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}}</ref><ref>[http://media.www.udreview.com/media/storage/paper781/news/2007/10/02/Mosaic/Soulja.Boy.Tell.em.souljaboytellem.com.Reviewed-3004601.shtml ''The Review'' - Review of ''Souljaboytellem.com'']</ref>
}}</ref><ref>[http://media.www.udreview.com/media/storage/paper781/news/2007/10/02/Mosaic/Soulja.Boy.Tell.em.souljaboytellem.com.Reviewed-3004601.shtml ''The Review'' - Review of ''Souljaboytellem.com'']</ref>


Critics and hip-hop figures such as [[Snoop Dogg]], [[50 Cent]], and [[Jermaine Dupri]] cite Soulja Boy as artistically typical of contemporary rap trends such as writing for the lucrative ringtone market, and the ascendence of "[[Southern hip hop]]", emphasizing catchy, mindless music that discards rap's traditional emphasis on message.<ref name="msnbcHuge">{{cite web
Critics and hip-hop figures such as [[Snoop Dogg]], [[Method Man]],<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXws4FGG4Qg]</ref> [[50 Cent]], and [[Jermaine Dupri]] cite Soulja Boy as artistically typical of contemporary rap trends such as writing for the lucrative ringtone market, and the ascendence of "[[Southern hip hop]]", emphasizing catchy, mindless music that discards rap's traditional emphasis on message.<ref name="msnbcHuge">{{cite web
|url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21365044/
|url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21365044/
|title = Huge hits don’t spell success for new rap stars
|title = Huge hits don’t spell success for new rap stars

Revision as of 02:30, 7 September 2008

Soulja Boy

DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), better known by his stage name Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper, dancer, and record producer. In September 2007, his single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was initially self-published on the Internet, and it became a number-one hit in the United States for seven non-consecutive weeks starting in September 2007.

Biography

Early life

Born DeAndre Cortez Way in Chicago, Illinois on July 28, 1990,[2] Way moved from Chicago to Atlanta, Georgia at age seven,[3] where he became interested in rap music.[4] At age 14, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi with his father, who provided a recording studio for Way to explore his musical ambitions.[2][3]

Career

In November 2005, Way posted his songs on the video-based social community YouTube. Following positive reviews on the site, Soulja Boy then established his own web pages on YouTube and MySpace.[5][6] In March 2007, he recorded "Crank That" and released his first independent album Unsigned and Still Major, followed by a low-budget video filmed demonstrating the "Soulja Boy" dance. By the end of May 2007, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" received its first airplay and Soulja Boy met with Mr. Collipark to sign a deal with Interscope Records.

On August 12, 2007, the song appeared on the Emmy-award winning HBO series Entourage, and by September 1, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot RingMasters charts.[7] Way's major label debut album Souljaboytellem.com, which was reportedly recorded using just the demo version of FL Studio,[8][4] was released in the United States on October 2,[9] peaking at #4 on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.[10]

On December 9, 2007, Way was sued by William Lyons (aka Souljah Boy of the Mo Thugs) who claims he first created the stage name "Souljah Boy".[11]

For the 50th Grammy Awards, Soulja Boy was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song with "Crank That (Soulja Boy)". He lost to Kanye West's and T-Pain's "Good Life".

The teen rapper recently inked a deal with Dallas-based company, Yums Shoes, for a line of his own sneakers called the "Block Star" and an apparel line. "The Soulja boy exclusive shoe will be released in the fall along with my album," he said. "The Soulja Boy cartoon will also be released in the fall, so there's three things to look out for." The line will be unveiled at the fall Magic fashion trade show in Las Vegas later this year, and the rapper will appear in both television and print ads for it. [12]

Partnership with Arab

Soulja Boy has a partner in rapping, Arab (pronounced "ay-rab"), who is featured in the first verse of Soulja Boy's single, "YAHHH!", which reached number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Pop 100, number 34 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number 17 on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks. Soulja Boy has a tribute song to Arab on his debut album, souljaboytellem.com, entitled "Pass It to Arab". Not only is it a tribute, but Arab is also the song's producer and is featured on it.

Initial reception

Souljaboytellem.com received a favorable review from Allmusic[9] but a negative one from Entertainment Weekly';.[13] Several reviewers credited Soulja Boy with spearheading a new trend in hip-hop, while speculating he will likely be a one hit wonder.[14][15][16]

Critics and hip-hop figures such as Snoop Dogg, Method Man,[17] 50 Cent, and Jermaine Dupri cite Soulja Boy as artistically typical of contemporary rap trends such as writing for the lucrative ringtone market, and the ascendence of "Southern hip hop", emphasizing catchy, mindless music that discards rap's traditional emphasis on message.[18][19] And even one article about his songs and heavily criticizing his musical style has dubbed Soulja Boy the "Nickelback of hip hop."[20] Soulja Boy identifies his goal as making upbeat, party-themed music that avoids the negative, violent image that he sees in most hip-hop.[18][19] Despite this, his music has been banned from some school dances for sexual, pro-violence content or innuendo and, ironically, many of his recent recordings feature violent content and sexual innuendo.[21][22][23] In the original YouTube video for "Shootout", Way demonstrates his dance while holding a handgun in each hand and pretending to shoot into the audience.[24]

