said I don’t know what minting is. I don’t know what Foundation is. I have no clue what any of this shit is,” Diewiththemostlikes explains.
“He said, ‘It could be a good avenue for your digital art,’ so I said, ‘Well, fuck it, man. It’s not like I’m not doing anything with it now. It’s getting two likes on Instagram from fucking porn bots. So, whatever, I’ll mint something, and maybe I can sell something finally as an artist — that would be nice.’”
It was a relatively slow start, but consistency and persistence positioned him well, and he’s often received praise from other well-known artists such as OSF.
Now knocking on the door of digital art stardom, diewiththemostlikes still hasn’t come to grips with the position he finds himself in.
“I still honestly can’t really wrap my head around this shit that’s going on. I just assumed I was gonna die alone doing something I hated. To be part of this kind of movement with all these other really insane artists who are on this crazy trajectory and who are constantly leveling up is really cool. It’s pretty wild,” he says.
“Our memories were beef too” by Diewiththemostlikes. (SuperRare)
Origin of catchy and cumbersome name
How did the name diewiththemostlikes come about? Well, in classic “die” fashion, there’s humor and an underlying meaning.
“I’ve got the most common name to ever exist, Mark Wilson. When I was applying for apartments, people would think it was a scammer name because Mark Wilson is a super common name here in the States. They would do a background check and think I was a fake person.”
“I’m cool with my name… But diewiththemostlikes kind of came in, and it’s funny because it’s actually a really cumbersome name to say. A lot of people during interviews will ask what they even call me. It’s a really long and kind of an unenjoyable name to say, but I suppose that I find comfort in that. Discomfort, if you will, or the inability to kind of determine what I should be called is awesome.”
The name pokes fun at a world where we seek likes on social media for dopamine hits, which Wilson points out is a transactional existence.
“It’s a really interesting distillation of our transactional existence as a whole and kind of how fucking sad and depressing it can be in many ways. But also the beauty of it, obviously, none of us would be here; we wouldn’t be talking here without Twitter. Certainly, my art wouldn’t be doing what it was doing, or I wouldn’t be able to impact anybody without a platform.”
“Big! Election Day!” by Diewiththemostlikes. (onetie-alltie.com)
Finding a story in peculiar places
Observing society and its idiosyncrasies is a big inspiration, and his work often carries open or sometimes subliminal messages that make collectors really stop and think.
Of course, always the prankster with a dry sense of humor, diewiththemostlikes is quick to tie a bow around it with some over-the-top window dressing.
“I would say there’s stories in the most peculiar places. There’s a story in every sagging ass of anyone walking around the fucking dregs of this country,” he says. “Within those kinds of nuanced little wrinkles, scabs and wounds is where I thrive and where I love to exist.”
“This lens on life and humanity is often exaggerated… If you look a little deeper on my pieces, they’re definitely documentarian but certainly grotesque at a very surface level.”
“Regarding the inhalation of failing dreams” by Diewiththemostlikes. (SuperRare)
Good meat! Sublime satire
The tsunami of crypto X accounts posting “gm” led to a series of meat art.
“Good meat originally arose out of a place of complete ridicule, which is where a lot of my art I feel like comes from. It’s satire; it’s ridicule; it’s hilarity. I was really annoyed with the transactional state of everybody just saying ‘gm,’ with nothing else to say. It was gm with a fucking coffee mug, and that was it. Then you just see gm, gm, gm, gm. It was just like, ‘What the fuck are we all doing here? This is insane, dude,’” says Wilson.
“So, then I kind of came up with good meat as a way to ridicule that, and I was posting art with the pieces originally, and then it kind of transitioned into now. I’m just gonna post meat pictures now because that fits the kind of dull exchange. The dull morning exchange that we all participate in.”
“It’s just like here’s a big heaving pile of rotting meat. Enjoy it or don’t enjoy it. It’s all good. But it’s funny because now people will say good meat back, or they’ll have their own good meat-inspired post, and it’s fucking super cool. I love that meat is infecting the space in some capacity.”
