78-471: DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em ), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence with his self-released 2007 debut single, " Crank That (Soulja Boy) ", which peaked the Billboard Hot 100 for seven non-consecutive weeks. After its commercial re-release by Collipark Music , an imprint of Interscope Records ,
156-455: A Grammy Award nomination, as well as three BET Award and four Teen Choice Award nominations. Way was born in Chicago , Illinois , and at age six moved to Atlanta , Georgia , where he became interested in rap music . At age 14, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi , with his father. Way's father provided a recording studio for Way to explore his musical ambitions. In early 2005, he
234-563: A Twitch streamer, Way released the mixtape King Soulja 9 , followed by several singles throughout 2020. In late November 2020, Way released the mixtape Swag 3 , and continued to release several singles such as Pandemic and CEO at the start of 2021. On February 1, 2021, Way released the mixtape Soulja World , which features frequent collaborator Lil B . In April 2021, Soulja Boy signed a record deal with Virgin Music . Speaking on his rudimentary rapping technique and vacuous lyrical style, in
312-721: A video game console called the SouljaGame . It drew criticism for being an "overpriced" emulator of Nintendo and Sega handheld games, which were actually rebranded versions of existing consoles developed by Chinese company Anbernic . On December 15, 2018, he announced the release of two more consoles: the Retro SouljaBoy Mini , which resembles a Nintendo Game Boy , and the SouljaGame Fuze , which looks similar to Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 . As of December 30, 2018, Soulja Boy has pulled
390-416: A November 2010 interview with XXL Magazine , while Way was explaining how he has grown as an emcee he stated: I can't keep playin' around, because if you keep playin' around, people are gonna think you're a joke ... At some point, you have to get serious. But don't get it twisted, Soulja doesn't wanna be the next Lupe Fiasco . I don't want to be super-Lupe-Fiasco-lyrical and niggas don't know what
468-735: A collaboration album titled Get Rich . On June 3, via Twitter, Way revealed the title, cover art and release date to his upcoming fifth studio album, Blessed , which was scheduled for release on July 28, 2015, but experienced several delays. On June 30, Way released a mixtape titled 25 The Movie . On July 17, Way released a new single titled "Actavis" featuring Migos, taken from his fourth digital album King Soulja 4 . On July 23, Way released his mixtape titled M & M: Money and Music . On July 30, through his independent label Stacks on Deck Entertainment, Way released his fourth digital album, King Soulja 4 , featuring appearances from Migos, ReeseMoneyBagz, Dae Dot and Sean Kingston. On September 1, Way released
546-446: A deal from World Poker Fund Holdings for five years. World Poker Fund is a builder and operator of online and event-based social gaming platforms and imprints. Soulja said of the deal: "I enjoy music, and of course gaming. Being an influencer is a form of currency." Way initially tweeted that the deal was for $ 400 million; however, that is the cap for the contract and not his payment from the company. In December 2018, Soulja Boy patented
624-572: A desire to make a film about himself, having told MTV News that he discussed the idea with Nick Cannon . He was later approached by Peter Spirer, who presented his own concept for a documentary about the artist. Directed by Spirer, Soulja Boy: The Movie was released direct-to-video on October 18, 2011, a date that coincided with Soulja Boy's arrest on a drug charge. The film contains live performances from his DeAndre Way Tour and interviews with his father and current and former members of Stacks on Deck Entertainment. The documentary's visual quality
702-833: A further decline in critical reception. Way was listed at number 18 on the Forbes list of Hip-Hop Cash Kings of 2010, as he earned US$ 7 million that year. His third album, The DeAndre Way (2010)—supported by the top 40 single " Pretty Boy Swag "—saw a steeper decline in commercial reception, leading him to part ways with Interscope in favor of an independent career. Way is noted for his pioneering use of grassroots social media and digital marketing strategies during his mainstream popularity. Outside of recording, he has pursued side ventures including video game development , record production for other artists, and his record label Stacks on Deck Entertainment , through which he has signed rappers including Lil B and Riff Raff . He has received
