Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Soulja Boy

How Soulja Boy built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

DeAndre Cortez Way, known as Soulja Boy, is an American rapper and record producer who gained fame with his 2007 hit "Crank That," which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Self-releasing the song initially, its success led to a commercial re-release and his debut album, Souljaboytellem.com. While the album received negative reviews, it achieved commercial success, reaching number four on the Billboard 200, and also included the single "Yahhh!".

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2005: Early Online Presence

In early 2005, Soulja Boy was an active user on Newgrounds. In November of 2005, he posted his music on SoundClick. He created accounts on YouTube and Myspace after receiving positive feedback.

2006: YouTube Channel Creation and Social Media Popularity

Since 2006, Soulja Boy's YouTube channel has accumulated 1.9 billion views and more than 3.3 million subscribers, highlighting his popularity and influence through social media. He was one of the first rappers to capitalize on social media for marketing early in his career.

March 2007: Recording and Release of "Crank That (Soulja Boy)"

In March 2007, Soulja Boy recorded "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" and created a low-budget video demonstrating the "Crank That" dance.

September 2007: Production of "Get Silly" and "Marco Polo"

In September 2007, Soulja Boy produced V.I.C.'s single "Get Silly", which was certified gold, and Bow Wow's single "Marco Polo".

2007: Breakthrough with "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" and Debut Album

In 2007, Soulja Boy gained prominence with his self-released single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)", which topped the Billboard Hot 100. He then commercially re-released it with Collipark Music, followed by "Soulja Girl", preceding his debut album Souljaboytellem.com. Despite negative reviews, the album reached number four on the Billboard 200 and included the single "Yahhh!".

March 5, 2008: Launch of "S.O.D Clothing" Fashion Line

On March 5, 2008, Soulja Boy launched his fashion line of "S.O.D Clothing".

November 22, 2008: "Bird Walk" Performance on YouTube Live

On November 22, 2008, Soulja Boy performed "Bird Walk" on YouTube Live, with an introduction by MC Hammer.

December 16, 2008: Release of iSouljaBoyTellem Album

On December 16, 2008, Soulja Boy released his second studio album, iSouljaBoyTellem, to negative critical reception.

2008: Release of iSouljaBoyTellem

In 2008, Soulja Boy released his second album, iSouljaBoyTellem, which featured the singles "Turn My Swag On" and "Kiss Me thru the Phone" (featuring Sammie). The album received moderate commercial reception and declining critical reviews.

January 7, 2009: Announcement of Soulja Boy: The Animated Series

On January 7, 2009, Soulja Boy announced that he was to be releasing his own cartoon, Soulja Boy: The Animated Series, but only one episode was released.

January 2009: Release of "POW" and Album Plans

In January 2009, Soulja Boy released "POW", which was meant to be the lead single for his third album but failed to gain traction. He expressed a desire to collaborate with artists like Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Eminem for the album.

January 26, 2009: Release of "Turn My Swag On" Single

On January 26, 2009, Soulja Boy released "Turn My Swag On" as the third single from his album. The song topped the U.S. rap charts and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.

August 23, 2009: "Turn My Swag On" Sales Milestone

As of August 23, 2009, Soulja Boy's song "Turn My Swag On" had sold more than 1 million digital downloads in the U.S.

October 30, 2009: Release of Three Mixtapes

On October 30, 2009, Soulja Boy released three mixtapes: Paranormal Activity, Dat Piff, and Cortez.

2009: Mention of Chris Brown's 2009 assault on Rihanna

In January 2017, during a social media feud with Chris Brown, Soulja Boy taunted Chris Brown for his 2009 assault on his then-girlfriend Rihanna.

February 18, 2010: "All Black Everything" Single Cancellation

On February 18, 2010, it was announced that Soulja Boy's first single from the album was going to be "All Black Everything", but the single was canceled.

June 8, 2010: Release of "Pretty Boy Swag"

On June 8, 2010, Soulja Boy's official lead single "Pretty Boy Swag" was released. It reached number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100.

July 2010: The DeAndre Way Album Title Reversion

In July 2010, Soulja Boy's album title reverted to The DeAndre Way after it had been briefly changed to Dre.

August 31, 2010: Release of "Blowing Me Kisses"

On August 31, 2010, Soulja Boy released "Blowing Me Kisses" as the second single from his album, replacing "Digital" and "Speakers Going Hammer".

October 19, 2010: Release of "Speakers Going Hammer"

On October 19, 2010, Soulja Boy released "Speakers Going Hammer" on iTunes; it peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart.

November 2010: Cancellation of Summerbeatz Tour and "Who They Want" Tour

In November 2010, Soulja Boy backed out of the Summerbeatz tour in Australia to embark on his "Who They Want" tour in support of his upcoming album.

November 30, 2010: Release of The DeAndre Way Album

On November 30, 2010, Soulja Boy released his third studio album, The DeAndre Way, which became his lowest-selling album.