“We saved our marriage” sold for 8 ETH ($22,900 equivalent on date of sale) on April 29, 2022. (SuperRare)“After the streetlights stopped grieving” sold for 12 ETH ($22,300 equivalent on date of sale) on June 2, 2023. (SuperRare)“Precious moments” sold for 12 ETH ($19,900 equivalent on date of sale) on June 16, 2023. (SuperRare)
Rapid-fire Q&A
Influences
“I don’t have a ton, honestly, and most of that is just because I don’t have any art background. I would actually say, growing up, most of my influence was actually in the books I was reading. People like Irvine Welsh, Haruki Murakami, Michel Houellebecq, and, of course, Hunter S. Thompson. All those kinds of absurdists are where I love to dwell.”
“I should obviously mention Ralph Steadman, who is a fucking incredible illustrator. When I got into this space, somebody said, ‘Your stuff reminds me of Ralph Steadman,’ and I think that’s incredible.”
“I think one word I would use is ‘relentless.’ The style itself it’s funny; I never took an art class in high school and was described as adequate. That’s really the extent of my art history. I didn’t study art. It’s more or less I bludgeoned my way into making these things. It’s been like 20,000 hours on the iPad and in my basement making canvases and acrylic.”
“It’s just bludgeoning stuff out that I feel like has to come out or else it’ll rob me from the inside, so ‘relentless’ and ‘unflinching,’ I guess, are the two words that I would use. There’s almost a psychotic pursuit and an urgency to what I want to tell people.”
Which hot NFT artists should we be paying attention to?
Xer0x — “I feel like he’s massively slept on, like horrifically slept on in many ways. That’s a guy who’s obsessed with his craft, and he makes super deep, very personal pieces that are true artistic achievements.”
Alien Queen — “Alien Queen is the shit, but she’s probably not even up-and-coming anymore.”
James Bloom — “He’s a true blockchain artist. The dude is making these super technical and really fucking rad pieces that evolve and change based on interactions.”
“Omega” by Xer0x. (SuperRare)
Notable collector
“I have to give a massive shout-out to SuperRare Zach. He’s been so nice and cool, and he onboarded me after this crazy absurdist tweet campaign to get on SuperRare. To get accepted to SuperRare, it was essentially a tweet that I sent that said I just submitted my application video.”
“It is me doing DMT and performing How Stella Got Her Groove Back while dressed like Hellboy or something. It was just like an insane tweet, and he just said, ‘This is nuts. You’re on.’ I’d already been putting in work and stuff, but I would say Zach is awesome.”
Favorite NFT in your wallet
“Oh, man, I would have to say Pindar Van Arman made this dope ass quantum portrait of me that’s super special. It’s really goddamn rad. That’s probably my favorite piece that I own. It’s a dope-ass piece, and he was so nice to do it. He didn’t ask; he just made it.”
Quantum portrait of Diewiththemostlikes by Pindar Van Arman. (OpenSea)
What do you listen to when creating art?
“I love music. I mean, the absurd part of me would say that I create to Nickelback and Creed and fucking all those other dumb bands. But really, I listen to a shit ton of doom metal and death metal. Bands like Bongripper, Gate Creeper and Withered. Anything that’s just slow, grimy and brutal is the only way that you can kind of describe it.”
The most engaging reads in blockchain. Delivered once a
week.
Greg Oakford
Greg Oakford is the co-founder of NFT Fest Australia. A former marketing and communications specialist in the sports world, Greg now focuses his time on running events, creating content and consulting in web3. He is an avid NFT collector and hosts a weekly podcast covering all things NFTs.
The first 100 days of the administration of US President Donald Trump have deeply impacted the crypto industry, starting with his own memecoin and culminating in a Bitcoin reserve and a spate of blockchain policymaking.
Trump’s trade war with the entire world has had the largest short-term impact on crypto markets, as crypto prices have wavered amid macroeconomic worry and uncertainty. Higher prices on electronics mean Bitcoin (BTC) miners are finding it harder to break even, and de-dollarization concerns abound.
Still, crypto markets have shown some resilience and cause for optimism in the administration’s crypto-friendly policies. A number of pro-crypto leaders have been appointed to key government agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The crypto industry’s long-awaited regulatory framework is also imminent.