780-410: A global release followed on June 27. Soulja Boy stated in a 2007 interview that prior to his Interscope deal he did not realize the song would "catapult [him to fame]". He said: "I didn’t know because before the deal I was pushin’ another single—I got many songs, but like when I landed a deal we just had to go with this one, but I didn’t know this one was just gonna be the one [or] that was just gonna be
858-439: A low-budget video demonstrating the "Crank That" dance. On May 2, "Crank That" was released as a single; by month's end, it had received its first airplay, and Way met with Mr. Collipark to sign a recording contract with his record label Collipark Music, which later entered a joint venture with Interscope Records shortly after. On August 12, "Crank That" was used on the television series Entourage , and on September 1 it topped
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#1732772406144936-432: A new label deal with Universal Music Group and also revealed the title, cover art and release date for his fourth studio album, Loyalty , originally scheduled for release on December 2, 2014, but pushed back to February 3, 2015. In 2015, following the release of his fourth studio album, Loyalty , Way released additional singles, mixtapes and a digital album. For this upcoming digital album, King Soulja 4 , Way released
1014-444: A real breakthrough for me." Inspired by recent dance crazes that had popularized some rappers from Atlanta, Soulja Boy (DeAndre Way) and his friends invented the dance moves that gave rise to "Crank That": As summarized by The Wall Street Journal , "dancers bounce back on their heels, ripple their hands, crank their wrists like motorcyclists, then lunge into a Superman pose". The music video (directed by Dale Resteghini ) begins in
1092-489: A rescheduled concert. On October 18, 2011, Way was traveling west on I-20 in Carroll County, Georgia , with four other men when their vehicle was pulled over for a vehicle equipment violation. The police officer who made the stop searched the vehicle and found more than five ounces (140 g) of marijuana. Way was arrested and released on bond the same day. On January 22, 2014, Way was a passenger in his vehicle when
1170-490: A series of mixtapes. The first, on January 22, was titled Smooky and had cartoon cover art of Way doing a 360 on a bicycle. On March 17, Way released the mixtape 1UP which had cover art based on the Naruto anime , with Way stating: "If I was in a video game, this mixtape would advance me to the next level with an extra life. Power up with the new offering." On April 20, Way released his mixtape Juice with cover art based on
1248-425: A small phenomenon in mainly online hip-hop circles; users uploaded videos of different dance routines set to an increasing number of songs with the title phrase. An early version of the song, titled "Crank Dat Dance Remix", was uploaded June 14, 2006 to SoundClick; another iteration, titled "Crank Dat Jump Rope", debuted a month later. "Crank That"—as publicly titled upon major-label release—was self-produced by Way in
1326-492: A teenager, his uncle gifted him a demo copy of FL Studio . In 2005, he registered an account on the online music service SoundClick , and began sharing his songs on the site. Primarily by means of trickery and false advertisement, he executed various schemes to increase his brand name recognition, and soon expanded his artistic reach to MySpace and blogs. He misled users on the peer-to-peer platform LimeWire by changing his songs' metadata to whichever songs were popular at
1404-502: A woman … this is nonsense." On February 18, 2022, in a class-action lawsuit filed against the cryptocurrency company SafeMoon that alleged the company is a pump-and-dump scheme, Way was named as a defendant along with professional boxer Jake Paul , musician Nick Carter , rapper Lil Yachty , and social media personality Ben Phillips, for promoting the SafeMoon token on their social media accounts with misleading information . On
1482-489: Is "intolerable" and "nothing but Soulja shouting out the moves to the accompanying dance". AllMusic named it a "killer pop-rap single", mentioning that it "combines a steel drum hook with a fat-bottomed Mississippi beat, but it's the bizarre lyrics that matter most as questions like "Why me crank that Robocop?" sit next to nonsensical called-out dance instructions." Rap Reviews felt that the song "is so stupid it's brilliant or so retarded it's dragging all of hip-hop down into
