2009 Pop Conference Bios/Abstracts

Jon Caramanica

Jon Caramanica writes about music for the New York Times.Panel(s):
Rap Memes
Friday, April 17, 2009, 4:00 - 5:45

Moderator:
Sex Machines
Saturday, April 18, 2009, 3:15 - 4:45Abstract:

"Crank That? Yahhh! Soulja Boy Wants You To Dance Forever "
In 2007 a 16-year-old from Atlanta shocked the world shortly after he began uploading his homemade "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" to the filesharing service Kazaa under the title of popular songs by artists like Eminem and Celine Dion. Quickly and without warning, the song''s signature "Yoooooouuuu" chant and clattering steel drums were everywhere-radio, television, your blog-and the song''s accompanying dance began spawning hundreds of gleeful copycat performances on YouTube. "Crank That" went on to become the best-selling digital single of all time, and Soulja Boy was firmly established as an Atlanta dance-rap icon at just 17. In that small space of time, the young DeAndre Way, a product of a nuclear family from suburban ATL, did what plenty of rappers with big hits do: become rich and famous. But he also recalibrated what exactly fame means in today''s music industry.

In this paper we will explore Soulja Boy''s conception and methodology-how a high school student with a rudimentary understanding of FrootyLoops beatmaking technology made one of the most resonant, physically impactful cultural documents of the decade. We will also give instructional lessons on his addictive (and often complicated) dance moves.

Soulja Boy is neither a cipher, like dance-rap wonders Tag Team or 69 Boyz before him, nor a cultural force like MC Hammer. His fame is a manifestation of physical provocation-I must learn this dance-rather than intellectual rigor or emotional sway. He is a closer descendent of disco artists like Van McCoy, who scored with "The Hustle," or Chubby Checker and his endless string of "Twist" sequels. And in the once integrity-bound world of rap, Soulja Boy was lucky enough to be born and raised in Atlanta, the great equalizer where dance-driven groups like D4L can perform alongside street formalists like T.I. without conflict or concern.

SB''s marketing machine was keen from day one, too, using his own name in song titles and often referencing songs and phrases of his within other songs, an intertextuality that helped grow and solidify the Soulja Boy brand. And he did it all with panache, while utilizing the Internet as an attacking force. His YouTube Channel currently features 313 videos, including the popular "Rich Nigga Shit" series, a frank and possibly self-parodic look inside the daily doings of a teenage millionaire. (Don''t like YouTube? He''s also got MySpace, Bebo, NewGrounds, Twitter, Imeem, Soundclick, a merchandise store, and a regular ol'' official site)

Now, just a year after his breakout, Soulja Boy has released his second album, iSouljaBoyTell''Em, led again by a (surprise) frenetic, dance-ready lead single, "Bird Walk." The album was, relatively speaking, a flop-it sold less than half what his first album sold in its opening week, and it didn''t crack the top 40 of the Billboard album chart. But with licensing deals, a line of sneakers in stores, and an animated series on the way, Soulja Boy is not a traditional artist reliant on album sales, or even tour dollars. For someone who many had dismissed as a fad, he has become quite the opposite: resilient.