Soulja Boy

Rapper Soulja Boy drops his highly anticipated debut album Souljaboytellem.com this week. Chances are that if you haven't been living under a rock for the past couple months, you'll already know the 17-year-old rapper as originator of the latest club craze, the Soulja Boy dance. DeAndre Way, aka Soulja Boy, created an internet phenomenon with his iconic dance, giving birth to the hoe-Supermanin' cultural force we know today. The album name references how Way got his start as Soulja Boy-first on SoundClick, an internet music networking site, and later on his own site-aptly named www.souljaboytellem.com-before he was scooped up by Interscope records.

The lead single, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," is undoubtedly the strongest track on the album, instructing listeners on how to "Crank that Soulja Boy," against an infectious reggae, steel-drum beat. "Don't Get Mad" is mostly directed at parents, and haters in general, with the hook "Don't get mad cuz the kids like me." On the track, Soulja Boy tells the story of his internet sensationalism, "It's amazing what I did with a mic and the internet," over a chorus of little kids lauding him as their favorite rapper. Bluntly put, it's an ode to himself and his popularity. "Report Card" involves Soulja telling his teacher to throw some "D's" on his report card. Other songs like the repetitive "Sidekick" also play up his teenage-if not immature-image.

The intro lays out Soulja's goals, saying that he's gonna "Do the same thing we do everyday, try an' crank the world," which is a feat that he has definitely accomplished. Way has gone from crankin' the Soulja Boy in front of his webcam to seeing UT football team doing the RoboCop at halftime, all at the tender age of 17. However, if Soulja Boy wants to be more than just a one-hit wonder, he still has a lot of maturing to do, and maybe some more moves to make up.