1560-559: Is based on the artwork the Flammarion Engraving . In September 2011, Way confirmed that he is working on a new album, Promise , which would be released in October. Way also released the cover and title of his second independent album via Twitter, titled Skate Boy , with a notice that it would be available in stores on November 1. On September 19, Way released the mixtape Supreme . On October 30, Skate Boy (Deluxe Edition)
1638-591: Is the debut single by American rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em . It served as the lead single from his debut studio album, souljaboytellem.com (2007) and accompanies the Soulja Boy dance. The song is recognized by its looping steelpan riff. It caused what has been called "the biggest dance fad since the Macarena ", with an instructional YouTube video for the dance surpassing 27 million views by early 2008. "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" spent seven weeks at number one on
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#17327724061441716-676: The Billboard Hot R&;B/Hip Hop Songs. Way backed out of the Summerbeatz tour in Australia in November 2010, where he was to have performed alongside Flo Rida , Jay Sean and Travie McCoy , in order to embark on his "Who They Want" tour in support of his upcoming album. The DeAndre Way was released on November 30, 2010, and has so far sold only 70,000 copies, making it Way's lowest-selling album. In 2011, Way released
1794-785: The FL Studio digital audio workstation. In September 2007, Way produced V.I.C. 's single " Get Silly ", which was certified gold, and Bow Wow's single " Marco Polo ". Way's beats often contain the beginning lines "Soulja Boy Tell 'em", but as of late Way has produced beats without these lines. In 2009, it was reported that Way would be producing for Kanye West 's fourth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy , and Kanye would be producing for Way's third studio album, The DeAndre Way , but for unknown reasons neither of them used each other's beats. On May 13, 2011, Way said he had produced and submitted beats for 50 Cent 's fifth studio album, Street King Immortal . In 2013, Way also produced on
1872-408: The film of the same name . Way said he would also release a mini-movie of his own to go along with the mixtape, and that he was headed to greatness with the mixtape. On July 15, Way released his EP mixtape titled Bernaurd Arnault EP (Limited Edition) . Then on August 1, Way released another ep mixtape titled 21: EP . On August 31, Way released the mixtape The Last Crown , the cover of the mixtape
1950-526: The "ColliPark Residence" with Sincostan Ak Flame and J Fresh imitating the Soulja Boy dance. Mr. Collipark takes a keen interest in the children's movements, leading him to contact Soulja Boy in an attempt to sign him up to "Collipark Records". His instinct is confirmed when he notices a number of people performing the dance, en route to meeting with Soulja Boy. This video premiered on BET 's 106 & Park on August 9, 2007. It features Bow Wow , Omarion , Unk , Baby D , Jibbs , Rich Boy and others doing
2028-704: The 23rd most successful song of the 2000s on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade. It had sold 5,080,000 downloads in the US by February 2014. Outside of the United States, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Soulja Boy—real name DeAndre Way—was raised between Atlanta, Georgia and Batesville, Mississippi . As
2106-522: The AK to my homeboy head, put him on the floor [...] The other two ran in my homeboy jumped in the other room, so the other two dudes ran back so I peeped in the door and they running through my house with Ks and pistols so I ducked back. I really can't dwell on what happened after that, but it was a messed-up situation and I'm glad everyone made it out alive." On December 9, 2007, Way was sued by William Lyons (a.k.a. Souljah Boy of Mo Thugs Family ), who created
2184-537: The Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Rap Tracks charts. Chris Brown was Way's first choice to sing the hook, but respectfully turned down the offer. Way then tried to do it on his own with Auto-Tune but found it unacceptable. The song sold over 2 million digital copies in the U.S., becoming Way's second to reach two million downloads. On January 26, 2009, Way released the third single, " Turn My Swag On ". It topped
2262-563: The Internet. He did this, at least at first, without established advisers or major-label money behind him. [... In the twenty-first] century, the Internet has warped and mutated culture in ways that we don’t yet fully understand. But while most of us have scrambled to catch up to the disorienting pace of these changes, younger kids have launched themselves into the void, using the confusion to sail past gatekeepers and make names for themselves. Soulja Boy did it first. Soulja Boy himself has argued
