YOUUUUU Soulja Boy Tell’em
Soulja Boy off in this p(oooh)st
Growing up in the 2000s, there’s no way you haven’t listened to “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” or “Kiss Me Thru The Phone.” Heck, I bet most of you guys even know the dance associated with “Crank That” (the old one not that other one I saw floating around TikTok in December 2019).
Soulja Boy undoubtedly was an integral part of our childhoods but I haven’t heard of him in so long. It’s as if he fell off the face of the earth! So in this article, we’ll delve deeper into what happened to him.
Who Is Soulja Boy?
Before we dive in head first, let’s talk about who he is (for all of you guys who may not know). DeAndre Cortez Way (aka Soulja Boy) is a Grammy-nominated rapper, dancer, and producer. He rose to fame when his single “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” hit number one on the Billboard Top 100 in September 2007. He recorded this song and his first album in March 2007 independently. He also created a low budget video demonstrating the “Soulja Boy” dance. By May 2007, “Crank That” got its first airplay and Soulja Boy signed with Interscope Records. Soulja Boy was only 17 years old when “Crank That” became number one! People thought he was going to be a one-hit-wonder but he surprised critics with “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” and “Turn My Swag On.” He was nominated for Best Rap Song with “Crank That” in the 2008 Grammy Music Awards but lost to Kanye West and T-Pain’s “Good Life.”
What Happened? Where did he go?
As I was doing research for this article, I expected to find some reason why Soulja Boy didn’t really become mainstream again. However, I couldn’t find a good reason. From 2009 to 2018, I haven’t heard so much as a peep about Soulja Boy’s music but he’s been consistently releasing new music. Maybe the reason is that although Soulja Boy has been releasing new mixtapes and EPs, he’s pushed back the release date of his new album, so far back that his record deal expired in 2013. Soulja Boy signed with Universal Music Group in 2014 to release his fourth studio album (but that also got pushed back to 2015). By mid-2015, Soulja Boy started producing and releasing his music through his own record label Stacks on Deck Entertainment. With many controversies surrounding different people like Chris Brown, Chief Keef, THE US ARMED FORCES, and many others, this brings us to 2018 to present.
Here is some notable stuff that’s happened in a span of 2 years.
Soulja Boy Console?
I started hearing about Soulja Boy in the mainstream again in 2018, not because of his music but because he was trying to sell a gaming console called the SouljaGame. Even worse, it’s just a Chinese manufactured emulator with his brand slapped on it to raise the price. Soulja Boy claims it can run Playstation, PC, Sega, Game Boy Advance, NES, and NeoGeo games and it comes preloaded with 3,000 games. This just means that it’s a cheaply made, overpriced, emulator. With so many games, it seems unlikely that these are licensed copies especially since Nintendo is very strict about their products being used elsewhere. After three weeks of announcing it, he pulled the device from his website.
Jake Paul?
Apparently, in 2019, Jake Paul confronted Soulja Boy on Twitter saying he wants to fight. With a response back from Soulja Boy, the fight was set with a $20 million prize. There’s even a video of Jake confronting Soulja Boy in person. However, Soulja Boy spent a few months in jail for a probation jail and even though his manager confirmed that the match would still happen, there has been no news of this supposed boxing match.
What Is He Doing Now?
From writing this, I can conclude that Soulja Boy is a strange dude. Currently, he’s working on a new studio album How Can You Blame Me, which has been delayed for a year now. He also announced that he’s created a soap company called The Soap Shop where he sells laundry detergent, dish-washing liquid, and other cleaning products.
I guess this is the part where we wait and see what happens to Soulja Boy now. Who knows? Maybe his next album will be really good, his soap business will take off, and the fight with Jake Paul will actually happen. Not to be a “Debbie downer” but I think Soulja Boy is done. He’s still a great memory and his songs bring back nostalgia but I don’t see him coming back into the spotlight in a big way.
Anyways, Keep Dreaming,
Rachelle
About the Author: Rachelle Cha is a sophomore at Rutgers University studying Computer Science and Statistics. Her favorite piece of nostalgia is the Tamagotchi!
