Soulja Boy

Soulja Boy (born DeAndre Ramone Way, 28.7.1990)

Soulja Boy is an American rapper and record producer. He is also known by the name Souja Boy Tell 'Em

Soulja Boy: Childhood

DeAndre Ramone Way was born in Chicago, Illinois, but moved to Atlanta, Georgia when he was seven. It was here that he became interested in rap music. When he was 14, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi with his dad. His father provided him with a recording studio in order that he could explore his musical talents.

Soulja Boy: Music Career

Soulja Boy first publicised his recordings on the SoundClick website in 2005. He then created pages on MySpace and You Tube to further promote his material.

In March 2007, Souja Boy recorded the track 'Crank That' as well as the other tracks that made up his debut, independently released album, Unsigned and Still Major. He made a low-budget video demonstrating the trademark Soulja Boy dance. In May 2007, 'Crank That (Soulja Boy)' had its first bit of airplay and later that month, he signed a deal with Interscope Records. In September 2007, the single reached the top of the Billboard chart.

Soulja Boy's debut major label album was entitled Souljaboytellem.com and was released in October 2007.

In December 2007, William Lyons, of the band Mo Thugs, sued Soulja Boy, claiming that he had used the stage name Souljah Boy long before Way created his stage persona. Additionally, the rapper Ice-T has claimed that Soulja Boy is killing hip-hop and described 'Crank That' as garbage. However, Kanye West has publicly defended Soulja Boy, arguing that he is creating a new breed of hip-hop, which is what hip-hop artists are supposed to do, to stay true to its original meaning and ethos.

Soulja Boy's music was played over the PA at Game three of the NBA playoff series, in support of his favourite team, the Washington Wizards. The Washington Wizards won the game by more than 30 points. It was suggested that the Cleveland Cavaliers player LeBron James had been put off by the appearance of Soulja Boy's music, as he had previously insulted Soulja Boy in reference to a Washington Wizard player. However, James insists that it had no detrimental effect on his game.

It has been announced that Soulja Boy's second major label album will be released in December 2008 and will be entitled iSouljaBoyTellem.