2340-593: The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to seize various personal items from his Bell Canyon home. This includes luxury vehicles like a yellow Bentley, a red Lamborghini, a yellow Mercedes-Benz, and other valuables such as a diamond-studded neck chain with his stage name, jewelry, and any cash found, often kept in backpacks. These developments are part of a pattern of allegations against the rapper; in 2021, model Nia Riley accused him of assault during their relationship, including an incident where she
2418-552: The SouljaGame consoles off his store amid threats of a lawsuit from Nintendo. The SouljaGame website was seized by Nintendo and now leads to Nintendo's website. On January 12, 2019, Soulja Boy released another handheld on his SouljaWatch website called the SouljaGame Handheld ; this console looks similar in appearance to Sony's PlayStation Vita . On the night of March 22, 2011, Way's younger brother, Deion Jenkins,
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2496-469: The U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 2007, and was the number 21 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. The song received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song at the 50th Grammy Awards but lost to Kanye West 's song " Good Life ". On January 6, 2008, it became the first song ever to sell 3 million digital copies in the US. In 2009 it was named
2574-424: The U.S. rap charts and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. As of August 23, 2009, it has sold more than 1 million digital downloads in the U.S. Way said his third studio album, The DeAndre Way , was intended to be his most personal and successful album thus far. He said he wished to collaborate with artists such as Jay-Z , Lil Wayne , Kanye West and Eminem . The album's lead single, "POW",
2652-546: The US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot RingMasters charts. During the 50th Annual Grammy Awards , "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" was nominated for Best Rap Song , losing to Kanye West 's and T-Pain 's " Good Life ". Way's major label debut album, Souljaboytellem.com , was released in the United States on October 2, peaking at number four on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. The album
2730-567: The World with cover art based on the video game Super Mario Bros. On March 23, Way released a mixtape titled OBEY which featured the promotional single "Too Faded". On June 3, 2012, Way talked about his upcoming album Promise and said he has released so many mixtapes in the last two years because he feels he has to put out a lot of music and be as creative as possible. On June 11, Way released another collaboration mixtape with rapper Vinny Chase titled Double Cup City . On September 4, Way released
2808-631: The album titled "Ridin Round" to iTunes, but it was later dubbed a promotional single. On June 30, Way released Life After Fame as a mixtape instead of an album. On September 24, Way released his mixtape titled 23 . On November 30, Way released his mixtape The King . On December 28, 2013, rapper/singer Drake collaborated and remixed Way's intro track "We Made It" from his mixtape The King . In 2014, Way continued work on his fourth studio album while collaborating with other artists and releasing additional mixtapes. On March 18, Way released his first mixtape of
2886-468: The biggest comeback of any artist in 2018. Way angrily claimed he had had the biggest comeback, with a snippet of the video going viral that same day. Later in early 2019, Way made an appearance on the radio show The Breakfast Club , where he defended his statements. A snippet of Way responding to a question about fellow musician Drake became a viral meme following the interview. Way continued to release singles and two mix-tapes throughout 2019, releasing
2964-512: The driver ran a stop sign in the San Fernando Valley , California, and police discovered a loaded handgun in the car. Way was arrested immediately and taken to jail. His manager claimed that a neighbor had left the gun under the seat and that Way was unaware it was there. Way admitted to owning only the vehicle, not the weapon. He was convicted and sentenced to two years' probation. On February 15, 2014, Way announced on Twitter that he
3042-407: The first mix-tape, Fuego , on January 10, and the second mix-tape, Tell Ya , on March 25. Way announced on January 18, 2019, he was working on his fifth studio album titled How Can You Blame Me? , (originally titled Blessed ), with the album set to be released on July 28. The album was delayed for unknown reasons following Way's 2019 incarceration. On July 28, 2020, following his rising success as
