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.
Hey You There
Soulja Boy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey you there
I see you ova there
I see you everywhere
Come and sit right here
Hey how are you doing?
Heard you were a groupie
Just call me next Tuesday
[Repeat: x7]
Hey you there
I see you over there
I want you to come here
Sit down
Hey I seen you yesterday
You didn't even wave
That's why I had to say hey, hey, hey GOODBYE
You think this is funny
I think your a dummy
I have alotta money
So hey hey hey hey
Hey you there
Please her and lease her
Hey s-cc-cc- daddle
Heard you like to travel
So why won't you come her and light my (what?)
Hey you there [x3](what you want)
Please her an lease her
[Repeat: x3]
Heard you like this music
Like the way I do it
Like to move it
This right here is my theme song
I bet it is your ring tone
I farted and it smelt (nasty nasty)
Like a stink bomb
[Repeat: x4]
Hey you there
Please her and lease her
Hey you there
Come here
I want you to come here
Please her and lease her
Hey I know you want to get me
I heard you want to lick me
My body is so sticky (nasty nasty)
Hey you there
I see you over there
I want you to come here
Please her and lease her
Chigga chigga
Hey there, Hey you there
Hey I see you over there
Please her an lease her
Hey no!
Hey you there
Are you Soulja Boy?
Hey you there (what? what?)
Goodbye goodbye
The lyrics to Soulja Boy's song Hey You There are playful, catchy, and addictive. The hook of the song starts with "Hey you there" being repeated seven times, and it sets the tone for the rest of the song. The chorus asks the listener to "please her and lease her," which is open to interpretation as it can mean many things. It creates a sense of urgency and desire to act. Soulja Boy's lyrics in the rest of the song seem random and nonsensical. He talks about seeing someone "ova there" and wanting them to come sit with him. He also mentions that he heard that someone was a groupie and he can call them on Tuesday. Soulja Boy mentions that the woman he is interested in likes to travel, and he wants her to come and see him. The last line of the song is, "Are you Soulja Boy?" implying that he is talking to a potential fan.
Overall, Hey You There by Soulja Boy is a lighthearted, fun song that focuses on pleasing and leasing a woman. It is upbeat and has an infectious melody that is easy to dance to. The lyrics evoke a playful mood that makes the listener want to sing along and dance. The song seems to be aimed at young people who are looking for a good time and just living in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey you there
The singer is trying to get someone's attention.
I see you ova there
The singer has noticed the other person.
I see you everywhere
The singer is aware of the other person's presence.
Come and sit right here
The singer wants the other person to sit down beside him/her.
Hey how are you doing?
The singer is asking the other person how they are.
We could go see a movie
The singer is suggesting that they watch a movie together.
Heard you were a groupie
The singer has heard rumors that the other person is a groupie.
Just call me next Tuesday
The singer is giving the other person his/her phone number.
Hey I seen you yesterday
The singer saw the other person yesterday.
You didn't even wave
The other person did not acknowledge the singer's presence.
That's why I had to say hey, hey, hey GOODBYE
The singer is saying goodbye to the other person because he/she did not receive a reaction.
You think this is funny
The singer thinks that the other person finds the situation amusing.
I think your a dummy
The singer thinks the other person is foolish.
I have alotta money
The singer is implying that he/she is successful and rich.
So hey hey hey hey
The singer is trying to get the other person's attention again.
Hey you there
The singer repeats his/her opening line.
Please her and lease her
The singer is implying that he can provide for women's needs.
Hey s-cc-cc- daddle
An exclamation indicating excitement or playfulness.
Heard you like to travel
The singer has heard that the other person enjoys traveling.
So why won't you come her and light my (what?)
The singer is suggesting that the other person should come to his/her place to engage in sexual activity.
Hey you there [x3](what you want)
The singer wants to know what the other person wants.
Heard you like this music
The singer has heard that the other person likes this type of music.
Like the way I do it
The singer wants the other person to appreciate his/her music.
Like to move it
The singer is implying that his/her music makes people want to dance.
This right here is my theme song
The singer is expressing that this particular song represents him/her well.
I bet it is your ring tone
The singer is suggesting that the other person likes the song so much that they have set it as their ringtone.
I farted and it smelt (nasty nasty)
A reference to an unpleasant odor.
Like a stink bomb
The singer is continuing to reference the unpleasant smell.
Hey no!
An exclamation indicating denial or refusal.
Hey you there
The singer repeats his/her opening line again.
Are you Soulja Boy?
The other person is mistaken for the music artist Soulja Boy.
Hey you there (what? what?)
The singer wants the other person's attention again.
Goodbye goodbye
The singer is saying goodbye to the other person.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind