DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), better known by his stage name Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his self-released 2007 debut single, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)", which peaked atop the US Billboard Hot 100 for seven non-consecutive weeks. After a commercial re-release by Collipark Music, an imprint of Interscope Records, the song and its follow-up, "Soulja Girl", both preceded his debut studio album, Souljaboytellem.com (2007). While critical reception was generally negative, the album peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 and spawned the single "Yahhh!"
His second album, iSouljaBoyTellem (2008)—supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 singles "Turn My Swag On" and "Kiss Me thru the Phone" (featuring Sammie)—was met with moderate commercial reception and a further decline in critical reception. Way was listed at number 18 on the Forbes list of Hip-Hop Cash Kings of 2010, as he earned US$7 million that year. His third album, The DeAndre Way (2010)—supported by the top 40 single "Pretty Boy Swag"—saw a steeper decline in commercial reception, leading him to part ways with Interscope in favor of an independent career.
Way is noted for his pioneering use of grassroots social media and digital marketing strategies during his mainstream popularity. Outside of recording, he has pursued side ventures including video game development, record production for other artists, and his record label Stacks on Deck Entertainment, through which he has signed rappers including Lil B and Riff Raff. He has received a Grammy Award nomination, as well as three BET Award and four Teen Choice Award nominations.
Early life Way was born in Chicago, Illinois, and at age six moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he became interested in rap music. At age 14, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi, with his father.
Musical career 2004–2007: Early recordings and building an Internet following Way's father provided a recording studio for Way to explore his musical ambitions. In early 2005, he was a frequent poster on the website Newgrounds, and in November that same year, Way posted on the music website SoundClick. Following positive reviews on the site, he established accounts on YouTube and Myspace. In March 2007, he released his first independent album, Unsigned and Still Major: Da Album Before Da Album.
2007–2011: Souljaboytellem.com, iSouljaBoyTellem, and The DeAndre Way
Also in March 2007, Way recorded "Crank That (Soulja Boy)", followed by a low-budget video demonstrating the "Crank That" dance. On May 2, "Crank That" was released as a single; by month's end, it had received its first airplay, and Way met with Mr. Collipark to sign a recording contract with his record label Collipark Music, which later entered a joint venture with Interscope Records shortly after. On August 12, "Crank That" was used on the television series Entourage, and on September 1 it topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot RingMasters charts.Vibe Magazine. Ayo, Technology by Brent S. Grier. November 2007. Page 50. During the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" was nominated for Best Rap Song, losing to Kanye West's and T-Pain's "Good Life".
Way's major label debut album, Souljaboytellem.com, was released in the United States on October 2,Jeffries, David. [ "Souljaboytellem.com" Overview]. Allmusic: 2007 peaking at number four on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.[ All Music Chart - Souljaboytellem.com] The album was reportedly recorded using just the demo version of FL Studio. Souljaboytellem.com received a favorable review from Allmusic but mainly negative reviews from other sources, such as Entertainment Weekly. Several reviewers credited Soulja Boy with spearheading a new trend in hip-hop, while speculating that he would be a one-hit wonder.
The follow-up to Souljaboytellem.com, iSouljaBoyTellem, was released on December 16, 2008, to negative critical reception. The first single from the album, "Bird Walk", peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the top 20 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. It was performed on YouTube Live on November 22, 2008, with an introduction from MC Hammer. "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" (featuring Sammie) followed, peaking at number three on the Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Rap Tracks charts. Chris Brown was Way's first choice to sing the hook, but respectfully turned down the offer. Way then tried to do it on his own with Auto-Tune but found it unacceptable. The song sold over 2 million digital copies in the U.S., becoming Way's second to reach two million downloads.Week Ending May 17, 2009: Three Days Is Plenty For Green Day Yahoo Music Blog (written by Paul Grein): Retrieved May 20, 2009 On January 26, 2009, Way released the third single, "Turn My Swag On". It topped the U.S. rap charts and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. , it has sold more than 1 million digital downloads in the U.S.
