Early life
Born DeAndre Ramone Way in Chicago, Illinois on July 28, 1990, Way moved from Chicago to Atlanta, Georgia at age seven, where he became interested in rap music. At age 14, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi with his father, who provided a recording studio for Way to explore his musical ambitions.
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. 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. Way’s major label debut album Souljaboytellem.com, which was reportedly recorded using just the demo version of FL Studio, was released in the United States on October 2, peaking at #4 on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
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”.
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.
Soulja Boy says he will not use better lyrics and get more respect from the rap game, although he could, because it will ruin his reputation and image.
Initial reception
The album Souljaboytellem.com was met with mostly negative reviews, despite a positive one from Allmusic. Several reviewers credited Soulja Boy with spearheading a new trend in hip-hop, while speculating he will likely be a one hit wonder.
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. And even one article about his songs and heavily criticizing his musical style has dubbed Soulja Boy the “Nickelback of hip hop”. Soulja Boy identifies his goal as making upbeat, party-themed music that avoids the negative, violent image that he sees in most hip-hop. 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. 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.
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. 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 neglected to offer an apology while 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. Soulja Boy followed suit by buying Ice-T a flaming set of gigantic popcorn machines.
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.” 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. 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.
Catch Me If you Can
Soulja Boy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My partners called me and said “Soulja, you a king bro”
Ridin through the city in turbo
Copped a Maserati, dinner Diablo
Ridin through the city, like catch me
(Hook)
Can, catch me if you can
Catch me if you can, catch me if you can
Catch me if you can, I’m gone
(Verse)
Catch me if you can, hop inside my van
And I got that sack, and I spend them bands
Louie on my leans, Gucci on my belt
I be ridin foreign whips, I can’t help myself
On the Forbes list, swag just like this
My gang rich, all my niggas is rich
Flexin through the scenes, man I got that bitch
She bad as a bitch and she all on my dick
All white party, sippin on Baccardi
Yellow diamond Shawty and a real Aston Martin (geek’n)
Pull up Andriato, Soulja Boy got gwap (she bad)
A hunned thousand dollars (she bad)
And Wes Fargo what
(Hook 2)
Catch me if you can, catch me if you can
Catch me if you can, I’m gone, I’m gone
Catch me if you can, catch me if you can
Catch me if you can, I’m gone
(Verse)
Soulja
Turnt up to the max
Walk around with them racks
SOD hit licks bitch
Where the fuck yall at?
I’m all in the club
VIP with yo main bitch
Said she want some dough shit
She turn me up, I’m stupid rich
Soulja B, Soulja Boy
King Soulja, ride Rovers
Trap hard, break bricks
Smoke pounds, king P’s
AK’s, Uzzi’s
Jet lag, block 40
Ridin round in that Bentley, 250 on my pinky
(Outro)
Soulja
Soulja
250 on my pinky
Soulja
Boy
Squad
Rich Gang
The lyrics to Soulja Boy's song "Catch Me If You Can" reflect the rapper's fame and fortune. In the beginning of the song, Soulja Boy's friends call him a "king," emphasizing his dominance and success in the music industry. He then proceeds to boast about his luxurious lifestyle, riding through the city in his Maserati and Lamborghini, and spending "bands" on designer clothing and jewelry. Soulja Boy also mentions his place on the Forbes list, further solidifying his financial success, and raps about his "bad" female companions. Overall, the song is a flex of Soulja Boy's wealth and status, daring anyone to try and catch up with him.
Line by Line Meaning
My partners called me and said “Soulja, you a king bro”
My friends called me and told me that I am a successful and powerful figure, bro
Ridin through the city in turbo
Driving through the city in a car with a turbocharger
Copped a Maserati, dinner Diablo
Bought a Maserati car model with the name Diablo as the dinner location or to show off one's wealth
Ridin through the city, like catch me
Driving through the city in a way that suggests that no one can keep up with my speed or lifestyle
Can, catch me if you can
You can try to catch me, but it's unlikely you'll be able to
Catch me if you can, I’m gone
If you're trying to keep up with my high status or lifestyle, good luck, because I'm already gone ahead
Catch me if you can, hop inside my van
Try to keep up with me by following me and getting in my car
And I got that sack, and I spend them bands
I have a lot of money and I spend it frequently
Louie on my leans, Gucci on my belt
Wearing a Louis Vuitton shirt and a Gucci belt
I be ridin foreign whips, I can’t help myself
I enjoy driving luxurious foreign cars and can't resist doing so
On the Forbes list, swag just like this
I am wealthy enough to be included in the Forbes list, and I have a stylish demeanor like this
My gang rich, all my niggas is rich
My group of friends is full of wealthy people
Flexin through the scenes, man I got that bitch
I am showing off and displaying my possessions and I have a female companion with me
She bad as a bitch and she all on my dick
She's very attractive, and she's very attracted to me
All white party, sippin on Baccardi
At a party where everyone is dressed in white, and I'm drinking Bacardi
Yellow diamond Shawty and a real Aston Martin (geek’n)
I am wearing a yellow diamond necklace and driving a real Aston Martin car, and bragging about it
Pull up Andriato, Soulja Boy got gwap (she bad)
Arriving at Andriato, I have a lot of money, and I'm with an attractive woman
A hunned thousand dollars (she bad)
I have a hundred thousand dollars and an attractive companion with me
And Wes Fargo what
And also to show off that I have an account with Wells Fargo bank
Soulja Turnt up to the max
I'm extremely energized and excited
Walk around with them racks
I'm carrying a lot of cash
SOD hit licks bitch
My music group, Stacks On Deck, makes a lot of money
Where the fuck yall at?
I'm questioning where the competition or critics are
I’m all in the club
I'm a regular at the club
VIP with yo main bitch
I have a very attractive companion who is your main partner in the VIP section of the club
Said she want some dough shit
She says she wants some money
She turn me up, I’m stupid rich
She's turning me on and I'm incredibly wealthy
Soulja B, Soulja Boy
Other names for myself, Soulja Boy
King Soulja, ride Rovers
I am the king of my world, and I ride Range Rovers
Trap hard, break bricks
I'm heavily involved in illegal activities involving drug production and distribution
Smoke pounds, king P’s
I smoke a lot of marijuana and king palm leaves
AK’s, Uzzi’s
I own AK-47s and Uzi submachine guns
Jet lag, block 40
I am flying frequently, and I have a handgun disguised as a block
Ridin round in that Bentley, 250 on my pinky
I am driving around in a Bentley car, and I have a ring on my pinky worth 250 thousand dollars
Contributed by Jasmine T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CLUE!
I put this on my momma I forgot all about this song I use to play this everyday in middle school
Kristian Mopsticc
I remember this in high school catch me if you can I’m gone
Andre W
Nobody knows this part of soulja bro
Dezeurn Sixsixnine
My partner called me and said Soulja you a king bro 🔥
Drosebro TAB
Lmao
twan g
Dat beat crazy
Dada SosaSodmg
Damnn #flexin
Tony Snow
Top Shit my Boa #SODMG #Balkan shit be yugo flexin on that xxx fukk yall
Adjoa Baidoo
This shit is terrible.
drapermike
Adjoa Baidoo this song hard af you just boring