Soulja Boy Calls France’s Cost-of-Living Protests a Wake-Up Call to the Entire World

Soulja Boy is no stranger to making headlines, but this time he’s wading into global politics — and he wants the whole world paying attention.

On October 18, the “Crank That” rapper took to social media to offer his take on the massive anti-government protests rocking France, calling the unrest “a wake-up call to the entire world.”

“What’s happening in France is a wake-up call to the entire world,” Soulja Boy wrote. “The cost of living keeps rising while everyday people struggle to survive. People are tired of working hard just to barely get by. Governments need to start listening to the people before frustration turns into chaos.”

The situation in France is intense. The country is in the middle of a nationwide mobilization over rising living costs and underfunded public services. This past Saturday, October 18, demonstrations in Paris turned violent as masked vandals joined the crowds, with reports of looting and destruction. According to Reuters, more than 3,000 shops were set ablaze and 2,400 arrests were made nationwide. France’s interior ministry says roughly 1,000 police officers were injured fighting back, seven of them seriously.

The roots of the unrest run deeper than one weekend. Last month, students in Paris began protesting poor education standards — dilapidated school buildings, shortages of educators — and several other French cities joined in. On October 5, the crisis took a horrifying turn when a 14-year-old boy reportedly had his hand blown off and his face maimed after picking up a tear gas grenade used by riot police to disperse crowds, per the BBC.

Soulja Boy’s commentary arrives just as he’s been teasing a potential run for president in 2028. On October 11, he posted a photo of himself in front of the American flag announcing “SOULJA BOY 2028,” listing four focus areas: economic opportunity, criminal justice reform, education, and the future of technology and AI. After XXL covered the announcement, Soulja doubled down in the comments: “From Crank That to the White House? They said I couldn’t change the music industry. I did. They said I couldn’t become a businessman. I did. Now it’s time to think BIGGER.”

HotNewHipHop notes that Soulja is the first American rapper to put out an official statement on the France protests — fitting for a man whose tagline has always been that he was the first rapper to do, well, everything.

Whether you take his presidential ambitions seriously or not, there’s no denying Soulja Boy knows how to command a moment. Revisit the song that started it all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UFIYGkROII

What’s your take on Soulja Boy getting political — and on “President Draco” 2028? Let us know in the comments, and keep the request line ringing at +1 302-357-9831.

Source: XXL and HotNewHipHop