3120-569: The first single from the album, titled "Handsome". Following that, on March 25, he released the EP, All Black . On April 24, Way released his mixtape Foreign 2 . Three days later, Way revealed the cover art to his next mixtape titled King Soulja which was released on May 5. On May 26, Way released his second EP titled Cuban Link . On June 13, Way announced another album title change, to Life After Fame , and that it would be released to stores on July 30, 2013. On June 25, Way released his first single from
3198-450: The first single to sell over three million digital copies, his debut single " Crank That (Soulja Boy) ". Way has garnered popularity through the use of social media . Since 2006, his YouTube channel has accumulated 1.9 billion views and more than 3.3 million subscribers. Way was one of the first rappers to capitalize on social media for marketing at the beginning of his career. Crank That (Soulja Boy) " Crank That (Soulja Boy) "
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3276-460: The fuck I'm talking about," he added. "I want to be the best," he continued. "I want to be recognized in that category where I'm nominated for Best Rapper with Jay-Z and Kanye and Wayne . I wanna get a Grammy . I want Best Rap Album of the Year ... I've made millions of dollars off of doing my style, but, hey, I can rap, too. On December 5, 2010, Way clarified this statement that Lupe Fiasco
3354-484: The gutter." Entertainment Weekly panned the song, saying that it belongs to "a circle of hell". "Crank That" has been widely regarded as among the earliest digital hit singles of its kind. Music journalist Tom Breihan devoted a chapter of his 2022 book The Number Ones to examining the legacy of "Crank That", with particular regards to Soulja Boy's self-driven marketing and nascent online popularity. Soulja Boy bypassed any and all gatekeepers by going straight to
3432-437: The point, remarking in an interview with Complex : "I motherfuckin’ showed you how to get famous from your bedroom on the internet! [...] They’ll talk about it in history books later." Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Souljaboytellem.com Too Many Requests If you report this error to
3510-503: The popular shoe line "Yums". On February 14, 2012, Way and fashion designer D. Young created the official clothing line "Ocean Gang". In 2012, Way released another line he created, "BLVD. Supply"; the store is located in Los Angeles, California. On January 7, 2009, Soulja Boy announced that he was to be releasing his own cartoon, Soulja Boy: The Animated Series , but only one episode was released. In August 2010, Soulja Boy announced
3588-467: The same day, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a lawsuit against Bitconnect that the Securities Act of 1933 extends to targeted solicitation using social media. In November 2024, Rapper Plies sued Way, Megan Thee Stallion, and Glorilla over his song "Me & My Goons" for sampling it while the track was still infringed on Way’s "Pretty Swag Boy." Way is known for having
3666-490: The sequel mixtape Juice II , in which Way returned to his old production style with the beginning lines "Soulja Boy Tell 'Em". It is Way's most-downloaded mixtape. His mixtape titled Young & Flexin was released on November 6. On December 25, 2012, Way released LOUD , which was his first mixtape distributed on iTunes. 2013 was marked by further album delays while Way's record deal expired, and he continued to release mixtapes. On February 22, Way released his first mixtape of
3744-573: The signature "Soulja Boy Dance". Digital Spy criticized the track, calling it "a mind-numbingly tedious pop-rap single: three minutes and 45 seconds of inane hollering over a simple steel drum melody, some nifty hi-hat and a finger-click beat". Stereogum commented that "“Crank That (Soulja Boy)” is striking in its weird energy. There’s no nuance to Soulja Boy’s rapping, but there’s a commanding heft to his voice. He multitracks himself, making himself sound like an army, and then he barks out commands". Sputnikmusic went as far to say that "Crank That"
3822-417: The single "Day One". On June 9, through his label Stacks on Deck Entertainment, he released his sixth digital album, Better Late Than Never , featuring Lil Twist and Lil Yachty. On July 23, he released the single "Rockstar". On July 31, he released the mixtape Rockstar . On August 23, he released the sequel mixtape S. Beezy 2 . On September 14, he released the single "Max Payne". On September 24, he released
