American rapper Lil Pump, whose real name is Gazzy Garcia, recently took to Instagram to showcase what appears to be a tattoo inspired by the blockchain platform Solana.
In the post, Garcia revealed that he had already sold his SOL tokens and asked his massive following of over 14 million followers on Instagram for their opinions on his new ink. “Like my new tats? I sold my SOL,” Garcia captioned the post.
Known for his hit single “Gucci Gang” in 2017, which reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Garcia’s fans had mixed reactions to his new tattoo. Some expressed nostalgia for the “old pump,” while others couldn’t fathom replacing existing tattoos with new ones.
While some questioned the authenticity of the tattoo, others speculated on how it could potentially impact the price of SOL. One enthusiastic commenter even chanted, “To the moon! Gucci gain, Gucci gain, Gucci gain!”
However, not everyone was impressed with Garcia’s foray into the world of crypto. Trader Mayne criticized Garcia’s crypto ventures, comparing them to his music career and suggesting that he isn’t successful in either.
Celebrity-backed crypto projects, including those by Caitlyn Jenner, Rich the Kid, and Davido, experienced a significant decline in value on June 6, with some tokens plummeting by 66% or more. Similarly, tokens associated with Floyd Mayweather and rappers Moneybagg Yo and Trippie Redd saw a drop of around 90%.
Despite the setbacks, celebrities continued to launch new tokens. On June 11, controversial figure Andrew Tate promoted a Solana-based memecoin called Daddy Tate, which outperformed Iggy Azalea’s project despite facing accusations of insider trading.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin expressed his disapproval of the celebrity memecoin trend, emphasizing the importance of bringing value to society through financialization, such as improving healthcare and fostering art and creativity.
In a related development, a leaked list revealed the prices at which celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner were promoting meme coins.