2010: Forbes Hip-Hop Cash Kings and The DeAndre Way Album

In 2010, Soulja Boy was ranked number 18 on Forbes' Hip-Hop Cash Kings list, earning US$7 million. His third album, The DeAndre Way, was released but had poor commercial performance. This led to him leaving Interscope Records to pursue an independent career.

April 22, 2011: Acting Debut in Juice Remake

On April 22, 2011, Soulja Boy announced that he would make his acting debut playing the main role of Bishop in the Juice remake and that it would air on BET.

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May 13, 2011: Beat Submissions for 50 Cent's Album

On May 13, 2011, Soulja Boy said he had produced and submitted beats for 50 Cent's fifth studio album, Street King Immortal.

September 2011: New Album and Second Independent Album Announcement

In September 2011, Soulja Boy confirmed that he was working on a new album, Promise, and released the cover and title of his second independent album, Skate Boy, via Twitter, set to be available in stores on November 1.

October 18, 2011: Release of Soulja Boy: The Movie

On October 18, 2011, Soulja Boy: The Movie was released direct-to-video, coinciding with Soulja Boy's arrest on a drug charge. The film, directed by Peter Spirer, contains live performances and interviews.

December 30, 2011: Release of Gold On Deck Mixtape

On December 30, 2011, Soulja Boy released another mixtape titled Gold On Deck.

February 14, 2012: Creation of "Ocean Gang" Clothing Line

On February 14, 2012, Soulja Boy and fashion designer D. Young created the official clothing line "Ocean Gang".

June 3, 2012: Discussion about Delayed Album Promise

On June 3, 2012, Soulja Boy discussed his upcoming album Promise and explained that he had released numerous mixtapes in the past two years to stay creative and produce a large quantity of music.

August 25, 2012: Controversial Comments Towards Hopsin

On August 25, 2012, Soulja Boy made controversial comments towards fellow rapper Hopsin on a webcam chat, using derogatory language and expressing intent to record a diss track in response to Hopsin's song "Sag My Pants." This marked the beginning of a feud between the two rappers.

August 28, 2012: Confrontation with Hopsin on Tinychat

On August 28, 2012, Hopsin and Soulja Boy had a confrontation on Way's Tinychat. During the discussion, Hopsin admitted to liking Way, but the confrontation did not lead to a resolution of their issues.

September 3, 2012: Release of Hopsin Diss Track "That Nigga Not Me"

On September 3, 2012, Soulja Boy released a diss track titled "That Nigga Not Me" aimed at Hopsin. Hopsin dismissed the song as horrible and chose not to respond with his own diss track.

December 25, 2012: Release of LOUD Mixtape on iTunes

On December 25, 2012, Soulja Boy released LOUD, which marked his first mixtape distribution on iTunes.

2012: Metro Boomin tweet mocking his mother's death

In May 2024, Soulja Boy responded to a 2012 tweet by Metro Boomin mocking his mother's death.

April 19, 2013: Death Threats to Chief Keef and Denial of Messages

On April 19, 2013, Soulja Boy sent death threats to Chief Keef via Facebook, reportedly after Ballout stole his chain. He posted Keef's phone number and urged people to notify him, stating he was coming for him with a gun. Later that day, Way claimed his Facebook, Instagram, and email were hacked and denied writing the messages.

July 30, 2013: Release of Life After Fame Mixtape

On June 13, 2013, Soulja Boy announced his album would be released on July 30, 2013. On June 30, 2013, Soulja Boy released Life After Fame as a mixtape instead of an album.

December 28, 2013: Drake Remix of "We Made It"

On December 28, 2013, Drake collaborated with and remixed Soulja Boy's intro track "We Made It" from his mixtape The King.

2013: Production on Lil Wayne's "Wowzers"

In 2013, Soulja Boy produced on the track "Wowzers" of Lil Wayne's album "I Am Not a Human Being II".

May 6, 2014: Production for Diddy and Lil Wayne's Albums

On May 6, 2014, Soulja Boy announced that he was producing for Diddy's upcoming album M.M.M. and also for Lil Wayne's upcoming album Tha Carter V.

June 1, 2014: Resolution of Differences with Chief Keef

On June 1, 2014, Soulja Boy revealed on his Instagram that he and Chief Keef had resolved their differences. The details surrounding the resolution are not known.

December 2, 2014: Initial Release Date for Loyalty Album

On November 17, 2014, Soulja Boy revealed the release date for his fourth studio album, Loyalty, was originally scheduled for December 2, 2014, but was later pushed back to February 3, 2015.

February 3, 2015: Pushed Back Release Date for Loyalty Album

On November 17, 2014, Soulja Boy announced via his Instagram that his fourth studio album, Loyalty, scheduled for release on December 2, 2014, was pushed back to February 3, 2015.

July 28, 2015: Scheduled Release Date for Blessed Album

On June 3, 2015, Soulja Boy announced the release date to his upcoming fifth studio album, Blessed, which was scheduled for release on July 28, 2015, but experienced several delays.

April 2016: Writing Credit on Beyoncé's Lemonade

In April 2016, Soulja Boy received a writing credit on Beyoncé's visual album, Lemonade.

