Snoop Dogg Passed Gary Vee as Richest Celebrity NFT Collector

In spring 2022, Snoop Dogg was reported to have overtaken Gary Vaynerchuk, widely known as Gary Vee, at the top of a ranking of celebrity NFT collectors. A May 2022 report in Thai media described the rapper as having passed Gary Vee, who had held first place the previous month. The story spread quickly because it turned a question about celebrity taste into a question about money.

The headline needs context. The ranking was not an official record kept by any exchange, auction house or regulator. It was an estimate built from public blockchain data and recent prices, and those inputs change constantly. A collector can move up or down the list without buying or selling anything, simply because the market value of tokens they hold has shifted.

Later coverage kept the story alive. Reports from 2022 described celebrities as a group that had jumped into NFTs during the craze, with some earning large sums and others losing value as prices fell. Articles in 2025 also reported large NFT sales by Snoop Dogg, but readers should treat those as separate events that do not settle the ranking.

The practical lesson is to read the rankings as a rough signal of visible holdings at one moment, not as a verified net worth. The rest of this guide explains who was involved, how the estimates are made, and how you can check the data yourself.

Snoop Dogg is a rapper and entrepreneur who has been an active public figure in digital collectibles since 2021. He was an early celebrity name in a wave of brand partnerships with NFT platforms and virtual worlds. In 2021 he announced a partnership with The Sandbox, a decentralized virtual world where users buy land and assets, and he also appeared in marketing for other NFT launches.

The key point for rankings is his pseudonymous wallet identity. Snoop Dogg has been linked to the collector name Cozomo de' Medici, and search reports describe him revealing that identity as the owner of a large Ethereum NFT collection. Once a person publicly ties a wallet to their name, trackers can attribute those holdings to them. Without that link, the wallet is just an address.

The same reports describe a high-value purchase attributed to this collector, and a claimed collection worth several million dollars. These figures are reported, not audited. Asset values move with the market, so any dollar amount you read is a moment-in-time estimate.

Snoop Dogg has also been part of wider celebrity NFT campaigns, including a 2021 announcement with other entertainers for a crypto exchange's NFT platform. These deals show that his role was partly commercial, and that a collector ranking can reflect both personal buying and business relationships.

When you read claims about any public figure's NFT holdings, separate three things: what the person has said, what the blockchain shows, and what third-party trackers estimate.

Gary Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur, media personality and investor who became known for digital collectibles in the NFT boom. He is best known in NFT circles for VeeFriends, a collectible project he launched, and for speaking publicly about buying and holding digital art and collectibles. His public profile made him a natural name at the top of celebrity collector lists.

Being ranked first in a collector list depends on the value of what you hold, not on how many items you own. A collector with a few very valuable tokens can outrank one with thousands of cheaper pieces. This is why the rankings can look surprising to casual observers.

Gary Vee's position was described in 2022 coverage as first place before Snoop Dogg moved ahead. That order is a snapshot. If floor prices of the collections he holds fall, his estimated value falls too, and the order can change without any new purchase.

The lesson for readers is that top rankings reward large positions in volatile markets. A high position can look impressive on a list and still represent a holding that has lost a large share of its peak value. Before drawing conclusions about any collector's skill or judgment, look at purchase prices, timing and current market conditions, which trackers do not always show clearly.

Most celebrity collector rankings rely on the same three steps: identify wallets, value the tokens, and add the totals. Each step introduces uncertainty, and the result is only as reliable as the weakest assumption.

The first step is wallet attribution. Trackers need to know which addresses belong to a person. Some attributions come from public statements, some from social media posts, and some from inference. An address that is not publicly linked to a name is usually left out. A person who holds NFTs through several wallets may appear lower than their true position, while a wrong attribution can inflate a ranking.

The second step is valuation. There is no single correct price for an NFT. Trackers may use the floor price of a collection, the last sale price of a specific token, or an average over recent sales. Each method gives different results. A thin market with few sales can make a floor price look high or low on a given day.

The third step is the total. Adding tokens together ignores whether they are locked, listed, borrowed against or already sold at a discount. It also ignores debts, fees and taxes.

Because these steps depend on changing prices and public linking, rankings can shift from week to week. When a tracker publishes a new list, the change may reflect market moves, a new attribution, or a change in method. Check the methodology notes if a list provides them, and treat large month-to-month swings with caution.

You do not need special tools to verify basic facts about a wallet. Public blockchain explorers show every transaction and token holding for an address, and this data is open to anyone.

Start with the address you want to check. Confirm that the address is linked to the person by a clear, public source, such as an official statement or a verified social media post. If there is no public link, you can still see the holdings, but you cannot say whose they are.

