Snoop Dogg has come back into the crypto space, but this time he’s done something few would have expected. He sold nearly one million NFTs in only 30 minutes. Launched on 9 July through Telegram, the drop was backed by the TON blockchain and brought in $12 million in sales. According to Telegram founder Pavel Durov, the collection had been inspired by Snoop’s iconic style. As a result, the NFTs featured animated digital gifts ranging from cars to cannabis-themed items. Those who bought one of these NFTs could display the tokens on their Telegram profiles. Alternatively, they can trade these digital assets later when the secondary market goes live on July 31st, 2025.
A Surprising Collaboration with Telegram and TON Blockchain
What sets this NFT drop apart is that it comes with a new song from Snoop Dogg called “Gifts.” The song also came with a music video that featured all the collectibles fans could grab in the drop. The project brought together Snoop’s long-standing presence in the Web3 space with Telegram’s growing user base. Supporters praised the collaboration and called it smart, slick, and perfectly timed. More importantly, it brought attention in the crypto community, where NFT sales have been sluggish this year.
Over the past year, overall NFT trading volume has dropped significantly. Still, this move by Snoop and Telegram might mark a turning point. This is because it shows that NFTs can find life beyond traditional art and collectibles. For example, casinos on Telegram are gaining traction, where NFT ownership can unlock loyalty rewards, VIP access, and even digital chips that can be used in real games. But casinos are just one piece of the puzzle.
Telegram is becoming more than a messaging app. It now supports mini apps, crypto wallets, trading bots, and community hubs that combine entertainment, finance, and social interaction. With blockchain technology ensuring transparency and fairness, Telegram is becoming a platform where NFTs can offer real utility, personalization, and ownership in ways that traditional social networks and gaming platforms haven’t matched.
Why This Drop Feels Different from Past NFL Launches
These Telegram Gifts aren’t exactly an innovation. The first of their kind launched earlier this year with the “Plush Pepe” collection, but that drop didn’t catch much attention. What’s different now is the celebrity involvement and how the NFTs are used. Zenith, who works on NFTs at TON, pointed out that these gifts aren’t just static tokens. People can wear them directly on their Telegram profiles, turning digital ownership into something more visible and social. That small design decision could push Telegram’s NFT feature beyond a novelty into something people actually want to engage with daily.
Snoop Dogg’s Long History with NFTs and Web3
Snoop Dogg was one of the first prominent names to enter the NFT scene. He had previously partnered with The Sandbox in 2022 to launch “The Doggies,” which was a virtual NFT collection. He then rolled out the “Passport Series” in 2023. This NFT collection gave holders behind-the-scenes content from his shows. This Telegram collaboration is no surprise since Snoop Dogg has shown how well-versed he is in connecting digital assets with his music career, but nobody could have expected the launch to be as successful as it was.
The speed, scale, and success of this latest project stood out, especially since the market was struggling. According to CryptoSlam, NFT volumes dropped 61% in Q1 of 2025 compared to the year before. Transactions have also taken a hit, falling more than 55% in the past month. So, for Snoop to hit nearly a million NFTs sold in 30 minutes is no small feat.
What’s more, the way Telegram designed these digital gifts shows there’s a bigger idea at play. These aren’t profile pics or game items tucked away in a wallet. They’re visible tokens that users wear, trade, and convert into Telegram’s in-app currency. That brings a level of real-time interaction and utility to NFTs that hasn’t really been seen in most marketplaces.
Zenith mentioned that other IPs or companies could follow this path, especially if they see how Telegram users respond to these profile-integrated NFTs. While it’s too early to say whether that will actually happen, there’s little doubt that a sold-out collection attached to one of the most recognizable names in entertainment will spark more interest than a generic drop.
The crypto world may still be in a cooldown period, but moments like this are reminders that momentum can return quickly with the right mix of timing, technology, and storytelling. Snoop Dogg’s project didn’t break ground in terms of technology, but it got people talking again, and sometimes, that’s the spark the space needs.
