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.
Swisher Sweet Swag
Soulja Boy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It′s Soulja Boy tell 'em, man these rappers on that lame shit
I came out the water
Standing on the carpet
Five gold chains like a black, pink dolphin (WOO)
Gold grill shawty
Blast gang, gang gang gang
Money gang montana and you know I do my damn thing
40 on my wrist, and I swagged out the asshole
Young choppa banana clips gone leave swago-tango
Nigga talking all that shit, but my diamonds like a rainbow
Bitch I swag, like a cango
Okay, I hit you in yo ankle
Bitch I ride, round my trap
It′s so fly, so if you say so
It's okay though, I'm gon′ play hoe
I′m gon' ball like [?]
All my money, yea my pesos
Bitch you get back,
You like legos
So you black
Swisher Sweet Swag Kush, smoking loud when I
Swisher Sweet Swag
Girls on now when I
Swisher Sweet Swag Soulja Boy got the cash bruh
Red iPhone like, swag swag swag swag bruh
Came out the water like back to the future
Got so much money, got it off of the computer
Macbook PRO
Bitch I′m shawty Lo
Tumblr on a hoe
Google+ my dawg
Niggas getting mad cause I sold out my show
Pretty boy gang, pretty boy mod
Shouts out Kreayshawn, that's that white girl mob
The girl suck my dick like corn on a cob
You flexin in my hood, I bet you get yo ass robbed
It′s halloween season
It's yellow diamond Beezy
I came out the water beefin
Fuck a peace treaty
I′m beefin with my own niggas
I'm beefin with my own state
I gives a fuck about yo face
I shoot yo bitch up in yo face
Soulja Boy's song "Swisher Sweet Swag" is a braggadocious anthem about the rapper's wealth and swag. The opening line claims that Soulja Boy wears five gold chains and is confident in his own abilities, stating that other rappers pale in comparison. He then sets up an image of himself emerging from the water, possibly referencing a rebirth or a newfound success. This image is juxtaposed with him standing on a carpet, which implies that he is still grounded despite his wealth.
Throughout the song, he references his expensive possessions, such as a gold grill and a $40,000 watch. He also brags about his skill at "swagging out" everything he owns. The chorus features the phrase "Swisher Sweet Swag," which could be seen as a nod to the popular cigar brand or simply a way of emphasizing the power of Soulja Boy's swagger. He ends the song with a braggadocious boast about his willingness to shoot someone in the face if necessary.
Overall, "Swisher Sweet Swag" is a straightforward song about Soulja Boy's wealth and confidence. It relies heavily on repetitive phrases and boasts rather than complex wordplay or storytelling. However, it does give insight into the rapper's mindset and self-image, as well as his desire to be seen as the preeminent figure in the rap world.
Line by Line Meaning
Five gold chains and you know I do my thing bitch
I am wearing five gold chains and I am confident and successful
It′s Soulja Boy tell 'em, man these rappers on that lame shit
I am Soulja Boy and I am better than these other rappers.
I came out the water
I have emerged successful despite humble beginnings.
Standing on the carpet
I am a celebrity and I have made it big.
Five gold chains like a black, pink dolphin (WOO)
I am unique and stand out from the rest.
Gold grill shawty
I have expensive jewelry and I am successful.
Blast gang, gang gang gang
I have a team and we are unstoppable.
Money gang montana and you know I do my damn thing
I am part of a successful group and I am successful myself.
Swagged up shawty, yea I made swag he
I created the 'swag' trend and I am the leader.
40 on my wrist, and I swagged out the asshole
I have an expensive watch and I am successful.
Young choppa banana clips gone leave swago-tango
I am dangerous and can handle any situation.
Nigga talking all that shit, but my diamonds like a rainbow
I have expensive and colorful diamonds.
Bitch I swag, like a cango
I have a lot of swag and I am confident.
Okay, I hit you in yo ankle
I can hurt you if I need to.
Bitch I ride, round my trap
I am successful and move around a lot.
It′s so fly, so if you say so
I am cool and confident and don't care what others say.
It's okay though, I'm gon′ play hoe
I am in control and I will do what I want.
I′m gon' ball like [?]
I will continue to be successful and have money.
All my money, yea my pesos
I have a lot of money.
Bitch you get back,
Stay away from me.
You like legos
You are weak and easily manipulated.
So you black
You are insignificant compared to me.
Swisher Sweet Swag Kush, smoking loud when I
I smoke expensive and high-quality marijuana.
Swisher Sweet Swag
I am successful and cool.
Girls on now when I
Girls are attracted to me because of my success.
Soulja Boy got the cash bruh
I have a lot of money.
Red iPhone like, swag swag swag swag bruh
I have an expensive phone and I am cool.
Got so much money, got it off of the computer
I made a lot of money through online ventures.
Macbook PRO
I have an expensive and high-quality laptop.
Bitch I′m shawty Lo
I am successful and you should respect me.
Tumblr on a hoe
I am active on social media and people follow me.
Google+ my dawg
I am connected and have a lot of followers on Google+.
Niggas getting mad cause I sold out my show
I am so successful that people are jealous.
Pretty boy gang, pretty boy mod
I belong to a successful and good-looking group.
Shouts out Kreayshawn, that's that white girl mob
I am acknowledging and shouting out another successful artist.
The girl suck my dick like corn on a cob
I am successful and attractive to women.
You flexin in my hood, I bet you get yo ass robbed
If you try to show off or challenge me, you will get hurt.
It′s halloween season
I am aware of the current season and trends.
It's yellow diamond Beezy
I have an expensive and unique style.
I came out the water beefin
I emerged from a tough situation and am still successful.
Fuck a peace treaty
I am not interested in making peace or settling disputes.
I′m beefin with my own niggas
I have conflicts even with those closest to me.
I'm beefin with my own state
I even have conflicts with the place I am from.
I gives a fuck about yo face
I don't care about you or your opinions.
I shoot yo bitch up in yo face
I am not afraid to hurt others if they cross me.
Contributed by Skyler E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.