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.
I'm So Dope Boy
Soulja Boy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(24xs) im so dope boy
1st verse
Wen i step up out da car im so dope boy on the 23s spread thats 4 show boy im gettin money im gettin paid step up on da scene wit the fresh caudiaide gettin money and tha wat u thought i walk through the school and made all the girlz hoez souljaboy goin make it big yeah i done told ya told ya come see me mane FRESH im so dope boy
(14) im so dope boy
2nd verse
U can catch me at a party u know dat its me wit some fresh white shades and a fresh white T wit some conarite coated dimonds fallin off of my chain lookin so dope boy while dey screamin my name im da 1 who ya gurl man love 2 hate cause im so fresh how i dress with the Bathin Apes im so dope boy and u already know i c alot of folk hatin start hatin some mo
Chrous
(14xs) im so dope boy
3rd verse
Souljaboy u fresh mane u clean u on da block again heard about dem hataz they say dey reel but dey aint stoppin it nope im so dope boy im so dope boy im so dope boy souljaboy u fresh mane u clean u on da block again heard about dem hataz they say dey reel but dey aint stoppin it nope im so dope boy im so dope boy im so dope boy yeah
Chrous
(25 xs)
In Soulja Boy's song "I'm So Dope Boy," the artist plays up to the idea of being fresh and fashionable. From the opening lines of the first verse, Soulja Boy exclaims that he is "so dope boy," embodying the idea of being cool and confident. He references his car with its 23-inch rims making it clear he has wealth and success. Soulja Boy continues to describe his high status, explaining how he walks through the school and makes all the girls "hoes." By using this language, Soulja Boy seems to be boasting rather than demeaning women. He is assuring his listeners that he is the ultimate cool guy who has no worries about his image, which is why he makes all the girls swoon as he enters his environment.
In the second verse, Soulja Boy seems to be describing a college party or just a cool gathering, where he stands out with his fresh white shades and t-shirt. The jewelry he wears shows he has money, and he looks like a trendy fashion trendsetter. Soulja Boy seems to be addressing individuals who hate on him in this verse, stating that people love to hate on someone who is fresh. He is confident in his image and lifestyle, and he's letting his haters know that their opinion doesn't define him.
Overall, "I'm So Dope Boy" is a song where Soulja Boy is boasting about his fashion and wealth, letting his listeners know he's one of the coolest guys around.
Line by Line Meaning
Wen i step up out da car im so dope boy on the 23s spread thats 4 show boy
I look really cool and fresh when I step out of my car, especially with my 23-inch tires, and it's undeniable.
im gettin money im gettin paid step up on da scene wit the fresh caudiaide
I'm earning a lot of money and people notice me when I show up in my new, high-end car.
gettin money and tha wat u thought i walk through the school and made all the girlz hoez
I'm making a lot of money, like I said I would, and I'm so attractive that even the girls at school were suddenly interested in me.
souljaboy goin make it big yeah i done told ya told ya come see me mane FRESH im so dope boy
I've always known that I was going to be famous, and now that I am, you should come see me because I look amazing.
U can catch me at a party u know dat its me wit some fresh white shades and a fresh white T
If you see me at a party, you'll know it's me because of my stylish white sunglasses and shirt.
wit some conarite coated dimonds fallin off of my chain lookin so dope boy
My diamond chain is impressive and expensive, and it makes me look really cool.
while dey screamin my name im da 1 who ya gurl man love 2 hate cause im so fresh how i dress with the Bathin Apes
People shout my name when they see me because I'm that famous, but some women's boyfriends hate me because they think I'm more fashionable than they are with my trendy Bathing Ape clothing.
Souljaboy u fresh mane u clean u on da block again heard about dem hataz they say dey reel but dey aint stoppin it nope
People recognize that I'm really stylish and talented, and although some people don't like me, they can't stop me from succeeding.
im so dope boy im so dope boy im so dope boy souljaboy u fresh mane u clean u on da block again heard about dem hataz they say dey reel but dey aint stoppin it nope im so dope boy im so dope boy im so dope boy yeah
I'm the coolest, freshest, and most talented person around, with people recognizing my success in my neighborhood and beyond.
Contributed by Daniel D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.