Biography
Who is Soulja Boy?
Early life and real name
Soulja Boy was born DeAndre Cortez Way in Chicago, United States. At the age of six, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where his interest in rap music began to grow.
Later in his youth, at age fourteen, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi, to live with his father. His father provided a recording studio that allowed him to look at his musical ambitions and start recording early tracks.
How Soulja became famous
In early 2005, Soulja Boy began posting frequently on the website Newgrounds before sharing his music on SoundClick later that year. Positive reviews on SoundClick led him to establish accounts on YouTube and Myspace to build an internet following.
In March 2007, he released his first independent album titled Unsigned and Still Major: Da Album Before Da Album. During the same month, he recorded the track Crank That Soulja Boy along with a low budget dance video.
Career highlights and albums
The single Crank That Soulja Boy was released in May 2007 and eventually topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was featured on the television series Entourage and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Song.
His major label debut studio album, Souljaboytellem.com, was released in October 2007 and peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart. He followed this with his second album, iSouljaBoyTellem, in 2008, which featured the successful singles Turn My Swag On and Kiss Me thru the Phone.
Independent career and business ventures
After releasing his third album, The DeAndre Way, in 2010, Soulja Boy parted ways with Interscope Records to pursue an independent career. He is noted for his early and pioneering use of grassroots social media and digital marketing strategies.
Outside of recording music, he has pursued various side ventures including video game development and record production for other artists. He also established his own record label, Stacks on Deck Entertainment, through which he has signed other rappers.
Birthday and age
Soulja Boy was born on July 28, 1990, which makes Soulja 36 years old today. That birthday falls under the Leo sign. Soulja shares the date with 32 other famous people.
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