Published , by Brittany Vincent
Published , by Brittany Vincent
Rapper Soulja Boy unveiled his new product line under the Soulja Watch moniker, revealing a selection of products that you've likely seen before at that flea market booth that has all the bootleg garbage.
Among them is the Soulja Watch itself, a $19.99 watch that looks like something you might get someone you don't like very much for Christmas from Dollar General. It also resembles something you might have seen before. Looks like "@RaeShantael" designed the Soulja Watch mockups. I hope Soulja got his money back, and that Apple doesn't sue.
But what's really interesting (and a little sad) are the SouljaGame Handheld and the SouljaGame Console, both items he's rebranded with the "SouljaGame" moniker and manufactured by Anbernic. The website lists the SouljaGame Console for $149.99 on sale at present, but it typically retails on the same storefront for $199.99. If you'd much rather purchase it without the SouljaGame price markup, it's available on Amazon right now for $79.99, no matter what kind of nonsense Soulja Boy himself spins on his website or on Twitter. Hell, you can snag it on China's Alibaba for around $40 if you really need one of these things.
What you get from the Soulja Watch store is a collection of 800 roms, er, games, and two knockoff game pads that resemble PlayStation 2 controllers. Amusingly, there's no games listed on the store page (that would give the con away) and under the "Age" specification on the site, it says "Over 3 years old." It is a lark, indeed, how this is even being sold or promoted by a rapper who's had actual commercial success.
The SouljaGame Handheld is much the same, with cheaper versions on Amazon from the same manufacturer. There are also abhorrent Dollar Tree ear buds called SouljaPods, Walmart-looking SouljaHeadphones, and the SouljaPad is just as bad. The $166.60 tablet ships from China from manufacturer BDF, so good luck with your bootleg crap if you decide to order. In short, it appears that Soulja Boy is trying to become the next Alibaba, or...something.
Remember that all it takes to start a "tech company" is the desire to purchase cheap electronics, add your "branding" (which is nowhere to be seen on the device) and charge a premium. And you need a dream. Can't forget that.
For those curious, I reached out to Soulja Boy for clarification and any comment he'd like to offer on these items, mainly to ask if this is all a joke. Unfortunately, he did not respond on Twitter by the time this article was published. I guess you could say he did not want to Soulja Boy tell me.