Trump’s first 100 days have seen remarkable changes for the crypto industry, and it appears that things are only getting started. Here’s a look at what’s happened so far.
Jan. 20 — Trump’s first 100 days kick off with a memecoin
On Jan. 20, while Trump was sworn into office in the rotunda of the Capitol Building, his family’s crypto investment firm, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), launched its second token sale of WLFI tokens.
Massive demand saw prices initially spike, though the true value of the tokens, if any, is yet to be determined, as WLFI is currently not transferable and cannot be traded on any exchanges.
The memecoin served as a kickoff for Trump’s crypto agenda, which has seen unprecedented support for the industry in Washington, DC, along with a slew of moral and ethical concerns among observers and lawmakers.
Jan. 20 — Pro-crypto leaders head up federal agencies on “day one”
The president of the US sets the tone for several federal regulators, including those overseeing crypto. Trump immediately set out to appoint a number of pro-crypto lawyers and businessmen to head up the SEC, the CFTC and other critical federal agencies.
Trump nominated businessman Paul Atkins to lead the SEC on “day one” of his presidency. Atkins would replace Gary Gensler, who was perceived by many in the crypto industry as an enemy to adoption and the industry’s progress.
Also on day one, Trump appointed businessman and crypto investor David Sacks as chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology — or the crypto and AI “czar.”
In a press conference, Trump announced a $500-billion private-led AI infrastructure investment called “Stargate.” The president claimed the project — led by ChatGPT creator OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle — would create some 10,000 American jobs.
Trump said the US needed to lead the world in AI innovation and keep development onshore. “China is a competitor, others are competitors. We want it to be in this country, and we’re making it available,” he said.
OpenAI claimed that the project would “not only support the re-industrialization of the United States but also provide a strategic capability to protect the national security of America and its allies.”
Jan. 21 — Pardon for Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht
Trump announced on Truth Social that he had called the family of Silk Road 2.0 founder Ross Ulbricht after commuting his sentence.
After his arrest in 2013, Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 without the possibility of parole for his role in facilitating the trafficking of narcotics and other illicit substances.
Ulbricht’s case became a rallying point for libertarian movements and prison reform advocates alike. Libertarian-minded crypto advocates supported Ulbricht, as his platform was one of the first places people could actually spend Bitcoin.
Crypto advocates supported Ulbricht, with many believing he did nothing wrong. Source: The Bitcoin Historian
Jan. 23 — Ban on digital dollar, establishing a crypto working group
With an executive order, Trump established an internal working group to focus on making the US “the world capital in crypto.” The order also prohibited “the establishment, issuance, circulation, and use” of a US central bank digital currency (CBDC).
CBDCs are a contentious issue in the crypto community, with many privacy activists claiming that they are another form of state surveillance and government control. Enthusiasm over their creation from central bankers has further set the more libertarian-minded crypto community against their creation.
Trump signing the executive order. Source: ABC News
The working group would kickstart the process for creating the forthcoming US Bitcoin and crypto reserves.
Feb. 1 — Trade war begins with tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada
One of the promises of the Trump campaign was to rectify the “bad deals” that the US had with many of its oldest allies and most important trading partners.
Just over a week after he was sworn into office, Trump announced sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, citing border security concerns and the supposed proliferation of cross-border trade of fentanyl from those countries.
The same day, Canada announced retaliatory measures. On Feb. 3, Mexico promised to step up security of its northern border, responding to American requests for increased patrols. This led Trump to reverse initial tariff plans on both countries.
The unexpected hostile tariffs from a close partner and ally sent stock and crypto prices tumbling. They marked the beginning of the macroeconomic uncertainty that has come to characterize the early days of the Trump administration.
Feb. 12 — Vinnik-Foegel prisoner swap with Russia
Alexander Vinnik, the convicted money launderer who funneled Bitcoin stolen in the infamous Mt. Gox hack through his crypto exchange BTC-e, returned to his home country of Russia.
Vinnik pled guilty to money laundering conspiracy charges in 2024. BTC-e processed more than $9 billion in transactions and had over 1 million users worldwide, many of whom were in the US.
Vinnik was exchanged for American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who was teaching at the Anglo-American School of Moscow and had been in a Russian jail since 2021 after being arrested for illegal possession of cannabis.
