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 βCrank Thatβ and released his first independent album Unsigned and Still Major, followed by a low-budget video filmed demonstrating the βSoulja Boyβ dance. By the end of May 2007, βCrank That (Soulja Boy)β 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. Wayβs 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 βSouljah Boyβ.
For the 50th Grammy Awards, Soulja Boy was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song with βCrank That (Soulja Boy)β. He lost to Kanye Westβs and T-Painβs βGood Lifeβ.
The teen rapper recently inked a deal with Dallas-based company, Yums Shoes, for a line of his own sneakers called the βBlock Starβ and an apparel line. βThe Soulja boy exclusive shoe will be released in the fall along with my album,β he said. βThe Soulja Boy cartoon will also be released in the fall, so thereβs three things to look out for.β 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 βSouthern hip hopβ, emphasizing catchy, mindless music that discards rapβs traditional emphasis on message. And even one article about his songs and heavily criticizing his musical style has dubbed Soulja Boy the βNickelback of hip hopβ. 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 βShootoutβ, 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 Ciscoβs Urban Legend mixtape, Ice-T criticized Soulja Boy for βkilling hip-hopβ and his song βCrank Thatβ for being βgarbageβ 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-Tβs 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 Boyβs reaction in which he neglected to offer an apology while reiterating his belief that Soula Boyβs music was βgarbageβ. 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 βoverrated,β prompting James to say that he wouldnβt return the insult, as that would be βalmost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy.β 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.
Slangin' Chickens
Soulja Boy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh woo yea yea yea
Soulja
Turn up, turn up
Soulja ah
All this money on me
All this swag on me
Soulja uh
[Hook:]
All these diamonds on my neck like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
Got this Rolex on my wrist like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
Ridin in this foreign whip like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
All this gold in my ring like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
[Verse:]
As I look around I got bricks, I got pounds (damn)
Soulja keep the ar and it hold like 80 rounds (ball)
Disrespect the squad and, in your ditch yours body found (yuh)
Flexin through the hood and you know I got them pounds (pounds)
Gwap gwap, trap shit wonβt stop (you know)
Post up on the west side, yea thatβs my block (turn up)
Rolex on my wrist so I keep the pistol cocked (cocked)
Word through the town duckin shots in the shots (ball)
Lil Dre brill brill, big money flexin
Got a Cuban link row (go crazy) hangin on my neck
I rock Versace shit, red bottoms on my kicks (foreign)
If you beef with me then Iβm shootin yo whole clique (squad)
[Hook:]
Got these diamonds on my neck like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
Got this Rolex on my wrist like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
Ridin in this foreign whip like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
All this gold in my ring like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
[Verse:]
Walkin at the mall, I was stopped by paparazzi
All this ice on my neck, you know Soulja Boy be gwapin
Was I water whip the brick, coulda copped a Maserati
Wake up in the morning racks, and Iβm goin Fendi shoppin (bands)
Sippin on this lean and this clean, straight codeine
Iβm a true religion fiend, purple drink promethazine
Outer space, pretty bands
Got these racks on kick stand
Shorty chill and relax, I got pills, I got packs
I got bricks of the lean, do you remember me?
My belt Ferrari, my lean Versace
Stay getting gwap, you a street nigga
Catch me in the streets gwapin like Iβm slangin chickens
[Hook:]
All these diamonds on my neck like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
Got this Rolex on my wrist like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
Ridin in this foreign whip like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
All this gold in my ring like a nigga slangin chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
[Outro:]
Damn
Hunned million, throwin cash like a nigga slangin chickens
In the kitchen and Iβm water whippin
And Iβm ridin in that foreign like Iβm slangin chickens
Soulja got theβ¦
Soulja watch me, Rich Gang
Like Iβmβ¦ ridin in thatβ¦ pull upβ¦ like Iβmβ¦ turn up
Woo woo woo
Uh
Yuh
King Soulja
Yuh
Getting money
Uh
Turn up
Uh
Yuh
Uh
Sod
Yea
Chickens
Uh
Soulja Soulja
Soulja Soulja
Uh
Yea yea
The lyrics to Soulja Boy's "Slangin' Chickens" opens with an intro verse that highlights Soulja Boy's wealth, swagger, and implied power. He speaks of having money and swag on him, before launching into the hook, which repeats the phrase "All these diamonds on my neck like a nigga slangin chickens," and similar lines talking about his big-money jewelry acquisitions. The first verse of the song contains numerous boasts and nods to Soulja Boy's former thug life, including mentions of bricks and pounds, his arsenal of weapons, and his prowess as a shooter. As the lyrics continue, Soulja Boy talks about how he's got paparazzi following him around because of his wealth, and also notes his penchant for expensive clothing items such as True Religion jeans and Versace belting.
