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Circle Welcomes DJ Khaled to 'Team USDC' and Crypto Twitter Is Furious
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Circle, the issuer behind the USDC stablecoin, stirred up a firestorm on social media after welcoming rapper DJ Khaled to "team USDC" in a post on X on Monday. USDC's official account first shared a photo of Khaled wearing a Chelsea jersey emblazoned with "USDC by Circle," captioned with his signature catchphrase "Another one." About four hours later, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire amplified the post with a message addressed to the rapper: "DJ Khaled welcome to team USDC." The exchange ignited an immediate and furious reaction across Crypto Twitter.
Behind the drama lies a web of overlapping partnerships rather than an announced sponsorship deal. Circle is Chelsea FC's official front-of-shirt sponsor, and DJ Khaled entered the club's orbit through a separate Roc Nation deal announced in May in which Khaled featured as a promotional element. Neither post mentioned any sponsorship agreement, ambassador role, or financial compensation for Khaled. The appearance of the rapper in USDC-branded gear therefore seems to stem from the convergence of these partnerships rather than a formal endorsement arrangement.
Despite the lack of any announced deal, Crypto Twitter erupted over Khaled's checkered history with cryptocurrency promotions. Khaled promoted the fraudulent Centra Tech ICO in September 2017, posting a photo with a Centra debit card to his then 12.4 million Instagram followers and calling it "the ultimate winner in Cryptocurrency." For failing to disclose a paid promotion, Khaled paid over $150,000 in fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The founders behind Centra were ultimately imprisoned in 2020.
Critics wasted no time blasting Circle for the association. "Please don't work with scammers like this," Joseph Schiarizzi wrote on X, questioning why a billion-dollar publicly listed company would want someone who paid six-figure SEC fines representing its brand. Pseudonymous crypto analyst Wazz Crypto sarcastically suggested Circle sponsor Kim Kardashian instead, noting she paid $1.26 million in SEC penalties in 2022 for failing to disclose a $250,000 payment for promoting EthereumMax on Instagram. Former MetaMask security researcher Taylor Monahan was even harsher, calling Khaled's promotion of the Centra ICO "so blatantly fraudulent, so criminal" that it was covered by The New York Times and prosecuted by both the SEC and the Department of Justice.
For accuracy's sake, the SEC and DOJ never charged Khaled personally with fraud; the case against the rapper specifically concerned an undisclosed paid promotion, not a criminal charge. Still, that distinction did little to cool tempers online, where critics argued the rapper's track record makes him a risky figure for a regulated financial brand to associate with. The incident underscores how deeply crypto communities remember celebrity endorsement controversies from earlier market cycles.
Looking ahead, the episode raises questions about how Circle will manage its public image as USDC competes in an increasingly crowded stablecoin market. Whether the Khaled appearance was a one-off social media moment or the beginning of a broader collaboration remains unclear. For now, Circle has not announced any formal partnership with the rapper, and Crypto Twitter appears ready to watch closely for whatever comes next.
