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.
Snap and Roll
Soulja Boy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chorus 2x:
Ahhhh yuh snap and roll yuh snap and roll yuh
Snap and roll yuh snap and roll (yeeeeeeeeah)
Watch me snap and roll yuh watch me snap and roll yuh
Watch me snap and roll yuh watch me snap and roll yuh
Verse1:
Snap and roll (yuh) im outta control (yuh) I do my thang (yuh) lets crank it mane (yuh) gettin Boogie folk (yuh) walk it on da flo I yuh and I yuh yea I yuh til I cant no mo superman dem folk Watch me crank it on da flo evrybody gatha round I'm bout da crank da merry go (yea) round and round We go az I crank it in slo mo ima snap or die snapstar you already kno
Chorus 2x:
Ahhhh yuh snap and roll yuh snap and roll yuh
Snap and roll yuh snap and roll (yeeeeeeeeah)
Watch me snap and roll yuh watch me snap and roll yuh
Watch me snap and roll yuh watch me snap and roll yuh
Verse2:
Snap and roll roll and snap soulja boy gon throw dem stacks do my dance in tha club now watch me hit Dat roosevelt getcha camera ready cuz ya boy about da jig (jig) lean wit it super fresh b fo you Count da cent all mad im here folk doin my dance on da flo yea we screamin duuah in tha club we Superman oooh fall off in da party and im bout da get loose dey hollin soulja boy tell'em gon hit Dat 1,2
Chorus 2x:
Ahhhh yuh snap and roll yuh snap and roll yuh
Snap and roll yuh snap and roll (yeeeeeeeeah)
Watch me snap and roll yuh watch me snap and roll yuh
Watch me snap and roll yuh watch me snap and roll yuh
Bridge 2x:
Snap or die folk
Snap or die folk
Snap or die folk
Snap or die folk
Snap or die folk(snap and roll)
Snap or die folk(snap and roll)
Snap or die folk(snap and roll)
Snap or die folk(snap and roll)
Chorus 2x:
Ahhhh yuh snap and roll yuh snap and roll yuh
Snap and roll yuh snap and roll (yeeeeeeeeah)
Watch me snap and roll yuh watch me snap and roll yuh
Watch me snap and roll yuh watch me snap and roll yuh
The song "Snap and Roll" by Soulja Boy is an upbeat track that is all about dancing and having a good time. The chorus repeats the words "snap and roll" several times, encouraging listeners to join in on the fun. The first verse begins with Soulja Boy stating that he is "outta control" and he does his own thing. He refers to himself as a "snapstar" and talks about bouncing on the floor and doing the "superman" dance move. He gets everyone to gather around and crank up the music, telling them "let's crank it mane." In the second verse, he continues to encourage people to dance and enjoy themselves, boasting about how he can throw stacks of cash and how he dances like a pro. He even references the popular dance move "lean wit it," which was popular at the time the song was released in 2007.
Overall, the song is all about having a good time and enjoying yourself on the dance floor. The lyrics are energetic, and the beat is catchy and upbeat. Soulja Boy encourages listeners to let loose and dance, and the repetitive chorus makes it easy for anyone to join in.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah soulja boy snap and roll snap and roll snap and roll
Soulja Boy announces his presence and desire to snap and roll multiple times in a row.
Ahhhh yuh snap and roll yuh snap and roll yuh
Soulja Boy encourages listeners to snap and roll with him repeatedly.
Snap and roll (yuh) im outta control (yuh) I do my thang (yuh) lets crank it mane (yuh) gettin Boogie folk (yuh) walk it on da flo I yuh and I yuh yea I yuh til I cant no mo superman dem folk Watch me crank it on da flo evrybody gatha round I'm bout da crank da merry go (yea) round and round We go az I crank it in slo mo ima snap or die snapstar you already kno
Soulja Boy boasts about his ability to snap and roll while dancing, getting the crowd hyped up, and doing the Superman move. He declares himself a snapstar and implies it's either snap or die.
Watch me snap and roll yuh watch me snap and roll yuh
Soulja Boy commands others to watch him snap and roll with confidence.
Snap and roll roll and snap soulja boy gon throw dem stacks do my dance in tha club now watch me hit Dat roosevelt getcha camera ready cuz ya boy about da jig (jig) lean wit it super fresh b fo you Count da cent all mad im here folk doin my dance on da flo yea we screamin duuah in tha club we Superman oooh fall off in da party and im bout da get loose dey hollin soulja boy tell'em gon hit Dat 1,2
Soulja Boy promises to throw money while he dances in the club, showing off his fresh style while people scream and do the Superman move. He prepares to get loose and commands listeners to follow along with the steps 1,2.
Snap or die folk
Soulja Boy emphasizes the importance of snapping, making it seem like a life or death situation.
Snap or die folk(snap and roll)
Soulja Boy repeats the importance of snapping while rolling, combining the two actions and making it seem crucial to do both together.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind