View this video on YouTube
Nathan Apodaca, widely known across TikTok and other social media as @doggface208, says he’s “still struggling to pay off” his parents’ house following an effort to capitalize on his viral “Dreams” moment with an NFT.
Wednesday, Apodaca replied to a Complex tweet from 2021 about the NFT effort, saying it "didn't work" due to music rights issues.
"Didn’t work (no rights to use the music like WTF ) still struggling to pay off my parents casa!" he said, adding in an "I got this" among the included hashtags.
Doggface was previously reported in March 2021 to be launching an NFT of his viral longboarding video, which took over social media during the early months of the pandemic. In the original clip, he's seen enjoying some Ocean Spray while lip-syncing to Fleetwood Mac's 1977 song "Dreams," taken from the band's Rumours album.
The viral TikTok gave the decades-old hit an impressive streaming boost, with band members including drummer Mick Fleetwood responding to the surprise resurgence of the track with clips of their own.
“It’s been such a wonderful surprise to see that TikTok has been able to bring some joy in challenging times as well as encourage creativity among so many young people," Mick said back in October 2020. "To see our fans or even people just learning about the band embrace Fleetwood Mac has been so inspirational and meaningful to us.”
While “Dreams” lead vocalist and songwriter Stevie Nicks also responded with her own TikTok, she did not directly recreate Apodaca's approach, instead opting for roller skates. A bottle of Ocean Spray was also strategically placed behind her.
At the time the NFT was announced in 2021, it was billed as boasting a $500,000 starting bid through the Rarible site, with money set to be put toward a house for Apodaca’s parents and an event center in Idaho Falls. Later, TMZ reported that Nicks had declined to allow “Dreams” to be included in the NFT sale. The report also alleged that Nicks had been offered half of the proceeds.
When reached for comment by Complex on Thursday in connection with Apodaca's latest tweet, a rep for the TikTok star reiterated that Nicks had been approached about the NFT. As argued by Apodaca's rep, "Stevie never acknowledged Nathan through the whole viral moment."
In March 2022, Apodaca stopped by Real 92.3’s Cruz Show for an interview in which he reflected on his viral rise, including the familiar names he’s rubbed elbows with since the “Dreams” moment first took over TikTok. Revisit the discussion below.
