In a few short years, Soulja Boy has done more than most rappers do in a lifetime. He first exploded onto the scene in 2007 with "Crank Dat (Soulja Boy)"—a massive hit which sparked a dance craze, a new era of viral marketing, and was nominated for a Grammy. Since that time, SB has routinely been blamed for ruining hip-hop, but all the while, the hits kept pouring in. His debut album, Souljaboytellem.com, was certified platinum and his second album, ISouljaBoyTellem, (after an initial stutter) managed to score some big hits and proved that Soulja was no fluke.
Right when it seemed like we'd all have to get used to Soulja Boy sticking around, everything changed. SB's last album, The DeAndre Way, which dropped late last year, only spawned one hit (the infectious "Pretty Boy Swag") and sold less than 14,000 in its first week. Since the undeniable L—which was compounded by Kat Stacks and her infamous video shot in Soulja's hotel room with lines of cocaine on the dresser—he has been plotting his way back to the winner's circle. SB's released two mixtapes this year, including his Juice mixtape which dropped on 4/20. Once again, Soulja is looking to build his buzz using the Internet, so we got on the horn with the head of the Stacks On Deck Money Gang to discuss his new mixtape and mini-movie, his friend and fellow S.O.D. member Lil B, and what went wrong with his last album.
As told to Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin)
