Rapper Soulja Boy has announced he will run in the 2028 US presidential race. The 36-year-old, known for hits including Crank That, confirmed the news on social media this weekend, saying it was time for a "new chapter" as he hopes to swap the stage and recording studio for the Oval Office.
Soulja Boy 2028 announcement
Sharing a picture of himself standing in front of the United States flag, the rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, wrote: "Soulja Boy 2028," alongside a US flag emoji. He added: "A new chapter. A bigger vision. A commitment to creating opportunities for the next generation. My focus is on four things: economic opportunity, criminal justice reform, education, and the future of technology and AI."
"From music to business to technology, I've always believed in thinking bigger and challenging what's possible. Now I'm exploring what it means to bring that same vision to public service," he continued. "The future starts with a conversation #SouljaBoy2028 #America2028 #TheFuture."
Fan reactions and previous rapper campaigns
The post, which has been liked over 89,000 times, was flooded with messages from fans who said they would vote for him. Musician Big Venti commented: "You got my vote fam." Another wrote: "I got a feeling he gone be the first rapper president," while a third said: "At this point, welcome Mr. President."
One fan noted: "The first rapper to run for president," although many pointed out that Waka Flocka had attempted to run in April 2015, despite being under the constitutional required age of 35 at the time of the 2016 election. Kanye West, also known as Ye, announced on July 4, 2020, that he planned to run for president, filing his Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on July 16 before entering the election despite missing at least six states' deadlines to appear on the ballot as a third-party candidate.
West later withdrew from the campaign but suggested his political ambitions were not over. In November 2022, he confirmed he was running for president in the 2024 campaign and days later met Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, claiming he asked the then-President to be his vice-presidential candidate. Trump later said he told West: "Don't run for office, a total waste of time, can't win."
