Soulja Boy: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> |
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> |
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| Name = Soulja Boy |
| Name = Soulja Boy |
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| Img_capt = Soulja Boy appering in his album cover for ''Crank that'' |
| Img_capt = Soulja Boy appering in his album cover for ''Crank that'' |
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Revision as of 01:32, 6 February 2008
Soulja Boy |
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DeAndre Ramone Way[1] (born July 28, 1990 in Chicago, Illinois), better known by his stage name Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper. In September 2007, his single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was initially self-published on the Internet, and it became a number-one hit in the United States for seven non-consecutive weeks starting in September 2007.
Early life
At age seven, Way moved to Atlanta, Georgia[2][3], where he became interested in rap music. [4] At age 14, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi with his father, who provided a recording studio for Way to explore his musical ambitions. [2][3]
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.[5][6] 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" received its first air play 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.[7] Way's major label debut album Souljaboytellem.com, which was reportedly recorded using just the demo version of FL Studio[8][4], was released in the United States on October 2[9], peaking at #4 on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.[10]
On December 9, 2007, Way was sued by William Lyons (aka Souljah Boy of the Home Dogs) who claims he first created the stage name 'Souljah Boy'. [11]
Recently, Soulja Boy was nominated for a Grammy awards for Best Rap Song.
Initial reception
The album Souljaboytellem.com was met with mixed reviews, ranging from a positive from All Music Guide[9], to a negative in Entertainment Weekly,[12] Several reviewers credited Soulja Boy with spearheading a new trend in hip-hop, while speculating he will definitely be a one hit wonder.[13][14][15][16]
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.[17][18][14] Soulja Boy identifies his goal as making upbeat, party-themed music that avoids the negative, violent image that he sees in most hip-hop.[18][17] Despite this, his music has been banned from some school dances for sexual content or innuendo, but in contrast he has been allowed airplay for Radio Disney[19]
Discography
Albums
- Unsigned and Still Major
- Released: February 19 2007
- Chart position:
- US Sales:
- RIAA Certification:
- Souljaboytellem.com
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions[21] | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B |
U.S. Rap |
CAN | N.Z. | UK | WW | |||
| 2007 | "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2[22] | 9 | Souljaboytellem.com |
| "Soulja Girl" (featuring I-15) | 32 | 13 | 8 | 75 | - | N/R | - | ||
| 2008 | "Yahhh!" (featuring Arab) | 107 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Let Me Get 'Em" | - | 115 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Report Card" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
References
- ^ a b Harris, Lauren. Top 20 Singles of the Year (11-15) VH1: December 18, 2007
- ^ a b Cordor, Cyril. Soulja Boy biography at All Music Guide
- ^ a b Let The Kids Grow by Jack Erwin. XXL Magazine. January 2008. Page 69
- ^ a b Soulja Boy at SoundClick Cite error: The named reference "soundclick" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Soulja Boy @ YouTube
- ^ Soulja Boy @ MySpace
- ^ Vibe Magazine. Ayo, Technology by Brent S. Grier. November 2007. Page 50.
- ^ "Rap City" (September 2007). BET.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Souljaboytellem.com" Overview. All Music Guide: 2007
- ^ All Music Chart - Souljaboytellem.com
- ^ Yahoo! News Blog - Soulja Boy Sued Over Name (December 9, 2007)
- ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2007-10-05). "Music Review: Souljaboytellem.com". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
At least he owns a cool domain name. D
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Robinson, Patrick. "Soulja Boy - Souljaboytellem.com Review". 411mania.com, LLC. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
...not a chore to listen to in that sense and Soulja Boy does show some signs of youthful enthusiasm.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b B-Easy. ""Superboy"". The nappyafro Staff. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
I know it's supposed to be a fun album for the pre-teen/teen kids, but for me personally I need more substance.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) Rating: 1/5 - ^ Griff. "Soulja Boy - Souljaboytellem.com". Okayplayer.com. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
This one's definitely geared for the kiddies... does an excellent job of catering to current industry trends with ringtone themes ... and dance moves galore ... Despite all the criticism that he's received from hip-hop purists, it'd be naive to think Soulja Boy hasn't changed the face of hip-hop
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ The Review - Review of Souljaboytellem.com
- ^ a b "Huge hits don't spell success for new rap stars". msnbc.com. Associated Press. 2007-10-19. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
Labels aren't developing acts and more are writing ringtones, veterans say
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Nekesa Mumbi Moody (2007-10-18). "New rap stars find success fleeting". Yahoo! Music. Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
Seventeen-year-old Soulja Boy says that's what people want to hear these days.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|month=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ Harrington, Richard (December 21, 2007). "Soulja Boy Cranks It Up Big-Time". Washington Post. p. WE12.
... some school dances and skating rinks have banned the song for sexual slang and innuendo, though teens seem to be more interested in the dance and the beat than in the lyrics.
- ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.6302/title.hip-hop-album-sales-week-ending-1-27-08
- ^ Artist Chart History. Billboard. Accessed October 9 2007.
- ^ The Official UK Singles Chart : 16.12.2007 Accessed December 16, 2007