Rapper Soulja Boy (DeAndre Cortez Way) has issued a public apology for promoting dozens of cryptocurrency and non-fungible token (NFT) projects that blockchain investigator ZachXBT flagged as scams in 2023. The apology, posted on X early Monday morning, addressed allegations that his social media activity between 2021 and 2023 involved promoting crypto tokens and NFT collections to his millions of followers. Soulja Boy claimed he was unaware of the fraudulent nature of the projects at the time, stating, "I had no knowledge that a scammer named Sahil was involved or paying me to promote anything fraudulent. At the time, I was doing paid promos without understanding the crypto/NFT space the way I do now." He apologized to his followers, taking responsibility for not conducting deeper due diligence.
According to ZachXBT's April 2023 investigation, Soulja Boy promoted crypto and NFT drops at least 73 times since March 2021, with 16 of the NFT collections later becoming scams or failed ventures. One highlighted example was the token RAPDOGE, which Soulja Boy promoted in July 2021. The project allegedly rugged shortly after receiving shills from other celebrities like Lil Yachty and Quavo, leaving investors with losses after liquidity was withdrawn. ZachXBT also cited projects like Orion and The Life Token, which used cancer and suicide prevention charities to pump prices before rugged or were abandoned. The investigator estimated Soulja Boy earned more than $730,000 from these promotions during the period.
Simultaneously, Base co-founder Jesse Pollak is facing sharp community criticism for publicly promoting a meme token linked to Soulja Boy on the Base network. The promotion, shared on X, highlighted a creator payout feature on Base and directed users toward the newly issued token. The backlash was immediate, with many community members questioning why a senior figure tied to the Coinbase-backed Layer 2 would amplify a celebrity with a controversial crypto history.
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT directly challenged Pollak's decision, referencing his 2023 research documenting Soulja Boy's 73 crypto promotions and 16 NFT launches, many of which were alleged scams. Critics argued that giving exposure to someone with a history of failed projects risks pulling new users into harmful cycles and contradicts Base's positioning as a serious on-chain ecosystem. While defenders cited Base's permissionless nature, opponents contended that leadership attention constitutes endorsement, not neutral infrastructure.
The incident underscores a broader tension in crypto between permissionless systems and the influence of public figures. As of now, Jesse Pollak has not issued a detailed response to the criticism. The controversy also revisits Soulja Boy's past tussle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which filed a complaint accusing him and other celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Akon, and Ne-Yo of unlawfully promoting TRX and BTT without disclosing compensation.
