Soulja Boy

I have very strong opinions about music. I'm extremely vocal about them, which is why I made this blog. I tweet a lot and I feel like my followers are annoyed with me. So this is my attempt to be more subtle and be able to write more. I want this blog to be an outlet for my dumb hip hop and general music rants. My first one will be about Soulja Boy.

I have been listening to hip hop for as long as I can remember. Yes, I'm white but I'm from the suburbs and I grew up listening to rap. I've written about rap for the past year and I've interviewed Big Boi, MC Hammer and I've written for MTV.Com. Not to brag, but whatever. Anyway, one of my favorite rappers at the moment is Soulja Boy. I imagine the first thing that comes to your mind is "Crank That" which is completely reasonable. But he's older now and he's released a mixtape a month for the past year and they keep getting better and better. His Youtube channel has something like 350+ videos. He tweets nonstop. Dude knows how to market himself via social media.

His Skate Boy mixtape came out last month. It really surprised me. "Tear It Up" is a fantastic display of his rapping ability. (God I sounded so white there, my B). But seriously, the slow beat and heavy but low volume bass sets the stage for the rest of the mixtape. "Swisher Sweet Swag" is a high energy boast-fest with fast paced synths and drum beats. My personal favorite song is "This One Right Here" which is typical of Atlanta rap - dirty, hood and bass heavy. This song just goes hard.

In September, he released Supreme (named after New York streetwear company) which is currently #4 on my "Best Albums of 2011" list (don't worry, I'll get into detail with that towards the end of the year). It's just so dynamic. The best track, hands down, is "No More Holding On" which has a Kanye West-esque 1960s soul sample and the rhymes that Soulja delivers are so earnest and impacting. Out of all the 24 tracks on this mixtape, I couldn't name a bad one. There are a few goofy songs (I mean, it IS Soulja Boy, afterall) especially one of my favorites, "Left Cheek Right Cheek" which is about exactly what you think it is. It has a really sick bass line that is at such a low volume that I can only hear it if I use my studio monitor headphones. I'm not sure who produced this song/mixtape but I'm going to guess Arab or another SODMG producer. This mixtape is a must have of 2011, mark my words. This will change your opinion about Soulja Boy.

Another mixtape that came out earlier this year, 1UP, is conducive with Soulja Boy's video game obsession that often translates to his music. The titular song has a great bass/clap and a rolling drum loop that adds flavor to this song. Listen to the chopped and screwed remix of this song if you wanna hear a banger. The magnum opus of this mixtape is obviously (or at least I think so) "Weed and Shoes." It's a nice little tune about smoking weed and buying sweet shoes, perhaps Air Jordans. There's something incredibly endearing about Soulja Boy's immaturity. I mean, the kid has more money than he knows what to do with and he just likes shoes and smoking weed. So what? He's a musician and a good one at that, let him smoke and be a goon.

Besides his mixtapes, his albums actually stand out. They're not as good as the mixtapes, in my opinion, but they're still good. Even his first album that made him a zillionaire, souljaboytellem.com, is highly entertaining if nothing else. But it's actually quite listenable. "Pass It To Arab" is very Atlanta and almost sounds like "Oh I Think Dey Like Me" by Dem Franchise Boyz, in fact, he actually samples it. So great.  His next album, iSouljaBoyTellem, has one of my favorite songs by Soulja Boy - "Kiss Me Thru the Phone"which has a pretty sick beat. It's silly but it's very radio friendly and I like it, whatever. "Turn My Swag On" is undeniable hilariously and good. His most recent studio album, The DeAndre Way, (named after his real name) is by far his best. "Pretty Boy Swag" introduces his new, almost chopped, style of rapping which is prevalent in his newer mixtapes. I also really like "Speakers Going Hammer" because the video is so amazing/racist. Watch it if you have a chance, it's very entertaining to say the least. My favorite track off this album is "30 Thousand 100 Million" which gave birth to the beautiful rap duo, Soulja Boy and Lil B. Besides the haunting and overall DOPE beat of this song, Soulja's compromising lyrics and Lil B's insane silliness balance each other out. Lil B, who I believe is currently part of SODMG, is what I like to call "West Coast Gucci Mane" and he's so ridiculous that he make Soulja Boy look modest. Overall, Soulja Boy's studio albums don't disappoint listeners.

Besides his music, Soulja Boy is a fashion and media (music videos, social&digital media, etc) icon and innovator. He has embraced this new skater/hipster/streetwear style that is incredibly in right now. He loves snapback hats and Supreme, Diamond Supply and Obey. He also raps about wearing tight jeans. His music videos (mostly for the "singles" off his copious mixtapes) are so basic, but still artistic. They're obviously filmed with a quality camera and by someone who knows what they're doing. He pumps out these low-budget (dare I say, lo-fi??) videos that are basically just him sitting in his penthouse or hotel room smoking and playing video games. I like them a lot; these videos compliment his songs very well. The whole guerilla and DIY method of putting out free music (mixtapes) goes hand in hand with these types of Youtube videos. Soulja is also a prolific social media user. He has over 350 videos on his Youtube page (again, these DIY low-key music videos) and he has millions of Twitter followers. He replies, retweets and tweets in general. He probably doesn't even need to be told to do it, either. I know it can be hard to get talent to reach out to fans via social media, but Souja Boy seems to have it on lock.

This won't be the last time that I write about Soulja Boy. Just wait til he puts out a new mixtape, which should be in a few weeks. Just give him another chance. Yeah, he's a punk who made 100 million dollars by introducing a stupid dance, but he is actually a talented rapper who's making a name for himself in the underground scene. He started out on the top and now he's almost obscure. He's definitely an interesting case. Listen to his mixtapes, you won't be disappointed.