Iggy Azalea Joins Token Launchpad for Celebrities on Solana as Creative Director

As part of her latest crypto venture, Iggy Azalea is trying to stop celebrities from profiting. Solana-based tokens at the expense of their fans.

Australian rapper, who created a meme coin last year, is joining Thrust as creative director and strategic partner, according to a press release shared with Decrypt. The platform, which seeks to eliminate so-called pump-and-dump projects, was presented on Wednesday.

Thrust is trying to reshape how celebrity-linked tokens are widely perceived, with an emphasis on participation, as opposed to speculation. In this sense, Thrust says it offers users culture coins, as opposed to run-of-the-mill meme coins.

Most celebrity-promoted tokens are short-lived, with prices depleting faster than they rise, but Thrust’s creators attribute that dynamic to insider allocations and link curve mechanics on token launchpads like Pump.fun that can be difficult for users to understand.

As part of her role at Thrust, Azalea will define how “artists, celebrities and creators enter [crypto] space in a more sustainable and responsible way,” says the press release. He is also a shareholder in the company, he said. Decrypt.

“Not only do I decide aesthetically what things look like for Thrust as a company, but I’m a big part of the concepts when we’re white-glove these celebrities on board,” he said. “I think it’s almost like being a godmother.”

Thrust says the launch of each culture coin is vetted, tied to legally binding contracts, and structured in a way to “protect both creators and fans.” These features are designed to address what Thrust describes as “systemic problems that have plagued the space.”

Azalea’s meme coin, MOTHER, survived a wave of celebrity-promoted tokens last year, including those attached to icons like Caitlyn Jenner, Jason Derulo, and Cardi B’s token. Azalea is expected to migrate to Thrust’s platform by the end of the year.

Not long ago, Azalea was leaning on an online casino that is built around her MADRE token, but she eventually realized that she “can’t get others on board in this chaotic mess,” while creating value to “pay for things, pull events,” [and] do things.”

As Thrust’s first culture coin, the company is tapping a streamer called N3on, who has about 440,000 on the streaming website Kick. His most popular video is a 30-second one of him playing the game Twister with a scantily clad partner.

Azalea said Decrypt that Thrust expects actress Megan Fox to offer a token in December, which will have its own live event, among others in the company’s pipeline.

“We came out of the gate hard,” he said. “They are signed. These things are in motion. The dates are booked, and it is happening.”

Haliey Welch, better known online as the girl behind “Hawk Tuah”, received a reaction in December which forced her to temporarily step away from social media. Tennessee native HAWK’s meme coin rose to a market capitalization of $490 million before collapsing 93% of its value within minutes.

Azalea is no stranger to crypto-fueled controversy, herself. Before MADRE debuted, a crypto promoter linked to Jenner’s meme coin collected $380,000 in pre-sale funds and issued a token that was ultimately not affiliated with the musician.

Thrust was co-founded by Jake Antifaev, an entrepreneur based in Canada, who previously worked at a cannabis startup specializing in e-commerce. In a statement, he noted that well-intentioned creators have been burned by “shady characters” when offering celebrity-linked tokens before.

“Celebrity coins got a bad reputation because they were never built on legitimacy or accountability,” he said. Anyone could throw one, and fans were left to guess what was real.”