Way said his third studio album, The DeAndre Way, was intended to be his most personal and successful album thus far. He said he wished to collaborate with artists such as Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem. The album's lead single, "POW", was released in January 2009 but failed to garner success and was dubbed a promo single. On October 30, 2009, Way released three mixtapes: Paranormal Activity, Dat Piff and Cortez. It was announced on February 18, 2010, that the first single from the album was going to be "All Black Everything", but the single was canceled and the track was put on another promotional mixtape, Legendary. The album's title was changed to Dre in an early 2010 commercial with a video snippet for "Do It Big" as the first single, but this was also canceled. The album title reverted to The DeAndre Way in July 2010. On June 8, 2010, the album's official lead single was "Pretty Boy Swag". It reached number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100, number six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number five on the Rap Songs chart.[ Artist Chart History - Soulja Boy Tell Em] Billboard.com The album's second single was due to be "Digital", which was instead used on his promotional mixtape Best Rapper. Then it was announced that "Speakers Going Hammer" was going to be the second single, but "Blowing Me Kisses" was released on August 31, 2010, as the second single instead. On October 13, Way performed "Pretty Boy Swag" and a snippet of "Speakers Going Hammer". On October 19, 2010, he released "Speakers Going Hammer" on iTunes; it peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs. Way backed out of the Summerbeatz tour in Australia in November 2010, where he was to have performed alongside Flo Rida, Jay Sean and Travie McCoy, in order to embark on his "Who They Want" tour in support of his upcoming album. The DeAndre Way was released on November 30, 2010, and has so far sold only 70,000 copies, making it Way's lowest-selling album.
2011–2018: Mixtapes, EPs, independent albums, and Loyalty In 2011, Way released a series of mixtapes. The first, on January 22, was titled Smooky and had cartoon cover art of Way doing a 360 on a bicycle. On March 17, Way released the mixtape 1UP which had cover art based on the Naruto anime, with Way stating: "If I was in a video game, this mixtape would advance me to the next level with an extra life. Power up with the new offering." On April 20, Way released his mixtape Juice with cover art based on the film of the same name. Way said he would also release a mini-movie of his own to go along with the mixtape, and that he was headed to greatness with the mixtape. On July 15, Way released his mixtape titled Bernaurd Arnault EP (Limited Edition). Then on August 1, Way released another ep mixtape titled 21: EP. On August 31, Way released the mixtape The Last Crown, the cover of the mixtape is based on the artwork the Flammarion Engraving. In September 2011, Way confirmed that he is working on a new album, Promise, which would be released in October. Way also released the cover and title of his second independent album via Twitter, titled Skate Boy, with a notice that it would be available in stores on November 1. On September 19, Way released the mixtape Supreme. On October 30, Skate Boy (Deluxe Edition) was released as a mixtape, rather than an album. On December 30, 2011, Way released another mixtape titled Gold On Deck.
In 2012, Way released additional mixtapes while his album continued to be delayed. On January 9, Way released a mixtape for the beginning of the year, titled 50/13, with the cover based on that of ASAP Rocky's mixtape Live. Love. ASAP. On January 24, Way released a collaboration mixtape with his artist Young L titled Mario & Domo vs. the World with cover art based on the video game Super Mario Bros. On March 23, Way released a mixtape titled OBEY which featured the promotional single "Too Faded". On June 3, 2012, Way talked about his upcoming album Promise and said he has released so many mixtapes in the last two years because he feels he has to put out a lot of music and be as creative as possible. On June 11, Way released another collaboration mixtape with rapper Vinny Chase titled Double Cup City. On September 4, Way released the sequel mixtape Juice II, in which Way returned to his old production style with the beginning lines "Soulja Boy Tell 'Em". It is Way's most-downloaded mixtape. His mixtape titled Young & Flexin was released on November 6. On December 25, 2012, Way released LOUD, which was his first mixtape distributed on iTunes.
2013 was marked by further album delays while Way's record deal expired, and he continued to release mixtapes. On February 22, Way released his first mixtape of the year, titled Foreign. In March, it was rumored that Way was signing to Cash Money Records after getting a face tattoo saying "Rich Gang" the same weekend he was seen with his manager and Cash Money artists Birdman and Bow Wow. This continued after he added "Rich Gang" or "YMCMB" to his social media platforms. Way had earlier reported that he was no longer with Interscope Records after his record deal ended in February. Way also announced that his album Promise had been retitled USA DRE. On March 15, he released the first single from the album, titled "Handsome". Following that, on March 25, he released the EP, All Black. On April 24, Way released his mixtape Foreign 2. Three days later, Way revealed the cover art to his next mixtape titled King Soulja which was released on May 5. On May 26, Way released his second EP titled Cuban Link. On June 13, Way announced another album title change, to Life After Fame, and that it would be released to stores on July 30, 2013. On June 25, Way released his first single from the album titled "Ridin Round" to iTunes, but it was later dubbed a promotional single. On June 30, Way released Life After Fame as a mixtape instead of an album. On September 24, Way released his mixtape titled 23. On November 30, Way released his mixtape The King. On December 28, 2013, rapper/singer Drake collaborated and remixed Way's intro track "We Made It" from his mixtape The King.