Feb. 18 — Bankman-Fried makes veiled plea for release
In an interview with The New York Sun, the former CEO of now-defunct crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, addressed his controversial political contributions, saying the Republican Party was always “far more reasonable.”
Bankman-Fried, or SBF, made widely publicized contributions to the Democratic Party as he purportedly tried to influence democratic policymakers’ approach to the digital asset industry. It later became known that SBF was playing both sides of the aisle, donating significant funds to Republicans, though the exact amount remains unknown.
In the interview, SBF likened his position to that of Trump, claiming that he’d been unfairly treated by the criminal justice system. SBF called into question the conduct of the federal judge overseeing his trial, Judge Lewis Kaplan. “I know President Trump had a lot of frustrations with Judge Kaplan. I certainly did as well.”
Observers saw the interview as an attempt to elicit a pardon from Trump. Roger Ver, an early Bitcoin advocate facing criminal tax evasion charges, has made an outright appeal.
March 7 — Trump establishes Bitcoin reserve and crypto stockpile
On March 7, the 46th day of Trump’s presidency, he signed an executive order establishing a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.” Trump made big promises about crypto adoption on the campaign trail, including the possibility of a long-sought-after Bitcoin reserve.
The US reserve, however, would fall short of expectations among Bitcoin maximalists. Rather than create a concrete plan for the US government to purchase and hold Bitcoin, it merely created a single reserve to pool all Bitcoin the government had seized during criminal proceedings.
While the order does state that the government may purchase additional Bitcoin, it must do so in a budget-neutral fashion.
In tandem with the Bitcoin reserve, Trump also established a US Digital Asset Stockpile containing other cryptocurrencies such as Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL), XRP (XRP) and Cardano (ADA).
March 7 — White House Crypto Summit
Leaders of the crypto industry descended on Washington for a meeting at the White House to discuss a wide range of topics related to crypto regulation and the development of the industry in the US.
Attendees included Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and “crypto czar” David Sacks.
While some attendees, including Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov, were optimistic about the event’s focus on strengthening the US crypto industry, some crypto luminaries who were not on the list were less impressed.
Cardano and IOHK co-founder Charles Hoskinson, who did not attend the event, noted in a video stream that real change — i.e., legislation — must be made in Congress.
“Everybody focuses on the White House because it’s simple and easy to do so. […] And as much as we, as an industry, want this to be a short process, it’s going to be a long and methodical process,” Hoskinson said.
WLFI expanded its offerings in March with the soft launch of its stablecoin USD1. The coin, “100% backed by short-term US government treasuries, US dollar deposits, and other cash equivalents,” launched on the Ethereum and BNB Chain networks.
US lawmakers subsequently called for an ethics probe into WLFI and cited the president’s ability to influence stablecoin policy as a major conflict of interest with the project.
Markets saw a spate of red across the board following the order, and many economic observers raised concerns over a looming recession. Crypto miners based in the US were further squeezed as their operation costs, namely for buying new mining rigs, increased significantly.
Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci told Cointelegraph, “I would say that he’s had the worst 95 days in modern presidential history. The markets recovered a little, but we’ve got $9 trillion taken from the stock market. You had a growing economy that’s now heading into a medium-sized recession, possibly a steep recession.”
He said that Trump declared a trade war “without any real weaponry” and subsequently lied about progress when the president claimed China was attempting to negotiate.
“The lies are ok — everyone accepts that he’s a congenital liar […] but when you’re declaring war on people and then you’re lying, it’s really bad.”
April 25 — $300,000-per-plate memecoin dinner raises call for impeachment
Top Trump memecoin holders were reportedly offered an opportunity to have dinner with the president, sparking renewed concerns over his crypto project and prompting one US lawmaker to support impeachment.
At a town hall meeting in his home state of Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff said he “strongly” supports impeachment. “When the sitting president of the United States is selling access for what are effectively payments directly to him, there is no question that that rises to the level of an impeachable offense,” he said.
TRUMP holders can register to have dinner with the President. Source: gettrumpmemes.com
Rumors on social media stated that $300,000 would grant tokenholders an audience with the president, a claim the Trump administration later denied.
