It cannot be denied that the growing popularity of apps like TikTok and Instagram opens new windows of opportunity. However, this deluge of opportunities is naturally accompanied by waves of fraud and deception. Hence, the need to remain cautious and on guard. Recently, a man was exposed for impersonating an Atlantic Records A&R representative, and for deceiving people through falsified claims. The con man was brought under scrutiny after he made claims about giving a record deal to TikToker Brit Barbie whose highly divisive and controversial “Period Ahh” went viral. Social media users soon found out that the man was merely impersonating an Atlantic Records talent representative. There was also proof of him requesting money from aspiring artists. Read along to know more.
The What and Why
The man uses the online name YBN Drippy and has a follower wealth of over 175,000 on Instagram. Drippy’s claims made on social media are rather grand. Although some of the claims were deleted following the allegations and scrutiny, he claimed on Instagram and LinkedIn that he managed famous musicians like Lil Nas’X, Lil Uzi Vert, Ice Spice, Cardi B, Soulja Boy, and many more. Chances are that these musicians aren’t even aware of the existence of a person called Drippy. Drippy’s LinkedIn profile says he is the “Head A&R Operations and Administration” at Atlantic Records. To make his claims more credible and believable, he also posted images of the solicited music submissions. His LinkedIn profile also features a name tag with an Atlantic Records logo, his picture, and the name Trenton Roy.
Reportedly, an actual Atlantic Records representative for Lil Uzi Vert has rubbished the claims made by Drippy stating and confirming the fact that Drippy has no associations whatsoever with Lil Uzi Vert or Atlantic Records.
Drippy’s deception started to unravel following the “Period Ahh” video by a white TikToker Britt Barbie. Her mimicking the African-American vernacular in the video and appropriating black aesthetics garnered a lot of criticism from the users. The video also attained an equal amount of popularity as famous artists like Baby Tate and Chloe Bailey duetted the video.
The speculations started following the rumors that Barbie got signed by a man claiming to be an Atlantic Records representative. What added fuel to the fire was a now-deleted video by TikToker and rapper Crystal Crave which said that the same man, who goes by the name ‘Drippy’ had met with her and dismissed her work saying that her music was “overshadowed” by her activism. This did not sit well with the users who found it rather odd that a girl mimicking and appropriating Black Aesthetics would get signed by Atlantic Records but not actual Black artists and rappers. Very soon, users began to find inconsistencies in the claims made by Drippy, and before they knew it, the cat was out of the bag. However, Drippy isn’t ready to accept defeat nor has he accepted any of the allegations against him. In fact, despite the massive criticism online, Drippy’s social media handles are still very much active with the very same claims.