3900-421: The single "Diddy Bop". On September 24, Way released a single titled "Gratata" along with an accompanying music video. On September 28, Way released the mixtape Plug Talk . On November 9, Way premiered a single titled "Make It Rain". On November 24, Way released a mixtape titled S. Beezy . In 2016, Way released his fifth and sixth digital albums and various mixtapes, singles and videos. On January 14, he released
3978-621: The single "Drop The Top"; on January 24, he premiered its video. On January 24, he released the standalone single "Stephen Curry", named for the NBA player , and on February 6, he released a video for the song. On February 10, he released another mixtape, Finesse EP . On February 14, he released the mixtape King Soulja 5 , the fifth installment in his King Soulja mixtape/album series. On March 15, through his independent label, he released his fifth digital album, Stacks On Deck , featuring Agoff, King Reefa, Lil Yachty and Rich The Kid. On May 12, he released
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#17327724061444056-408: The single "Hit Them Folks". On September 26, he released the single "I'm Up Now" featuring Chief Keef . On September 29, he released the mixtape King Soulja 6 , the sixth installment in his King Soulja mixtape/album series. On October 25, 2016, Way and Bow Wow released a joint retail mixtape, Ignorant Shit . In late 2018, Way went on Instagram Live and responded to fan comments suggesting Tyga had
4134-557: The single "Whippin My Wrist (Too Rich)" on February 27; it charted on the Billboard Trending 140 at number 48. On May 16, Way released his mixtape Swag The Mixtape featuring appearances from Migos , Peewee Longway , Troy Ave , Johnny Cinco, Chief Keef , Pack Strong, Paul Allen, Chella H, Calico Jonez and Kyle Massey . On May 26, fellow Atlanta, Georgia artist Rich The Kid announced that he and Way would be releasing
4212-525: The song and its follow-up, " Soulja Girl ", both preceded the release of his debut studio album, Souljaboytellem.com (2007). Despite unfavorable critical reception, it peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single " Yahhh! ." His second album, iSouljaBoyTellem (2008)—supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 singles " Turn My Swag On " and " Kiss Me thru the Phone " (featuring Sammie )—was met with moderate commercial reception and
4290-399: The song, along with an instructional how-to, to his MySpace on February 25, 2007. The song grew in popularity steadily, attracting the attention of music producer Mr. Collipark , who initially balked at its unexpected recognition. The song led Soulja Boy to sign with Collipark's imprint on Interscope Records , who released the final, professionally-recorded song on May 2, 2007 in the U.S.;
4368-469: The stage name Souljah Boy in 1996. On October 7, 2009, Way was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, on one count of obstruction, a misdemeanor, for running from police when he'd been ordered to stop while filming a video in an abandoned house. The rapper was released on a $ 550 bond. In May 2011, Way and his labels were sued by a local Pennsylvania promoter for failing to make promised payments in connection with
4446-436: The time, in an attempt to finesse audiences and reach out to more listeners. Within time, the rapper began to garner a significant number of streams and shares. His songs stylistically emulate the sound of Atlanta hip hop in the mid-aughts, particularly the briefly popular snap music fad that occurred in the Atlanta hip hop scene during the late 2000s. In 2006, the phrase "crank dat"—a lyrical invitation to dance—became
4524-545: The track "Wowzers" of Lil Wayne 's album I Am Not a Human Being II . On May 6, 2014, during an interview, Way announced that he was producing for Diddy 's upcoming album M.M.M. and also for Lil Wayne 's upcoming album Tha Carter V . Soulja Boy also produced the song " Yasss Bish " on Nicki Minaj 's album The Pinkprint . In April 2016, Soulja Boy received a writing credit on Beyoncé's visual album Lemonade . On March 5, 2008, Way launched his fashion line of "S.O.D Clothing". That same year Way released his own brand of
4602-442: The unregistered demo copy of FL Studio, utilizing only the software's most basic library of sounds. The song is musically repetitive and sparse, incorporating snaps, a steel drum pattern, centered around a meaningless chant: "Yoooouuuulll!" Way reportedly wrote and recorded the song in ten minutes. The original recording of the song was made at Way's home, and subsequently revised and updated for its final release. Way first posted