Trump’s first 100 days could jeopardize change
The first 100 days of Trump’s presidency have broughtunprecedented change to the crypto industry. Simultaneously, they have opened it up to increased criticism and controversy as the president’s personal ties with blockchain projects raise ethical questions.
These controversies may well jeopardize the industry’s efforts to effect change in Congress, according to Scaramucci, who said, “Trump has so inflamed everything that he’s made it even hard for [stablecoin legislation] to happen.”
The STABLE Act, which aims to provide guardrails for stablecoin issuance in the US, was introduced in the House of Representatives on March 26 and passed a committee vote on April 3, with prominent Democrats dissenting. The bill will soon head to the floor for a general vote before going to the Senate.
USDC stablecoin issuer Circle has received in-principle approval (IPA) from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the company announced on April 29.
The approval moves Circle closer to obtaining a full Financial Services Permission (FSP) license, allowing it to operate as a regulated money services provider in the United Arab Emirates, the firm said in an official press release.
Jeremy Allaire, Circle’s Co-Founder and CEO, said the approval “advances our strategy to establish deep roots in markets embracing the onchain economy.” He added:
“It also underscores Circle’s enduring commitment to global stablecoin oversight—strengthening trust, compliance, and adoption worldwide, while laying a resilient foundation for the internet financial system.”
Comments from Circle CEO and Chief of Market Development at ADGM regarding the regulatory nod. Source: PR
In addition to regulatory progress, Circle announced a partnership with Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s tech ecosystem. As part of the collaboration, the two firms plan to work together on projects within ADGM’s digital regulatory sandbox.
Circle will also join Hub71’s digital assets group, sharing its experience with a community of more than 500 tech startups and investors.
Circle’s flagship USDC token is the second-largest stablecoin in terms of market capitalization. As of now, there are $62.03 billion USDC (USDC) tokens in circulation, according to data from CoinMarketCap.
Meanwhile, Circle has been pushing into new global markets amid rising interest in stablecoins.
In Japan, Circle expanded its presence through a partnership with SBI Holdings. On March 26, 2025, SBI VC Trade, a subsidiary of SBI Holdings, launched USDC trading, making it the first stablecoin approved under Japan’s regulatory framework.
The United Arab Emirates has been actively working to establish itself as a global Web3 hub, leveraging progressive regulation and strategic partnerships to attract leading digital asset firms.
In August 2024, the country ranked third in a crypto adoption index released by Henley & Partners, an investment migration consultancy firm.
On April 6, Dubai’s real estate and crypto regulatory authorities signed a new agreement aimed at expanding digital asset adoption in the real estate sector. The agreement will link Dubai’s real estate registry with property tokenization through a governance system.
Alex Mashinsky, the founder and former CEO of the now-defunct cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius, faces a 20-year prison sentence as the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking a severe penalty for his fraudulent activity.
The US DOJ on April 28 filed the government’s sentencing memorandum against Mashinsky, recommending a 20-year prison sentence due to his fraudulent actions leading to multibillion-dollar losses by Celsius customers.
The 97-page memo mentioned that Celsius users were unable to access approximately $4.7 billion in crypto assets after the platform halted withdrawals on June 12, 2022.
“The Court should sentence Alexander Mashinsky to twenty years’ imprisonment as just punishment for his years-long campaign of lies and self-dealing that left in its wake billions in losses and thousands of victimized customers,” the DOJ stated.
Mashinsky’s personal benefit was $48 million
In addition to listing massive investor losses resulting from the Celsius fraud, the DOJ mentioned that Mashinsky has personally profited from the fraudulent schemes in his role.
As part of his plea in December 2024, Mashinsky admitted that he was the leader of the criminal activity at Celsius, that his crimes resulted in losses in excess of $550 million, and that he personally benefited more than $48 million, the authority said.
An excerpt from the government’s sentencing memorandum against Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky. Source: CourtListener
The DOJ emphasized that Mashinsky’s guilty plea showed that his crimes were “not the product of negligence, naivete, or bad luck,” but rather the result of “deliberate, calculated decisions to lie, deceive, and steal in pursuit of personal fortune.”
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.