Soulja Boy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Soulja Boy
Way in an interview with Bandai Namco Entertainment at E3 2018
Background information
Birth name	DeAndre Cortez Way
Also known as	Soulja Boy Tell 'Em Big Draco
Born	(1990-07-28) July 28, 1990 (age 34) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop pop rap snap trap
Occupation(s)	Rapper songwriter record producer actor
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Stacks on Deck Collipark Interscope
Children	1

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, 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 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 a Grammy Award nomination, as well as three BET Award and four Teen Choice Award nominations.

Early life

Way was born in Chicago and moved to Atlanta at the age of six, where he became interested in rap music. At age 14, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi, with his father.

Musical career

2004–2007: Early recordings and building an Internet following

Way's father provided a recording studio for Way to explore his musical ambitions. In November 2005, Way posted his songs on the 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 & Still Major: Da Album Before da Album.

2007–2011: Souljaboytellem.com, iSouljaBoyTellem, and The DeAndre Way

Soulja Boy performing "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" in February 2008.

Also in March 2007, Way recorded "Crank That (Soulja Boy)", followed by 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 deal with Interscope Records. On August 12, "Crank That" was used on the television series Entourage, and on September 1 it topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot RingMasters charts. During the 50th Grammy Awards, Way was nominated for Best Rap Song with "Crank That (Soulja Boy)", but lost to Kanye West 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 was reportedly recorded using just the demo version of FL Studio. Souljaboytellem.com received a favorable review from Allmusic, but received 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 he would likely be a one-hit wonder.

The follow-up to Souljaboytellem.com, iSouljaBoyTellem, 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 the Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Rap Tracks charts. Chris Brown was originally Way's first choice to sing the hook, but had respectfully turned down the offer. Way then tried to do it on his own with Auto-Tune but he found it unacceptable. It sold over 2 million digital copies in the United States, becoming his second song to reach the two million mark in downloads. On January 26, 2009, Way released the third single "Turn My Swag On". It topped the US Rap Charts and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. As of August 23,  2009 (2009 -08-23)^[update] it has sold more than 1 million digital downloads in the United States.

Soulja Boy at YouTube Live in November 2008.

Way said his third studio album, The DeAndre Way, was intended to be his most personal and successful album thus far. When speaking on possible collaborations, he said he wished to work with artists such as Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem. The lead single from the album, "POW", 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 cancelled and the track was put on another promotional mixtape, Legendary. The album's title was changed to Dre in an early 2010 commercial with a video snippet for "Do It Big" as the first single but this was cancelled as well. The album title was reverted to The DeAndre Way in July 2010.

On June 8, 2010, the official lead single from the album was "Pretty Boy Swag". The single 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 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 his third single "Speakers Going Hammer". On October 19, 2010, Way released "Speakers Going Hammer" on iTunes with the single peaking at number 48 on 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.

2011–2018: Mixtapes, EPs, independent albums, and Loyalty

In 2011, Way released 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 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 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) 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. 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 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 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 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 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 the year titled King Soulja 2. On April 20, Way released his first digital album Super ****, 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 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 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 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 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 in addition to numerous mixtapes, singles and videos. On January 14, Way released a single titled "Drop The Top" and on January 24 he premiered its music video. On January 24, Way released a standalone single titled "Stephen Curry" after the NBA basketball player, and on February 6, Way also had a music video for the song. On February 10, Way released another mixtape titled Finesse EP. On February 14, Way released a mixtape titled King Soulja 5, the fifth installment to his King Soulja mixtape/album series. On March 15, through his independent label, Way released his fifth digital album, Stacks On Deck, featuring appearances from Agoff, King Reefa, Lil Yachty and Rich The Kid. On May 12, Way released a single titled "Day One". On June 9, through his label Stacks on Deck Entertainment, Way released his sixth digital album, Better Late Than Never, featuring appearances from Lil Twist and Lil Yachty. On July 23, Way released a single titled "Rockstar". On July 31, Way released the mixtape Rockstar, self-titled after his newly released single. On August 23, Way released the sequel mixtape S. Beezy 2. On September 14, Way released a single titled "Max Payne". On September 24, Way released a single titled "Hit Them Folks". On September 26, Way released a single titled "I'm Up Now" featuring Chief Keef. On September 29, Way released the mixtape King Soulja 6, the sixth installment to his King Soulja mixtape/album series. On October 25, 2016, Way and Bow Wow released a joint retail mixtape titled Ignorant ****.

2018–present: Breakfast Club interview and How Can You Blame Me?

Soulja Boy performing at a concert in January 2019.

In late 2018, Way went on Instagram Live and responded to fan comments suggesting Tyga had 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 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 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.

Other ventures

Stacks on Deck Entertainment

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:

Former artists

Album releases:

Record production

Way also produces records, including his own, primarily using 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 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.

Fashion designing

On March 5, 2008, Way launched his fashion line of "S.O.D Clothing". That same year Way released his own brand of 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.

Acting career

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 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. 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 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.

World Poker Fund Holdings

In May 2016, Soulja Boy signed 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.

SouljaGame video game console

In December 2018, Soulja Boy patented 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 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.

Personal life

On September 30, 2022, Way's girlfriend Jackie gave birth to their first child, a son.

Legacy

Way is known for having the first single to sell over three million digital copies, due to the success of his commercially successful debut single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)".

Way has garnered popularity through the use of social media. Since 2006, Way's official YouTube channel has accumulated well over a billion views and more than three million subscribers. Way was one of the first rappers to capitalize on use of social media for digital marketing in the beginning of his career.

Discography

Studio albums

• Souljaboytellem.com (2007)
• iSouljaBoyTellem (2008)
• The DeAndre Way (2010)
• King Soulja 3 (2014)
• Loyalty (2015)
• Best to Ever Do It (2018)
• Young Draco (2018)
• Big Draco (2021)
• Big Draco 2 (2021)
• Big Draco 3 (2022)

Tours

• America's Most Wanted Tour (2009)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

• BET Awards
  • 2007: Best New Artist (Nominated)
  • 2008: Viewer's Choice Award: "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" (Nominated)
  • 2009: Viewer's Choice Award: "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" (Nominated)
• BET Hip-Hop Awards
  • 2007: Best Hip-Hop Dance (Won)
• BET Social Awards
  • 2019: Social Verified Award (Won)
• Grammy Awards
  • 2008: Best Rap Song: "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" (Nominated)
• Ozone Awards
  • 2007: Patiently Waiting: Mississippi (Won)
  • 2008: Best Breakthrough Artist (Nominated)
  • 2008: TJ's DJ's Tastemaker Award (Nominated)
• Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
  • 2007: Favorite Male Singer (Nominated)
• Teen Choice Awards
  • 2009: Choice Music: Rap Artist (Nominated)
  • 2009: Choice Music: R&B Track for "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" (Nominated)
  • 2009: Choice Music: Hook Up for "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" (Nominated)
  • 2009: Choice Music: Artist (Nominated)

See also

• List of artists who reached number one in the United States