4680-842: The year titled King Soulja 2 . On April 20, Way released his first digital album Super Dope , featuring an appearance from rapper Busta Rhymes . On May 19, Way produced, co-wrote and was featured on Nicki Minaj 's promotional single " Yasss Bish ", which received positive reviews from music critics. On June 8, Way announced that he was currently working on his new mixtape project King Soulja 3 , which would feature appearances from Lil Wayne , Drake , Migos , Young Thug and Wiz Khalifa . On June 29, Way released King Soulja 3 as his second digital album via iTunes, featuring appearances from Gudda Gudda and Rich The Kid. On October 31, Way released his mixtape Young Millionaire , featuring appearances from Sean Kingston , Cap.1 and Rich The Kid. On November 17, Way announced via his Instagram that he had signed
4758-590: The year, titled Foreign . In March, it was rumored that Way was signing to Cash Money Records after getting a face tattoo saying "Rich Gang" the same weekend he was seen with his manager and Cash Money artists Birdman and Bow Wow . This continued after he added "Rich Gang" or "YMCMB" to his social media platforms. Way had earlier reported that he was no longer with Interscope Records after his record deal ended in February. Way also announced that his album Promise had been retitled USA DRE . On March 15, he released
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#17327724061444836-460: Was a frequent poster on the website Newgrounds , and in November that same year, Way posted on the music website SoundClick . Following positive reviews on the site, he established accounts on YouTube and Myspace . In March 2007, he released his first independent album, Unsigned and Still Major: Da Album Before Da Album . Also in March 2007, Way recorded " Crank That (Soulja Boy) ", followed by
4914-490: Was allegedly kicked in the stomach while pregnant, leading to a miscarriage. On December 30, 2008, Way was robbed and battered in his home. Initial reports indicated that the robbers were six masked men with AK-47s and pistols ; however, on December 31, 2008, videos surfaced on the Internet of two masked men claiming sole credit for the crime. Way described the incident to MTV News a month later: he had come home very late at night after attending an album release party and
4992-423: Was arrested for violating his probation, and on April 30, he was sentenced to 8 months in prison, with credit for time served. In 2019, Way was sued by ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers for abuse and kidnapping . The victim stated that Way "approached yelling profanities, kicked her, stomped on her stomach and bashed her head with a large gun". In 2023, Way was ordered to pay the ex-girlfriend $ 471,800 in damages, and she
5070-423: Was authorized to "seize and levy upon" some of his property such as cars and jewelry. On January 21, 2021, Way was sued by an unnamed former personal assistant of his who alleged that he locked her in a room, physically and verbally abused her, and repeatedly raped her. Way denied the allegations, with a spokesperson saying: "Soulja would never put his hands on a female. He wouldn't beat a woman or put his hands on
5148-601: Was changed to Dre in an early 2010 commercial with a video snippet for "Do It Big" as the first single, but this was also canceled. The album title reverted to The DeAndre Way in July 2010. On June 8, 2010, the album's official lead single was " Pretty Boy Swag ". It reached number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100, number six on the Hot R&;B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number five on the Rap Songs chart. The album's second single
5226-449: Was due to be "Digital", which was instead used on his promotional mixtape Best Rapper . Then it was announced that " Speakers Going Hammer " was going to be the second single, but " Blowing Me Kisses " was released on August 31, 2010, as the second single instead. On October 13, Way performed "Pretty Boy Swag" and a snippet of "Speakers Going Hammer". On October 19, 2010, he released "Speakers Going Hammer" on iTunes; it peaked at number 48 on
5304-406: Was going to jail in five days. He did not give a reason. He ultimately never turned himself in to authorities and the details of his charges are unknown. In October 2016, Way was sued by the musician Skrill Dilly for allegedly making death threats to him in a video filmed by the rapper. The same year, he received additional probation time after police found weapons at his home. On March 15, 2019, Way