Feud with Ice-T

In June 2008, on DJ Cisco’s Urban Legend mixtape, Ice-T criticized Soulja Boy for "killing hip-hop" and his song "Crank That" for being "garbage" compared to the works of other hip-hop artists as Rakim, Das EFX, Big Daddy Kane and Ice Cube.[25] Soulja Boy responded in a YouTube video by mocking Ice-T's age (Ice-T was born in 1958) and claiming that he needed to support his family through his brand of music. Ice-T proceeded to offer a video response to Soulja Boy's reaction in which he made an apology for the harsh comment, but many felt it was a backhanded apology, because at the end of the video Ice-T's son appeared reiterating the same negative comment to Souljaboy as Ice-T had stated in the mixtape. However Ice-T did not apologize for his critique on Soulja boy's music even as to go so far as reiterating his belief that Soula Boy's music was "garbage". Rapper Kanye West defended Soulja Boy by arguing that Soulja Boy created a new, original work for hip-hop, thus keeping the authentic meaning of the music.[26] Soulja Boy followed suit by posting another video on the internet in the form of a cartoon mocking Ice-T and ridiculing a video clip of Ice-T dancing.[27]

References in popular culture

Soulja Boy recently became an item in the first round NBA playoff series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards. In a bout of trash talking before the start of the series, Wizards guard Deshawn Stevenson called Cleveland superstar LeBron James "overrated," prompting James to say that he wouldn't return the insult, as that would be "almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy."[28] Soulja Boy made an appearance at Game 3 of the series (played in Washington) in support of the Wizards; his music was played over the PA system.[29] Despite his team losing the game by more than 30 points and LeBron posting poor numbers (compared to his exceptionally high averages), LeBron claims that the trick had no effect on him, and that his young son is a big fan of Soulja Boy.

Discography

Main article: Soulja Boy discography

Albums

Awards/Nominations

  • BET Awards
    • 2008: Best New Artist (Nominated)
    • 2008: Viewer's Choice Award "Crank Dat Soulja Boy" (Nominated)
  • Grammy Awards
    • 2008: Best Rap Song "Crank Dat Soulja Boy" (Nominated)
  • Ozone Awards
    • 2007, Patiently Waiting: Mississippi (Won)
    • 2008, Best Breakthrough Artist (Nominated)
    • 2008, TJ's DJ's Tastemaker Award (Nominated)

References

  1. ^ Soulja Boy Tell 'em Myspace page
  2. ^ a b Cordor, Cyril (2007). "Soulja Boy Tell Em - Biography". Allmusic.
  3. ^ a b Let The Kids Grow by Jack Erwin. XXL Magazine. January 2008. Page 69
  4. ^ a b Soulja Boy at SoundClick Cite error: The named reference "soundclick" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ Soulja Boy @ YouTube
  6. ^ Soulja Boy @ MySpace
  7. ^ Vibe Magazine. Ayo, Technology by Brent S. Grier. November 2007. Page 50.
  8. ^ "Rap City" (September 2007). BET.
  9. ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Souljaboytellem.com" Overview. Allmusic: 2007
  10. ^ All Music Chart - Souljaboytellem.com
  11. ^ [1]
  12. ^ Soulja Boy Lands Deal For Line Of Sneakers & Clothing BallerStatus.com.
  13. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2007-10-05). "Music Review: Souljaboytellem.com". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Retrieved 2007-12-27. At least he owns a cool domain name. D {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  14. ^ Robinson, Patrick. "Soulja Boy - Souljaboytellem.com Review". 411mania.com, LLC. Retrieved 2007-12-27. ...not a chore to listen to in that sense and Soulja Boy does show some signs of youthful enthusiasm. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Griff. "Soulja Boy - Souljaboytellem.com". Okayplayer.com. Retrieved 2007-12-27. This one's definitely geared for the kiddies... does an excellent job of catering to current industry trends with ringtone themes ... and dance moves galore ... Despite all the criticism that he's received from hip-hop purists, it'd be naive to think Soulja Boy hasn't changed the face of hip-hop {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ The Review - Review of Souljaboytellem.com
  17. ^ [2]
  18. ^ a b "Huge hits don't spell success for new rap stars". msnbc.com. Associated Press. 2007-10-19. Retrieved 2007-12-11. Labels aren't developing acts and more are writing ringtones, veterans say {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ a b Nekesa Mumbi Moody (2007-10-18). "New rap stars find success fleeting". Yahoo! Music. Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-12-27. Seventeen-year-old Soulja Boy says that's what people want to hear these days. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  20. ^ The Top Ten 'Why?' Songs - Music
  21. ^ YouTube - Soulja Boy Tell Em - I Know You Hate Me - iSouljaBoy Mixtape
  22. ^ YouTube - Soulja Boy Tell Em - Go Hard - Teen Of Tha South Mixtape
  23. ^ YouTube - Shoppin Spree - Soulja Boy, Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti
  24. ^ Harrington, Richard (December 21, 2007). "Soulja Boy Cranks It Up Big-Time". Washington Post. p. WE12. ... some school dances and skating rinks have banned the song for sexual slang and innuendo, though naive teens seem to be more interested in the dance and the beat than in the lyrics.
  25. ^ Hale, Andreas (2008-06-17). "Ice-T Tells Soulja Boy To Eat A Dick". Hip Hop DX.
  26. ^ Upmalis, Jordan (2008-06-23). "Ice-T vs. Soulja Boy Tell'em Video Blog Beef Heats Up; Kanye Weighs In". MTV News.
  27. ^ "Ice-T Vs. Soulja Boy Cartoon".
  28. ^ Cleveland.com - Cleveland Cavaliers Insider: LeBron James laughs off DeShawn Stevenson's comments (March 17, 2008)
  29. ^ ESPN.com - Wizards outplay turnover-prone Cavs, get crucial Game 3 win (April 24, 2008)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soulja Boy.
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