Soulja Boy

Soulja Boy
Soulja Boy at YouTube Live in November 2008
Background information
Birth name	DeAndre Cortez Way
Also known as	Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, Young Draco
Born	(1990-07-28) July 28, 1990 (age 26) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop pop rap trap
Occupation(s)	Rapper record producer entrepreneur actor
Instruments	Vocals FL Studio
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Stacks on Deck Entertainment (SODMG) Universal(current) Collipark Interscope (former)
Associated acts	Arab Lil B Mr. Collipark Bow Wow
Website	thedeandreway.com

DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper, record producer, actor and entrepreneur. In September 2007, his debut single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The single was initially self-published to the internet, and later became a number-one hit in the United States for seven non-consecutive weeks starting in September 2007. On August 17, Way was listed at number 18 on the Forbes list of Hip-Hop Cash Kings of 2010 for earning $7 million for that year.

Way has released three studio albums and one independent album: his debut studio album Souljaboytellem.com (2007) was certified platinum by the RIAA. However, his next two albums, iSouljaBoyTellem (2008) and The DeAndre Way (2010) did not match the commercial success of his debut, despite the success of several singles across both albums, such as "Kiss Me Thru the Phone", "Turn My Swag On" and "Pretty Boy Swag". The DeAndre Way sold only 100,000 copies.

Way was born in Chicago and moved to Atlanta at the age of six, where he became interested in rap music. At age 14, he moved to Batesville, Mississippi, with his father who provided a recording studio for Way to explore his musical ambitions. In November 2005, Way posted his songs on the website SoundClick.