"In high school, I had this black composition notebook where I used to write down a list of goals: weekly goals, monthly ones, yearly ones, and one for my whole life. In there I had: get a record deal; have a number one song; have a platinum album; get a shoe line and clothing line; invent a dance everyone would do; get my mom out the hood; even little things like get a real watch or do all my homework. One day, I left the notebook in class and this dude found it. He read it out loud in front of everybody when I wasn't there, trying to embarrass me. Mark my words, a year later, everything in that book had come true. I got the last laugh."
Soulja Boy Tell'em is many things to many people. Apparently, prophetic is one of them. What began as juddering camcorder footage in his basement mutated into worldwide phenomenon. You've memorized the infectious hooks. The dance has been inexorably burned into your muscle memory. And the numbers confirm what you already know: 400 million views on YouTube; over five million downloads of the pandemic single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)"; seven weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100 singles' chart; more than five million ringtones sold; platinum status and beyond for debut album Souljaboytellem.com.
In that span of a year, the change is remarkable. Soulja Boy Tell'em is contemplative, careful with his words, wary of tenuous industry alliances, and focused on his next challenges. But he's not forgotten the people and the sound that have vaulted him to his current perch. Owing everything, he says, to his fans, he rewards them by posting song after song onto YouTube for free consumption. Most notable among these releases is "Bird Walk," his scalding new single. Featuring an accompanying dance, the instructional video to which has likewise been posted to the tune of 500,000 views, "Bird Walk" follows quite literally in the footsteps of "Crank That." Fittingly, Soulja Boy Tell'em now offers the proper cladding for the Bird Walk: his own line of sneakers, courtesy of apparel manufacturer Yums. Fans yearning to walk a day in his shoes have at least the metaphorical opportunity by visiting Finish Line stores or www.yumsshoes.com on November 15th. To stamp the occasion, Soulja Boy Tell'em has recorded the song "Wit my Yums On" for inclusion on forthcoming album iSouljaBoyTellem.
Indeed, music remains Soulja Boy Tell'em's heart and sole, errr soul. He's determined to show evolution as an artist and as a man. Lyrically, he tackles issues more substantive to those on the generally juvenile rhetoric on his debut: the success he's had, the money he's made, the relationships he's forged, the beef and hate he's incurred along the way. The swaggering, smoldering street anthem "Turn my Swag On" addresses some of that negativity. But no boring boast-fest, "Turn my Swag On" is a self-empowerment paean, its video marked by Soulja Boy Tell'em's irresistible smile. "New School" and "The Future" are likewise harder fare, re-affirming SB's inimitable place among the game's elite. "These joints lay the groundwork of what the new school is here to offer, and I'm the first artist from it," he claims. "I still sit back and think, after everything I've done, I'm still not being properly acknowledged for it. It's not about who's really doing it; it's about the friends you got, the connections you make, the money you pay. That's why I keep it all the way real. You have to maintain your head no matter how much money or success you attain. You do that by standing grounded, by surrounding yourself with people you was around before the deal. One day, I don't know how or when, the story will be told right."
"My whole creative process is different now," he continues. "My beats tend to dictate the way I'm gonna sound. If it's a Soulja Boy Tell'em beat, it'll more likely end up as a single, maybe something with a dance to it. But I spit fire on other producers' beats because it allows me more freedom to go different places lyrically. That variety is the difference between this album and the first album. On the first album, I produced every beat so every song had that commercial, kiddie feel because I was 16. But bringing different producers to the table, I get motivated to rip other people's joints."
Soulja Boy Tell'em is clearly an artist with many levels. That's why the world should never expect a plateau.
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