Soulja Boy's lyrics often contain language that isn't easy to parse, but this song is a classic example of his approach to rapping. Soulja Boy's slang and terminology can often feel obscure, and in this song, he repeatedly uses terms such as bricks, lean, pills, and trigger terminology. By doing so, he conveys a sense of his past life in the streets, but also shows off his current wealth and his satisfaction with how much money he's made.
In summary, "Slangin Chickens" is a song that celebrates the wealth and swagger of Soulja Boy. It discusses his past life in the streets while also emphasizing his current status as a wealthy and successful music artist. The song's lyrics contain numerous references to expensive jewelry, Foreign whips, and other status symbols, all of which Soulja Boy uses to convey his superiority over his enemies and his status as a successful self-made man.
Line by Line Meaning
All these diamonds on my neck like a nigga slangin chickens
I have a lot of diamonds on my neck just like a person who sells a lot of chickens
Slangin chickens, like a nigga slangin chickens
Selling chickens, just like a person who sells a lot of chickens would do
Got this Rolex on my wrist like a nigga slangin chickens
I wear this expensive watch on my wrist just like a person who sells a lot of chickens would wear
Ridin in this foreign whip like a nigga slangin chickens
I drive this fancy foreign car just like a person who sells a lot of chickens would drive
All this gold in my ring like a nigga slangin chickens
I have a lot of gold in my ring just like a person who sells a lot of chickens would have
As I look around I got bricks, I got pounds (damn)
As I look around, I see that I have a lot of drugs, specifically bricks and pounds
Soulja keep the ar and it hold like 80 rounds (ball)
I have an AR and it can hold up to 80 rounds
Disrespect the squad and, in your ditch yours body found (yuh)
If you disrespect my squad, your dead body will be found in a ditch
Flexin through the hood and you know I got them pounds (pounds)
I'm showing off in the neighborhood and I have a lot of drugs with me
Gwap gwap, trap shit wonβt stop (you know)
I'm all about getting money and selling drugs, and nothing will stop that
Post up on the west side, yea thatβs my block (turn up)
I hang out and sell drugs on the west side, which is where I live
Rolex on my wrist so I keep the pistol cocked (cocked)
I keep my gun ready to shoot at all times, and my expensive watch reminds me to do so
Word through the town duckin shots in the shots (ball)
People in town are talking about me and I'm avoiding gunshots
Lil Dre brill brill, big money flexin
Lil Dre is my friend and we're showing off our wealth
Got a Cuban link row (go crazy) hangin on my neck
I have a chain around my neck made of cuban links
I rock Versace shit, red bottoms on my kicks (foreign)
I wear expensive Versace clothing and my shoes have red soles, which suggests that they're also expensive
If you beef with me then Iβm shootin yo whole clique (squad)
If you have a problem with me, I'll shoot your entire group of friends
Walkin at the mall, I was stopped by paparazzi
I was stopped by paparazzi when I was walking at the mall
All this ice on my neck, you know Soulja Boy be gwapin
I have a lot of expensive jewelry, which suggests that I have a lot of money
Was I water whip the brick, coulda copped a Maserati
I turned a lot of cocaine into crack, which would have made me enough money to buy a Maserati
Wake up in the morning racks, and Iβm goin Fendi shoppin (bands)
I wake up in the morning and I have a lot of money, which I use to go shopping at Fendi
Sippin on this lean and this clean, straight codeine
I'm drinking a mixture of soda and cough syrup, which contains codeine
Iβm a true religion fiend, purple drink promethazine
I'm addicted to True Religion clothing and I often drink promethazine, which is a key ingredient in lean
Outer space, pretty bands
I have a lot of money and it's out of this world
Got these racks on kick stand
I have a lot of money, which is stored on a kickstand
Shorty chill and relax, I got pills, I got packs
My girlfriend is relaxing and I have drugs to sell
I got bricks of the lean, do you remember me?
I have a lot of lean, which is a type of cough syrup that contains codeine
Contributed by Aaliyah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Devin Hodgkiss
Lyrical Genius...How does he do it? All his songs have so many topics and are extremely relevant, best video I've ever seen. Repeat x forever.
Terrell Robertson
2000
yayabad1
Here in 2022 and this bring back so many memories and this still my shit π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯°π₯°π₯°
Julio Ruiz
People hating on soulja yet they be watching and listening to his music lol soulja stay up
Terrell Robertson
8628
Flowbarbercl
El Mejor Soulja Boy C O L O M B I A !!!!!!
Carls Wood
This song will always have a special place in my heart
Soulja Boy is Floridas hardest artist out there! He aint like all them artists out here these days who just be goin HAM ON THE GRAM by usin dat IGROCKET dawwwt cawwwm jawwwn to get they followerz up to go HAM like them Island Boys dun did
RedGod
Rap doesn't have to be straight bars all the time I like this shit cause it's swaggin day one fan
Soulja Boy
Kyra Brown
lls