DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1991 in Chicago, Illinois), is an American rapper better known as Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy. 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.
In November 2005, Way posted his songs on YouTube. Following positive reviews on the site, he then established his own web pages on YouTube and MySpace. In March 2007, he recorded "Crank That", by the end of May 2007 "Crank That ( Soulja Boy)" received its first air play and Soulja Boy met with Interscope Records to sign a deal with the label.
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.
His debut album Souljaboytellem.com, which was reportedly recorded using just the demo version of FL Studio, was released in the United States on October 2, peaking at #4 on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
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'.
For the 50th Grammy Awards, Soulja Boy was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song with "Crank That ( Soulja Boy)". He lost to KanyeWest's & T-Pain's "Good Life.”
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wrote on May 13:
Cool.