The DeAndre Way
Studio album by
Soulja Boy
ReleasedNovember 30, 2010 (2010-11-30)
Recorded2009–10
GenreHip hop
Length35:31
51:17 (deluxe edition)
Label
Producer
Soulja Boy chronology
iSouljaBoyTellem
(2008)		 The DeAndre Way
(2010)		 King Soulja 3
(2014)
Singles from The DeAndre Way
  1. "Pretty Boy Swag"
    Released: June 8, 2010
  2. "Blowing Me Kisses"
    Released: August 31, 2010
  3. "Speakers Going Hammer"
    Released: October 19, 2010

The DeAndre Way is the third studio album by American rapper Soulja Boy. It was released on November 30, 2010, by his label Stacks on Deck Entertainment, Collipark Music and Interscope Records.

Background

At the time, Soulja Boy stated that he wished to begin working with artists such as Jay-Z[1] and Eminem.[2][3] Soulja Boy collaborated with American rappers Gucci Mane and Birdman on the track titled "Swag Flu" and also collaborated with Canadian teen pop singer Justin Bieber on the track titled "Rich Girl".[4][5] Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, Jamie Foxx, Busta Rhymes, Chris Brown, Ray J, and Arab were in works to be featured on the album, but Trey Songz, 50 Cent, and Arab were the only artists who appear on the album out of those names.[6][7] SOD's rapper JBar was supposedly to be featured on the album, but did not make it the final cut.[8] The track titled "Mean Mug", a collaboration with 50 Cent, was released on September 23.[9]

On April 23, 2011, after the album's release, during an interview with Complex, Way stated his internal disagreements with Interscope influenced the album's disappointing record sales. Way also blamed the timing of the album.

"Honestly, I shut down for a week [after my album dropped]," He told Complex. "I wasn't talking to nobody, I wasn't talking to management, and I wasn't talking to the label. I wasn't picking up nobody's calls. I went like that for a week. I was in a state of confusion. I needed answers...the label only shipped like 18,000 copies [of the album]. So I wasn't able to do gold first week or even 100k, none of that. They only put like 8,000 units in Best Buy. It was crazy."

Way also stated he felt helpless because of communication with Interscope was lacking, and he believed the label failed to listen to him. He claims his souring relationship with record producer and mentor Mr. Collipark, who for the first time did not do any production work on Way's album, gave him less power to negotiate with record execs.

"When I first started it was Soulja Boy and Collipark. But after my label Stacks on Deck Money Gang Records was established and I started making all these different moves, I started to become a businessman. My label was taking off and I guess I was putting more time and energy into that, than to Collipark. He wasn't feeling that and it just went left. He wanted me to be all for Collipark. So during the third album, I didn't have him there to be able to tell the label to ship 500,000 the first week, or put the single on the radio, or we need this song. So I was basically out there by myself, just hoping the label will do the best they can."

Even though the two have since made up, Way stated that because of the disappointing album sales he was about to give up on his music career, but he didn't because of his other mentor 50 Cent, who was also a guest on the album, told him not to and to keep going.

"50 was like, 'You've got to keep doing what you’re doing. You're Soulja Boy, you're here for a reason. Everybody's not going platinum. Everybody didn't do what you did. Everybody didn't come in on the Internet. You're the one that started the Internet. You're the one that got me on the Internet. You're the one that got us on blogs, on YouTube, and on Twitter.' I was like, 'Man, you know what? You're right.' He wasn't doing nothing but speaking true knowledge to my head and it got me right back in the studio. So I ain't going to never quit. I'm going to stay in this music industry. I'm going to stay making hits, and I'm going to do what I've got to do, and I thank 50. I really needed that at that time."[10]

Singles

"Pretty Boy Swag" was released as the album's lead single on June 8, 2010. The single has reached number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 6 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 5 on the Billboard Rap Songs chart.[11] The single has gone on to sell over 1,000,000 copies.[12] [13]

"Blowing Me Kisses" was released as the album's second single on August 31, 2010.[14]

"Speakers Going Hammer" was released as the album's third single[15] on October 19, 2010.[16]

Other songs

A video teaser for the deluxe album song "Do It Big" was released in April 2010 to promote the album. There are music videos for the tracks "Mean Mug" featuring 50 Cent[17] and "30 Thousand 100 Million" feat. Lil B, both of them released in November 2010.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic53/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[19]
Entertainment Weekly[20]
HipHopDX[21]
PopMatters(4/10)[22]
Rolling Stone[23]
Slant Magazine[24]
The Washington Post(favorable)[25]

Upon release, The DeAndre Way received mixed reviews from music critics.[26] However it has garnered better critical reception than Soulja Boy's previous albums. IGN stated "For a party-ready southern hip-hop album it gets the job done, but anyone looking for something more substantial needs to look elsewhere." Slant Magazine contributed, "The DeAndre Way doesn't exactly qualify as substantial growth, but it's another solid effort from an innovative MC who's been unfairly chastised by so many." However Rolling Stone labelled the album "bland and jaundiced",[23] while HipHopDX states that it "lacks any evidence of creativity".[21]

Commercial performance

The DeAndre Way sold 13,400 copies in its first week, which was a significant drop from his previous two albums.[27] The album debuted at number 90 on the US Billboard 200 chart, number 8 on the Top Rap Albums, and number 18 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.[28] The album has sold 56,000 copies in the United States, making it Way's lowest selling album.[29]

