Soulja Boy: The Story
Soulja Boy was born DeAndre Cortez Way on July 28, 1990, in Chicago, Illinois. Soon, he moved to Atlanta with his family where he developed a passion for rap music. His father gave him the opportunity to explore his musical ambitions providing a recording studio for Way in Mississippi. The aspiring rapper posted his songs on SoundClick and received critical praise. The single, ‘Crank That’ set the growth of Soulja Boy’s net worth, and his first independent album ‘Unsigned & Still Major: Da Album Before da Album’ came in the same year.
‘Crank That’ had its airplay, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot RingMasters chart. The song was used on the TV series ‘Entourage’ and led the rapper to his deal with Interscope Records. Soulja Boy received the 2007 BET Hip-Hop Award for Best Hip-Hop Dance and the Ozone Award in the category of ‘Patiently Waiting: Mississippi’. His first label album ‘Souljaboytellem.com’ debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album’s follow-up, ‘iSouljaBoyTellem’ came in 2008 and produced the hit single ‘Kiss Me Thru the Phone’, while ‘Turn My Swag On’ topped the US Rap Charts.
Soulja Boy introduced several mixtapes – ‘Paranormal Activity’, ‘DatPiff’ and ‘Cortez’ – before releasing his third album, ‘The DeAndre Way’ in 2010. Although the lead single, ‘Pretty Boy Swag’ noted a significant success, the album was his lowest-selling so far. Soulja Boy’s net worth in 2010 was boosted by his $6 million annual earnings, and the next year saw a series of mixtapes from Soulja Boy. The first one was entitled ‘Smooky’ and was followed by ‘1UP’ and ‘Juice’. He released the EP mixtapes ‘Bernaurd Arnault EP’, ‘21: EP’, and ‘The Last Crown’. Initially announced as an album, ‘Skate Boy’ was also released as a mixtape. While his studio album was delayed several times, Soulja Boy continued releasing mixtapes in 2012, including ‘50/13’, ‘Mario & Domo vs the World’, ‘OBEY’ and ‘Double Cup City’. The sequel mixtape, ‘Juice II’ noted Soulja’s return to his old production style and went on to become his most-downloaded mixtape. His mixtape ‘LOUD’ was the first one to be distributed on iTunes.
Soulja Boy started 2013 with yet another mixtape, ‘Foreign’. He signed with ‘Cash Money Records’ and released the first single off his upcoming album, ‘Handsome’. The EPs ‘All Black’ and ‘Cuban Link’, and the mixtape ‘Foreign 2’ followed. His album was still in progress but delayed several times, and ultimately released as a mixtape entitled ‘The King’, on which he collaborated with Drake for the ‘We Made It’ remix.
In 2014, Soulja released his first digital album, ‘Super Dope’ which featured Busta Rhymes. The rapper was later featured on Nicki Minaj’s single ‘Yasss Bish’. ‘King Soulja 3’ was his second digital album which was followed by the mixtape ‘Young Millionaire’. His fourth studio album, ‘Loyalty’ finally came in 2015. In addition, Soulja released several mixtapes, ‘Swag the Mixtape’, ‘25 The Movie’ and ‘M & M: Money and Music’, as well as the ‘King Soulja 4’ digital album. Soulja Boy released his fifth and sixth digital albums, as well as various mixtapes, singles, and videos in 2016. In 2017, Soulja Boy unleashed the self-produced 50 Cent & Chris Brown diss track “Hit Em With The Draco.”
Soulja has also been producing records. Apart from his own, he produced for Kanye West’s fourth studio album and collaborated with 50 Cent and Lil Wayne. Soulja received a writing credit for Beyonce’s visual album ‘Lemonade’. A part of Soulja Boy’s income comes from his own record label Stacks on Deck Entertainment, which had signed many young and aspiring artists. He was also featured on several TV shows including ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Boyhood’.
The rapper has had several fashion business endeavors. He released his official clothing line ‘S.O.D clothing’ and released his own brand of the shoe line ‘Yums’ in 2008. In 2012, Soulja Boy created BLVD and, in collaboration with D. Young, launched their joint clothing line, ‘Ocean Gang’. In 2016, Soulja Boy inked a five-year deal with World Poker Funds Holdings. Although he bragged that the deal is worth $400 million, it was found out that that deal includes both stock and revenue-sharing. Soulja Boy’s net worth in 2017 is put at $30 million.
Soulja Boy Net Worth & Spending Habits
Soulja Boy is no stranger to the lavish life. The rapper has treated himself with a Gulfstream G5 jet which cost him a total of $55 million. He drives a Bentley Continental, a Bentley Mulsanne, a Porsche 991, and a Lamborghini Gallardo.
Soulja Boy is currently living in his Hollywood Hill mansion which he purchased for $6 million. Reportedly, he has owned a jewelry collection worth more than $12 million which was taken in a robbery amid his Twitter feud with Chris Brown.
On the other hand, Soulja Boy is not exactly known for his charitable actions. He’s known to have supported the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Toyz N The Hood organizations. But, other than that, there isn’t a record of his philanthropic movements.
Soulja Boy Net Worth: CelebJury Ruling
Soulja Boy’s net worth has been growing as the rapper firmly established himself in the music world. He’s also a successful producer and entrepreneur who seems to continue expanding his brand. Make sure you check back with CelebJury daily for more celebrity net worth articles.
