Published: Tuesday - April 29, 2008
Words by Liz "Red" Thomas
Soulja Boy Tell Em (Photo: via MySpace)
Although many have written him off as a one-hit wonder by critics, Soulja Boy Tell Em's legions of fans -- most of them being kids -- don't care. They support the 17-year-old rapper and that's who he's rapping for.
The Atlanta rapper told MTV recently that he's working on his new album, with a focus on his fanbase -- the kids.
"My new album is called Back to School," Soulja Boy. "Basically, it is really me taking it back to the basics. It's time to start studying again. Make it happen, man. ... The time I drop the album, everybody is gonna be going back to school. My fans are 21 and under. That's what I'm focusing on."
This time around, though, Soulja Boy's stock is a little higher. On his debut, SouljaBoyTellEm.com, he produced nearly every track himself, and had almost no collaborations. So this time, he's planning to work with a few people, producer-wise, and possibly collabos with other artists.
I'm on Interscope [Records]. I could have went to 50 [Cent], Polow [Da Don], Timbaland," he told MTV. "I feel as though I had to prove myself. [This time,] I'mma look around [for tracks], whether it's a producer like Polow or a producer nobody ever heard of. For my fanbase, people who tune in to Soulja Boy, I think a good feature would be me and Chris Brown. Soulja Boy featuring Chris Brown — my audience would be like, 'Oh my God!' "
There is currently no release date for his sophomore album, but said it should be ready by school time.
In addition to music, Soulja Boy has parlayed his popularity into a full-fledged business boasting a line of Soulja Boy sunglasses, his own signature shoes called Yums, as well as a cartoon titled "Bad Little Homies" about him and his friends.
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