#WORDONTHESTREET: Underrated Legends Vol 3: Soulja Boy
#WORDONTHESTREET: Underrated Legends Vol 4: Soulja Boy Tell Em
- Soulja Boy was the first artist to post a hit music video on YouTube.
- He became a cornerstone of BET's 106 & Park, influencing later artists.
- Soulja Boy's iconic songs and dance trends shaped pop culture in the 2000s.
It’s #WordOnTheStreet Sunday and look, we’re looking at some of the most underrated Hip Hop, R&B, Entertainment, and overall Pop Culture icons that don’t get discussed or appreciated as much as they should. In this edition, we’re looking at one of a global pop culture icon that changed the game forever during the mid to late 2000’s. That man being none other than…Soulja Boy Tell Em.
Everyone gets so stuck on the goofy things he’s done over the years, that they forget his true impact on the culture. Soulja Boy was indeed the first artist to come up off of posting his music video to YouTube.
While YouTube had came out a little under two years prior, it was still fairly new at the time and initially, the only thing on the app (then just a simple website) was little short videos. While, there is a belief that there may have been a few music video on there prior, it was really “Crank Dat” known in the hood as “Superman” that really put not just YouTube, but Soulja Boy, and music videos becoming a big focal point of YouTube on the map.
Soulja’s momentum would be carried into him becoming a cornerstone of BET‘s flagship program, 106 & Park.
Soulja joining a long list of greats that made the program as big as it was like Ashanti, Bow Wow, Aaliyah, 50 Cent, Keyshia Cole, Nelly, Usher, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and TI.
In the post 106 era, artist rely on streaming platforms and YouTube to distribute their music. This lane is widely considered to be ushered by Soulja Boy and if TikTok was around in 2007, he’d likely had been the first to do that too. Soulja also arguably created the wave for viral dance trends back then. His “Superman” dance would be followed up by the Cupid Shuffle, Crank Dat Batman, Get Silly, Jerk, Stankey Leg, and the Wobble.
Present day, Soulja remains in relevance with his comedic antics on social media.
Let’s look at some of his iconic records, this list will include some features as well.
SOULJA BOY – CRANK DAT (SOULJA BOY) AKA SUPERMAN
SOULJA BOY – YAHHH! AND REPORT CARD
SOULJA BOY – SHOOT OUT (LET ME GET EM)
SOULJA BOY – BIRD WALK
SOULJA BOY – DONK
SOULJA BOY – BOOTY MEAT
SOULJA BOY FT GUCCI MANE, SHAWTY LO- GUCCI BANDANNA
SOULJA BOY – TURN MY SWAG ON
SOULJA BOY FT SAMMIE- KISS ME THRU THE PHONE
BOW WOW FT SOULJA BOY – MARCO POLO
TREY SONGZ FT GUCCI MANE AND SOULJA BOY – LOL SMILEY FACE
ROSCOE DASH FT SOULJA BOY – ALL THE WAY TURNT UP
SOULJA BOY – PRETTY BOY SWAG
SOULJA BOY – SPEAKERS GOING HAMMER
SOULJA BOY – BLOWING ME KISSES
In closing, it’s important to recognize icons legacies today instead of waiting for something tragic happen to question their full impact.
