Key Notes
- High-profile traders, including Andrew Tate, faced major losses, while insider-linked wallets reportedly made millions with YZY meme coin.
- Blockchain analysis flagged recurring insider activity, with figures tied to previous scandals profiting from YZY’s launch.
- Celebrity-endorsed tokens launched over the past year have frequently experienced pump-and-dump schemes.
Within a week of Kanye West launching his YZY meme coin on Solana
SOL
$213.1
24h volatility:
4.1%
Market cap:
$115.11 B
Vol. 24h:
$13.85 B
blockchain, over 51,000 traders have lost a total of $74 million.
This marks another pump-and-dump involving celebrity tokens, trapping retail investors.
Kanye West’s YZY Meme Coin Traps Several Traders
The Kanye West-associated YZY token debuted on the Solana blockchain on August 21, surging 1,400% within its first hour of trading before plunging over 80% in value.
Blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps reported that out of 70,200 traders who bought the token, more than 51,800 incurred losses, including three traders who each lost over $1 million.
Similarly, more than 100 traders lost a total of over $100K during this period. Interestingly, there were 11 wallets that made more than $1 million in this process.
The updated $YZY numbers are worse than we thought
70,000+ total traders
> 51,862 lost $1–$1k
> 5,269 lost $1k–$10k
> 1,025 lost $10k–$100k
> 108 lost $100k–$1M
> 3 lost $1M+Meanwhile, 11 wallets made $1M+ pic.twitter.com/I9ZaBJepAM
— Bubblemaps (@bubblemaps) August 27, 2025
The YZY meme coin has fallen more than 80% from its peak and is currently trading at $0.5515, with just 19,531 holders, according to blockchain analytics firm Nansen.
Among the speculators was former kickboxing champion Andrew Tate, who took a 3x leveraged short position on YZY, resulting in a $700,000 loss on a Hyperliquid account linked to him.
Could the MELANIA Meme Coin Creator Be a YZY Insider?
After the YZY meme coin pump-and-dump, the blockchain analytics platform identified Hayden Davies, co-creator of the Official Melania Meme
MELANIA
$0.21
24h volatility:
0.8%
Market cap:
$150.15 M
Vol. 24h:
$6.40 M
and the Libra token, as a possible insider.
Davies regained access to his funds on August 21 after a judge lifted the freeze on $57.6 million in USDC stablecoins linked to the Libra token scandal. The YZY launch saw several insider-linked wallets profit immediately, continuing a pattern of recurring early buys in celebrity token launches.
The past week truly exposed the failures of our industry
Despite our collective efforts as investigators, builders, and communities – the same names keep running the same scams
The playbook is simple:
Infiltrate big launches, get in early, and extract millions
It’s happening…
— Bubblemaps (@bubblemaps) August 27, 2025
Despite driving short-term retail interest, most celebrity-endorsed cryptocurrencies struggle to maintain momentum and fail to reach large-cap status.
In June 2024 alone, more than 30 celebrity-backed tokens launched on Solana, with prices dropping by at least 73.23% since their debut.
Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.
Bhushan is a FinTech enthusiast and holds a good flair in understanding financial markets. His interest in economics and finance draw his attention towards the new emerging Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency markets. He is continuously in a learning process and keeps himself motivated by sharing his acquired knowledge. In free time he reads thriller fictions novels and sometimes explore his culinary skills.