Next, open the address in the explorer for the blockchain it uses. Ethereum addresses, for example, can be viewed on Ethereum explorers, and other networks have their own. Look at the list of tokens and collections, the transaction history, and the dates of purchases. Note which tokens were bought and which were received as gifts or transfers.

Then check current market data for each collection. Marketplace pages and data tools show floor prices, sale history and volume. Compare the price of the token you are interested in with recent sales of similar items, rather than relying on one headline figure.

Keep a simple log of what you find and the date you checked it. Prices change daily, so a figure you saved last month may be out of date. When you share a result, state the date and the source so readers can check it themselves.

Finally, never connect a wallet to an unfamiliar site or sign a request just to view data. Reading a public explorer does not require connecting anything.

Celebrity NFT projects drew heavy attention in 2021 and 2022, and the outcomes varied widely. Some collections kept a loyal following, while others lost most of their market value after the initial excitement faded.

Several of the best-known names in celebrity NFT culture are linked to Ethereum blue-chip profile picture collections. Mutant Ape Yacht Club is one example. It is a large Ethereum collection from Yuga Labs, spun off from Bored Ape Yacht Club, and it is the kind of asset that often appears in collector portfolios. Hashmasks and Redacted Remilio Babies are other Ethereum profile picture collections that have been traded by serious collectors, and each has its own community and market history.

For readers, the important question is not which celebrity owns what, but how a collection's value is supported. Ask whether there is ongoing trading volume, whether the team has delivered on its promises, and whether the price depends on hype or on sustained demand.

Some projects tied to celebrities were launched as marketing campaigns, with limited utility after the launch. Others offered real features such as access, memberships or games. Read the project's own documentation, check how it has changed over time, and be cautious of claims about future returns.

Do not treat a celebrity's endorsement as evidence of quality. Endorsements can be paid, and a famous name does not make a collection durable.

Celebrity NFT markets have also attracted lawsuits, impersonation and scams. Knowing these risks helps you protect your own assets.

In December 2022, a class action lawsuit named a long list of celebrities and artists as defendants, including several public figures who had promoted NFT projects. Lawsuits like this are often about how a project was marketed and whether it was a security, not about whether a celebrity personally committed fraud. Still, they show that endorsements can carry legal risk.

Impersonation is another problem. In July 2022, a performer posing as Snoop Dogg, using the name Doop Snogg, was hired to appear at an NFT conference as a way to highlight scams in the space. The stunt showed how easily a famous name can be copied, and why fans should verify identities through official channels.

Common defensive habits include checking that a collection or marketplace link comes from an official source, not from a reply or direct message. Be wary of giveaways that ask you to connect a wallet, approve a transaction or enter a seed phrase. A legitimate project will not ask for your seed phrase. Use a hardware wallet for significant holdings, and check existing token approvals with a wallet approval checker so you can revoke permissions you no longer need.

If you think you have been phished, move remaining assets to a new wallet you control, report the incident to the platform and to relevant authorities, and document what happened.

You do not need to match a celebrity's holdings to take part in NFTs. A simple, deliberate approach is safer and more educational.

Begin by learning how a marketplace works. OpenSea is a large general marketplace for buying, selling and minting collectibles. Compare listing fees, supported networks and how it displays a collection's price history before you buy anything.

Set a budget you can afford to lose entirely. NFT prices can fall quickly, and illiquid tokens can be hard to sell at any price. Avoid borrowing money or using funds you need for living costs.

Research the project before buying. Check the contract address against the project's official announcements, read who controls the contract, and look at how the team communicates. Look at trading volume over time rather than a single price spike.

Use a dedicated wallet for NFT activity, keep your seed phrase offline, and never share it. Confirm every transaction screen before you sign, and be alert to requests that ask for unlimited token approvals.

Keep records for tax purposes. Rules on digital assets vary by country and can change, so check your local requirements or ask a qualified adviser before you trade.

Finally, consider starting with a small purchase in a collection you understand, and treat it as a learning exercise rather than a path to large gains.

The story of Snoop Dogg and Gary Vee is a useful case study in how public rankings work. It shows that a position on a list depends on wallet attribution, pricing methods and market moves, all of which change over time.

If you want to follow this topic, set up a simple routine. Check a few reliable sources, note the date of each figure, and compare multiple data points before drawing a conclusion. When a number looks surprising, look for the underlying wallet, transaction or sale that produced it.

If you are interested in celebrity NFT culture more broadly, read the project documents and terms for any collection you consider. Look at who is behind the project, what rights holders receive, and what happens if the project stops being maintained.

If you are interested in sports or music collectibles, compare licensed platforms and their rules. NBA Top Shot and NFL All Day are examples of licensed sports platforms built around highlight collectibles, and their trading models differ from general marketplaces.

Finally, keep expectations realistic. Rankings are interesting, but they are not a guide to what you should buy. Focus on understanding the assets, managing risk and keeping your own security practices strong.