Track listing

Standard edition[30][31]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."First Day of School"DeAndre Way, Braylin BowmanResource3:58
2."Touchdown"Way, Ricardo LamarreRico Beats3:19
3."Hey Cutie" (featuring Trey Songz)Way, Tremaine Neverson, Ronald Ferebee, Alexander Izquierdo, A. FountainYoung Yonny3:15
4."Speakers Going Hammer"Way, Matthew Samuels, Brandon GreenBoi-1da3:08
5."Pretty Boy Swag"Way, Joshua "G5Kid" MurphyG5 Kids3:56
6."30 Thousand 100 Million" (featuring Lil B & Arab)Way, Brandon McCartney, Abrahim "Arab" MustafaSoulja Boy4:03
7."Mean Mug" (featuring 50 Cent)Way, Lamarre, Curtis JacksonRico Beats3:47
8."Blowing Me Kisses"Way, GreenBei Maejor3:19
9."Fly"Way, LamarreRico Beats3:53
10."Grammy" (featuring Ester Dean)Way, Ester Dean, LamarreRico Beats2:53
Total length:35:31
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
11."Steez"Way, BowmanResource4:29
12."Boom"Way, Clinton Sparks, GreenClinton Sparks3:24
13."Do It Big"Way, C. WilsonInertia4:04
14."Xtra"Way, BowmanResource3:49
Total length:51:17

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[32] 90
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[33] 18
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[34] 8

Release history

List of release dates, showing country, record label, and formats released
Region Date Format Label Edition
France[35] November 27, 2010 CD, digital download Universal Standard, Deluxe
United States[36] November 30, 2010 Interscope
Canada
United Kingdom[37] Universal
Germany[38] December 4, 2010

References

  1. ↑ Reid, Shaheem (2009-05-11). "MTV article about album". Mtv.com. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  2. ↑ "Soulja Boy speaks on new album Dre". Current.com. 2010-03-15. Archived from the original on 2012-10-03. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  3. ↑ "Soulja Boy Cranks It Up in Las Vegas". Rap-Up.com. 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
  4. ↑ ""Swag Flu" video". Youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  5. ↑ "Live Q&A with Soulja Boy". Billboard. 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  6. ↑ "A Long Convo w/ Soulja Boy". Vibe. 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Soulja Boy Interview with Billboard Magazine". Youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  8. ↑ "interview with Soulja Boy and JBar". Xxlmag.com. 2011-02-16. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ Koroma, Salima (2011-04-23). "Soulja Boy Blames Interscope For Disappointing Album Sales, Says 50 Cent Pushed Him To Keep Rapping | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  11. ↑ "Soulja Boy Tell'em - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
  12. ↑ "Interview: Soulja Boy Talks Lil B, Problems With Mr. Collipark, & His Disappointing Album Sales". Complex. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  13. ↑ Phillips, Rashad (2010-11-08). "Soulja Boy Shares Lessons Learned From Kanye West And 50 Cent | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  14. ↑ "Blowing Me Kisses - Single by Soulja Boy - Download Blowing Me Kisses - Single on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
  15. ↑ "Soulja Boy's Album Pushed Back". Rap-Up.com. 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
  16. ↑ "Speakers Going Hammer [Explicit]: Soulja Boy Tell'em: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  17. ↑ "Video: Soulja Boy f/ 50 Cent – 'Mean Mug'". Rap-Up.com. 2010-11-17. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  18. ↑ "The DeAndre Way : Metacritic". Metacritic.
  19. ↑ Jeffries, David Review: DeAndre Way. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-11-30.
  20. ↑ . Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-11-30.
  21. 1 2 Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2011-07-30.
  22. ↑ . PopMatters. Retrieved on 2011-07-30.
  23. 1 2 . Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2011-07-30.
  24. ↑ . Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-11-30.
  25. ↑ . Washington Post. Retrieved on 2010-11-30.
  26. ↑ "The DeAndre Way Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  27. ↑ "Editorial : Hip-Hop Collector's Item "The Deandre Way" Copy 1 of 13,400". Allhiphop.com. Archived from the original on 2011-02-09. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  28. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (2010-12-08). "Black Eyed Peas Settle For #6 As Susan Boyle Rules Billboard - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  29. ↑ ALLEN JACOBS (February 9, 2011). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 2/6/2011". Hip Hop DX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  30. ↑ J-23 (2010-11-12). "Cover & Tracklisting Revealed For Soulja Boy's "The DeAndre Way" | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2011-02-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ↑ "The DeAndre Way (Deluxe Version): Soulja Boy Tell'em: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  32. ↑ "Soulja Boy – Chart History: The Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
  33. ↑ "Soulja Boy – Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
  34. ↑ "Soulja Boy – Chart History: Top Rap Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
  35. ↑ "The DeAndre Way [Explicit]: Soulja Boy Tell'em: Amazon.fr: Téléchargements MP3". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  36. ↑ "The DeAndre Way (Deluxe Version) [Explicit]: Soulja Boy Tell'em: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  37. ↑ "Deandre Way: Soulja Boy: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  38. ↑ "The Deandre Way: Soulja Boy: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
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