- DJ Steve Aoki has sold about $30,000 worth of SHIB and ETH, according to Arkham Intelligence.
- They still have 7 Boring Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFTs which are now worth $13,800 each.
- This price drop marks the end of the old NFT collection.
According to Arkham Intelligence, Grammy-nominated artist and DJ, Steve Aoki is quietly exiting the crypto market. The data shows that the producer and DJ sold $30,000 worth of Shiba Inu ($SHIB) and Ethereum ($ETH), and quickly transferred the money to Gemini, an official exchange.
Steve Aoki is off the market.
Steve Aoki, DJ and former NFT Influencer, just sold $30K of SHIB and ETH, moving the money to Gemini.
They still have 7 Boring Ape NFTs that paid $800K in 2021. Now they only need $13.8K each. pic.twitter.com/w4boNLm60o
– Arkham (@arkham) April 13, 2026
His remaining assets on the chain are not very important and include small unknown signs, which are often left in the bag after the hype of the bull run.
This is not an ordinary product because Steve Aoki was the person who inspired it NFTit’s back in time. He was part of the 2021 boom with “to the moon” tweets, NFT events and big name collaborations that made digital art a celebrity.
Now, as the market slows down, with this issue, it is clear that he is selling everything that is left and is parting ways with crypto. But the real story and the real loss is in what they still have and that is the seven Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs.
From Hype to Big Loss
Aoki acquired the NFTs available on the stock market in 2021, down $800,000 in total. Each took the dollar higher amid the chaos, while BAYC prices on the floor rose above $400,000 ETH equivalent.
Celebrities like Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Justin Bieber they piled up, which led to a culture where having a monkey with a good look meant access to special events, lower sales, and “blue-chip” sales.
Fast forward to today, the same Apes are now selling for a disappointing $13,800 per piece on marketplaces like OpenSea. That’s a loss of 98% of his collection, about $1 million was broken.
Aoki isn’t the only one, under BAYC it’s down significantly, showing the NFT market down 90%+ since the bull run. Trading volumes, once in the billions, are now rising into the low millions every month.
Aoki’s tour with BAYC was the highlight of the NFT summer. He dropped Ape-themed songs, created his own collection, and even launched “Steve Aoki Universe“NFT is tied to his music empire.” In a 2021 interview, he complained about the technology revolution, mixing EDM beats with blockchain bragging rights.
Why Old NFT Stories Are Struggling to Regain Momentum
According to waleswooshCT personality, Steve Aoki’s situation is just another example of why old NFT metas struggle to heal.
The reason the old meta doesn’t come back is that the trick is gone.
The most common statement you hear from stockists is “next time it’s going to sell well, I’ll sell it”.
But that’s why it won’t sell much anymore.
It requires a “superior” trick.
Bored Apes is reaching…
– wale.moca 🐳 (@waleswoosh) April 13, 2026
He says that once the illusion of infinity is broken, it is impossible to restore. In a situation like Steve Aoki, where the mind has already been broken, the psychology completely changes, from joy to water.
The most common opinion among those who have it is: “if it gets close to the previous position, I will sell.” And ironically, that’s what keeps prices from rising again.
Also, waleswoosh explains that big rushes, like Bored Ape Yacht Club’s over-the-top reading, were possible because people believed prices were going up too much. Likewise, meme revenue reaching billions of dollars depends on the shared belief that the market is still in its infancy.
But in a situation like Steve Aoki’s, that trust is already broken, employees are now more defensive than optimistic and any setbacks can be met with pressure to sell.
In his opinion, the discovery of value is “done”, speculation disappears. What’s left is a market full of people waiting to get out, not chasing higher prices.
He said this also applies to collections such as Azuki and Doodles, where a return to regular highs would lead to higher sales rather than a flurry.
A Final Thought
Steve Aoki’s exit shows how sentiment has changed since the NFT boom. As waleswoosh says, when faith is broken, markets lose oil. Without new stories or strong interests, even classic collections like Bored Ape Yacht Club struggle to recapture the past.