May 2016: Deal with World Poker Fund Holdings

In May 2016, Soulja Boy signed a five-year deal from World Poker Fund Holdings, a builder and operator of online and event-based social gaming platforms.

May 30, 2016: Artists Dropped from SODMG

On May 30, 2016, Soulja Boy announced that all artists signed to his label, Stacks on Deck Entertainment (SODMG), had been dropped.

October 25, 2016: Joint Mixtape Release with Bow Wow

On October 25, 2016, Soulja Boy and Bow Wow released a joint retail mixtape called "Ignorant Shit".

January 3, 2017: Social Media Feud with Chris Brown

On January 3, 2017, a feud erupted between Soulja Boy and Chris Brown after Soulja Boy liked and commented on a post by Brown's ex-girlfriend, Karrueche Tran. Soulja Boy accused Brown of threatening him and attacked Brown's parenting skills and past assault on Rihanna. The feud escalated with diss tracks and a proposed boxing match.

February 21, 2017: Cancellation of Boxing Match with Chris Brown

On February 21, 2017, Chris Brown announced the cancellation of the planned boxing match with Soulja Boy, citing interference from middlemen and other parties seeking to profit from the event. Brown stated the situation had become immature.

December 15, 2018: Release of Retro SouljaBoy Mini and SouljaGame Fuze

On December 15, 2018, Soulja Boy announced the release of two more consoles: the Retro SouljaBoy Mini, resembling a Nintendo Game Boy, and the SouljaGame Fuze, which looks similar to Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.

December 2018: Release of SouljaGame Console

In December 2018, Soulja Boy released a video game console called the SouljaGame. It drew criticism for being an "overpriced" emulator of Nintendo and Sega handheld games, which were actually rebranded versions of existing consoles developed by Chinese company Anbernic.

December 30, 2018: SouljaGame Consoles Pulled from Store

As of December 30, 2018, Soulja Boy pulled the SouljaGame consoles off his store amid threats of a lawsuit from Nintendo.

2018: Claim of Biggest Comeback Over Tyga

In early 2019, Soulja Boy claimed that he had the biggest comeback of 2018 over fellow rapper Tyga on The Breakfast Club radio show, igniting a feud between the two.

January 12, 2019: Release of SouljaGame Handheld

On January 12, 2019, Soulja Boy released another handheld on his SouljaWatch website called the SouljaGame Handheld; this console looks similar in appearance to Sony's PlayStation Vita.

January 18, 2019: Announcement of Fifth Studio Album

On January 18, 2019, Soulja Boy announced he was working on his fifth studio album titled "How Can You Blame Me?", originally titled "Blessed", with the album set to be released on July 28.

February 2019: Feud with Jake Paul and Potential Boxing Match

In February 2019, Jake Paul challenged Soulja Boy to a boxing match, which Soulja Boy accepted. Paul visited Way's house to confirm the match, claiming he would bet $20 million on it. The status of the fight became uncertain as Paul's participation in another boxing rematch was undecided.

2019: Feud with Tyga and Diss Track Exchange

In early 2019, Soulja Boy claimed he had the biggest comeback of 2018 over Tyga, initiating a series of exchanges. This feud culminated in both rappers releasing diss tracks over the instrumental of Blueface's song, "Thotiana."

July 28, 2020: Release of King Soulja 9 Mixtape

On July 28, 2020, following his rising success as a Twitch streamer, Soulja Boy released the mixtape "King Soulja 9".

November 2020: Release of Swag 3 Mixtape

In late November 2020, Soulja Boy released the mixtape "Swag 3".

February 1, 2021: Release of Soulja World Mixtape

On February 1, 2021, Soulja Boy released the mixtape "Soulja World", which features Lil B.

April 2021: Record Deal with Virgin Music

In April 2021, Soulja Boy signed a record deal with Virgin Music.

November 12, 2021: Announcement of Upcoming Movie Roles

On November 12, 2021, Soulja Boy announced upcoming roles on ATL and an upcoming movie role with Machine Gun Kelly.

2022: Reconciliation with Chris Brown

In 2022, Chris Brown revealed that he and Soulja Boy have no problems with each other, indicating a resolution to their past feud.

December 2023: Feud with Blueface Begins

In December 2023, Soulja Boy started a feud with Blueface after Blueface asserted that he could win a hypothetical Verzuz freestyle battle against Way on a podcast.

January 2024: Continuation of Feud with Blueface

In January 2024, the feud between Soulja Boy and Blueface continued, with Way proposing that he and Blueface "meet up and die."

January 20, 2024: End of Feud with Blueface

On January 20, 2024, Soulja Boy announced the end of his feud with Blueface on an Instagram Live stream, citing that their mutual threats of harm in prison went too far.

May 12, 2024: Condemnatory Tweets Directed at Metro Boomin

On May 12, 2024, Soulja Boy sent condemnatory tweets directed at Metro Boomin in response to a ridiculing 2012 tweet, mocking his deceased mother. He later apologized and deleted the tweets.