5382-532: Was killed in a car crash. On September 30, 2022, Way's girlfriend Jackie gave birth to their first child, a son. Recent court proceedings have led to significant legal and financial consequences for rapper Soulja Boy, born DeAndre Cortez Way. Following a lawsuit filed by ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers, which alleged kidnapping and assault at his Malibu home in February 2019, a judge ordered in April that Soulja Boy pay $ 471,800, including punitive damages. The order, authorized
5460-417: Was like, why don't I just be lyrical all the time? And I was telling him on [a] specific song, like 'Pretty Boy Swag,' I ain't wanna be all lyrical. I just wanted to be straight-up, and just be simple, [so] people can get what I'm saying 'cause it's a club song. But I wasn't saying as far as my whole music [output, with] all of my songs, that I don't wanna be rappin' like Lupe Fiasco. Way further clarified there
5538-540: Was no animosity between him and Fiasco and that the two had planned to record a song together. Way founded his record label Stacks on Deck Entertainment (SODMG) in 2004 while he was signed to Interscope and Collipark Music . Since founding the label, he has signed various artists. On May 30, 2016, Way announced that all artists signed to SODMG had been dropped. In 2019, Way re-signed Lil 100 and signed Atlanta artist 24hrs . Current artists: Album releases: Way also produces records, including his own, primarily using
5616-582: Was panned by DVD Verdict as a result of poor video transfer, since much of its music detail was taken from YouTube clips. On April 22, 2011, Way announced that he would make his acting debut playing the main role of Bishop in the Juice remake and that it would air on BET . In 2013, Way announced and confirmed that he was guest-starring in the upcoming movie Officer Down . On November 12, 2021, he announced upcoming roles on ATL and an upcoming movie role with Machine Gun Kelly. In May 2016, Soulja Boy signed
5694-404: Was recording songs with friends when the robbers came in pointing their guns. On January 26, 2009, during another interview, Way said it was three robbers, not six: "I got back to my house at around 3 in the morning and I was in the studio recording. So two of my homeboys was in the living room and me and Arab we was in the studio recording. And somebody kicked in the door. One dude ran in put
5772-473: Was released as a mixtape, rather than an album. On December 30, 2011, Way released another mixtape titled Gold On Deck . In 2012, Way released additional mixtapes while his album continued to be delayed. On January 9, Way released a mixtape for the beginning of the year, titled 50/13 , with the cover based on that of ASAP Rocky 's mixtape Live. Love. ASAP . On January 24, Way released a collaboration mixtape with his artist Young L titled Mario & Domo vs.
5850-470: Was released in January 2009 but failed to garner success and was dubbed a promo single. On October 30, 2009, Way released three mixtapes: Paranormal Activity , Dat Piff and Cortez . It was announced on February 18, 2010, that the first single from the album was going to be "All Black Everything", but the single was canceled and the track was put on another promotional mixtape, Legendary . The album's title
5928-547: Was released on December 16, 2008, to negative critical reception. The first single from the album, " Bird Walk ", peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot R&;B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the top 20 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. It was performed on YouTube Live on November 22, 2008, with an introduction from MC Hammer . " Kiss Me Thru the Phone " (featuring Sammie ) followed, peaking at number three on
6006-414: Was reportedly recorded using just the demo version of FL Studio . Souljaboytellem.com received a favorable review from Allmusic but mainly negative reviews from other sources, such as Entertainment Weekly . Several reviewers credited Soulja Boy with spearheading a new trend in hip-hop, while speculating that he would be a one-hit wonder . The follow-up to Souljaboytellem.com , iSouljaBoyTellem ,
6084-526: Was too "lyrical", explaining that he wanted to keep the rudimentary music style he developed and justified why he doesn't keep a lyrically based flow and more substantially profound lyrical subject matter on every song. According to Way: [ XXL Magazine ] didn't [publish] my whole statement. And basically, the interviewer dude, he was asking me why do I make lyrical songs like 'Only God Knows,' 'Born' ... 'The World So Cold,' and why do I make non-lyrical songs like ' Crank That ' and ' Pretty Boy Swag '? And he
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