Major Controversies Surrounding Soulja Boy: A Detailed Timeline

Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Soulja Boy.

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

1933: Reference to the Securities Act of 1933

On February 18, 2022, the day Soulja Boy was named in the SafeMoon lawsuit, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a lawsuit against Bitconnect that the Securities Act of 1933 extends to targeted solicitation using social media.

1996: Creation of the 'Souljah Boy' Stage Name by William Lyons

In December 2007, William Lyons sued Soulja Boy, stating that he created the stage name 'Souljah Boy' back in 1996.

December 9, 2007: Lawsuit by William Lyons (Souljah Boy of Mo Thugs Family)

On December 9, 2007, Soulja Boy was sued by William Lyons, also known as Souljah Boy of Mo Thugs Family, who claimed to have created the stage name Souljah Boy in 1996.

December 9, 2008: Feud with Charles Hamilton

On December 9, 2008, Charles Hamilton said in an interview that Soulja Boy was making it more difficult for new artists to be signed, leading to a feud and diss tracks from Hamilton.

February 2, 2009: Challenge to Bow Wow

On February 2, 2009, Soulja Boy challenged Bow Wow to a race in their Lamborghinis and claimed Bow Wow's Lamborghini was a rental.

October 7, 2009: Arrested for Obstruction in Atlanta

On October 7, 2009, Soulja Boy was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, and charged with one count of obstruction (a misdemeanor) after he ran from police when ordered to stop while filming a video in an abandoned house. He was later released on a $550 bond.

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.

April 2011: Ice-T's Comments on Juice Remake

In late April 2011, Ice-T criticized the Juice remake starring Soulja Boy, saying it was problematic to remake a film so closely associated with Tupac Shakur.

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May 2011: Lawsuit by Pennsylvania Promoter

In May 2011, Soulja Boy and his labels were sued by a local Pennsylvania promoter for failing to make promised payments related to a rescheduled concert.

May 2011: Feud with Ice-T over Juice Remake

In May 2011, Soulja Boy's feud with Ice-T somewhat reignited over the film Juice. Way said he would release a movie of his own to go along with his mixtape of the same name.

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September 6, 2011: Album Ban at Military Exchanges

On September 6, 2011, TMZ reported that Soulja Boy's album would not be sold at Army and Air Force base exchanges if it included the song "Let's Be Real".

September 2011: Controversy over "Let's Be Real" Lyrics and Apology

In September 2011, Soulja Boy faced criticism for lyrics in his song "Let's Be Real" that were perceived as disrespectful to the military, leading to an apology and the song being pulled from his album.

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.

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.

January 22, 2014: Arrested for Firearm Possession

On January 22, 2014, Soulja Boy was arrested after a loaded handgun was found in his vehicle when the driver ran a stop sign in the San Fernando Valley, California. Way was sentenced to two years' probation.

February 15, 2014: Announcement of Imminent Jail Time

On February 15, 2014, Soulja Boy announced on Twitter that he was going to jail in five days, but he did not specify the reason. He ultimately did not turn himself in to authorities and the details of his charges remain unknown.

October 2016: Lawsuit by Skrill Dilly and Probation Extension

In October 2016, Soulja Boy was sued by the musician Skrill Dilly for allegedly making death threats in a video filmed by the rapper. He also received additional probation time after police found weapons at his home.

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.

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.

February 2019: Lawsuit Filed by Kayla Myers

In February 2019, ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers filed a lawsuit alleging kidnapping and assault at Soulja Boy's Malibu home.

March 15, 2019: Arrest for Probation Violation

On March 15, 2019, Soulja Boy was arrested for violating his probation, leading to a subsequent sentencing.

2019: Lawsuit by Kayla Myers for Abuse and Kidnapping

In 2019, Soulja Boy was sued by ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers for abuse and kidnapping. She alleged he yelled profanities, kicked her, stomped on her stomach, and hit her head with a large gun.

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."

January 21, 2021: Lawsuit by Former Personal Assistant

On January 21, 2021, Soulja Boy was sued by an unnamed former personal assistant who alleged physical, verbal abuse, and rape. His spokesperson denied the allegations.

2021: Accusation of Assault by Nia Riley

In 2021, model Nia Riley accused Soulja Boy of assault during their relationship, alleging an incident where she was kicked in the stomach while pregnant, resulting in a miscarriage.

February 18, 2022: Named as Defendant in SafeMoon Lawsuit

On February 18, 2022, Soulja Boy was named as a defendant in a class-action lawsuit against the cryptocurrency company SafeMoon, accused of promoting the SafeMoon token on his social media with misleading information as part of a pump-and-dump scheme.

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.

2023: Ordered to Pay Damages to Ex-Girlfriend Kayla Myers

In 2023, Soulja Boy was ordered to pay his ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers $471,800 in damages due to abuse and kidnapping allegations, and she was authorized to seize some of his property such as cars and jewelry.

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.

November 2024: Plies Sues Way, Megan Thee Stallion, and Glorilla

In November 2024, Rapper Plies sued Way, Megan Thee Stallion, and Glorilla over his song "Me & My Goons" for sampling it while the track was still infringed on Way's "Pretty Boy Swag."

April 10, 2025: Found Liable in Lawsuit

On April 10, 2025, Soulja Boy was found liable in the lawsuit filed by his former personal assistant and ordered to pay a $4 million judgment to the plaintiff. However, he was cleared of false imprisonment and constructive discharge.