Soulja Boy (DeAndre Cortez Way)
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anchored·5nQNLZ…odavSummary
Soulja Boy, born DeAndre Cortez Way, is an American rapper who became one of the most extensively documented celebrity crypto promoters linked to rug pulls and abandoned projects. Blockchain investigator ZachXBT documented 73 crypto promotions and 16 NFT collections between 2021 and 2023, estimating Way earned approximately $730,000 from paid endorsements, several of which subsequently rugged or were abandoned. The SEC charged Way in March 2023 for undisclosed paid promotion of TRX and BTT tokens; unlike six co-defendants who settled, Way did not initially respond to the charges, resulting in a default judgment. The SEC later filed to dismiss remaining claims against Way in 2026 as part of a broader resolution with the Justin Sun/Tron defendants. Way issued a public apology in December 2025, claiming ignorance of the fraudulent nature of the projects, though the timing coincided with renewed controversy after Base co-founder Jesse Pollak publicly disclosed a $1,500 investment in a new Soulja Boy-linked memecoin on the Base network.
Connected Entities
8 entities · 60 linked investigations- Justin Sun→mentioned with→TRON(70%)
- Coinbase→mentioned with→Base(70%)
- Coinbase→mentioned with→ZachXBT(70%)
- Justin Sun→mentioned with→Rainberry Inc(80%)
- Justin Sun→mentioned with→Soulja Boy (DeAndre Cortez Way)(80%)
- Rainberry Inc→mentioned with→Soulja Boy (DeAndre Cortez Way)(80%)
- Rainberry Inc→mentioned with→Justin Sun(80%)
- Rainberry Inc→mentioned with→TRON(70%)
- Soulja Boy (DeAndre Cortez Way)→mentioned with→TRON(70%)
- SafeMoon→mentioned with→Soulja Boy (DeAndre Cortez Way)(80%)
- + 9 more
1 submission awaiting moderator review.
Timeline(9 events)
1 July 2021
Soulja Boy promoted RapDoge token on social media; token subsequently executed a rug pull, according to ZachXBT.
ZachXBT investigation via Coin Edition1 July 2021
ZachXBT later estimated Way began a pattern of paid crypto promotions in July 2021, charging $12,000 per Instagram post and $10,000 per X post.
CoinDesk1 February 2022
Class-action lawsuit filed naming Soulja Boy and others for alleged pump-and-dump promotion of SafeMoon token.
Benzinga22 March 2023
SEC filed civil charges against Soulja Boy and seven other celebrities for allegedly promoting TRX and BTT tokens without disclosing paid compensation.
Forbes19 April 2023
ZachXBT published investigation documenting 73 crypto promotions and 16 NFT collections by Soulja Boy linked to rug pulls or failed projects, estimating $730,000 in earnings.
CoinDesk10 April 2025
Los Angeles County jury found Way civilly liable for sexual battery and related claims, awarding approximately $4.25 million in damages to a former assistant.
NBC News13 December 2025
Base co-founder Jesse Pollak publicly disclosed investing approximately $1,500 in a Soulja Boy-linked memecoin on the Base network, prompting ZachXBT to revive the 2023 allegations.
CryptoTimes15 December 2025
Soulja Boy issued a public apology acknowledging promoting projects that turned out to be fraudulent, claiming ignorance at the time and citing insufficient due diligence.
Cryptopolitan5 March 2026
SEC filed to dismiss remaining pending claims against DeAndre Cortez Way as part of the broader resolution of the Justin Sun/Tron Foundation case. No court ruled on the merits of the charges against Way.
The BlockDecision Log
- slot 447031444 · hash 45hDBypvJ7BaKSZQZ2ESUjQttf8a9miw3muxbhzP97Zv
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (1 decision). 16 of 18 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 9/14/2026, 5:16:48 PM
last updated: 9/14/2026, 5:16:48 PM
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