President Joe Biden signed a bill today (April 24) that initiated a countdown for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest its interest in the app within 270 days. With the platform possibly searching for a new owner from the United States, Soulja Boy offered to purchase the company himself.
Taking to Twitter, the “She Make It Clap” rapper called the legislation an attack on freedom of speech and the First Amendment. “I can’t believe y’all just gon’ let them ban TikTok like that, and y’all think it’s funny. If they do it to this app, they can do it to any app or site. Not cool, [for real]. Y’all will see later.”
When another person asked him why not go to another social network, such as Instagram or Facebook, Soulja Boy responded, “You maybe don’t see it now, but TikTok is more important than any other platform right now. That’s why they’re trying to ban it. Trust me.”
After going chatting with other users on Twitter, the Chicago native asked the big question: “How much y’all want for TikTok?” He added, “I’ll buy it.” Beneath his post, the replies ranged from people questioning whether Soulja Boy could afford the purchase to fans saying he’d be the “first rapper to buy a social media platform.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, TikTok’s price tag is estimated to be upwards of $100 billion. In 2023, the app generated roughly $20 billion, but despite that, it still didn’t make a profit. Its American consumer base reportedly consists of over 170 million users.
From hits like “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” and “Pretty Boy Swag” to launching his own shoe company and game console, it’s tough to argue against Soulja Boy’s commercial success. Nonetheless, whether his accolades can afford him a platform as massive as TikTok is debatable.