DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence after his self-released debut single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven non-consecutive weeks in 2007. He then released his debut album, Souljaboytellem.com (2007), which also included the single "Soulja Girl". His second album, iSouljaBoyTellem (2008), included the Billboard Hot 100 top-20 singles "Turn My Swag On" and "Kiss Me thru the Phone" (featuring Sammie). Way was listed at number 18 on the Forbes list of Hip-Hop Cash Kings of 2010 for earning $7 million that year. In 2010, Way released his third album, The DeAndre Way, to lukewarm commercial and critical reception before becoming an independent artist in the following years. Soulja Boy became notable for his pioneering use of grassroots social media and digital marketing strategies during his time of mainstream popularity.
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