Soulja Boy Tell 'Em has a new favorite word: "swag." On "The DeAndre Way," his third major-label release, Soulja Boy says "swag" at every occasion. He uses it as a chorus, an exclamation, a statement, a question, a verb, an adjective and a noun. This review is going to do the same thing. Swag!
Soulja Boy Tell 'Em has a new favorite word: "swag." On "The DeAndre Way," his third major-label release, Soulja Boy says "swag" at every occasion. He uses it as a chorus, an exclamation, a statement, a question, a verb, an adjective and a noun. This review is going to do the same thing. Swag!
"The DeAndre Way" is a cute title for Soulja Boy's latest album. See, DeAndre Way is Soulja Boy's real name, and "The DeAndre Way" is like the way that DeAndre Way does things. And it rhymes. Swag!
Soulja Boy approaches rapping much the same way he approaches album titles. His songs are mostly lazy, and he displays very little skill in them, but they're impossible not to listen to. They aren't particularly good, but once you start you can't turn them off: It's like listening to a train wreck. A fun, pop-y, weightless train wreck.
"The DeAndre Way" is a 10-track affair that clocks in at under an hour. Featuring titles like "First Day of School," "Hey Cutie," "Fly," "Pretty Boy Swag" and "Touchdown," it's clear that Soulja Boy loves being young, rich and famous.
"Pretty Boy Swag," the first single from "The DeAndre Way," sounds like it's being rapped by Stevie Kenarban (Craig Lamar Traylor), the asthmatic from "Malcom in the Middle" (2000-2006). The chorus — a concept not understood by Soulja Boy, as it comprises nearly the entire song — is utterly absurd:
"This right here is my swag/All the girls are on me, damn/Everybody pay attention/This right here is my pretty boy swag (ayeee)/Pretty boy swag(ayye)[x3]/Girls on my d--- when I pretty boy swag/Girls scream my name when I pretty boy swag/Watch me pretty boy swag (ayye)[x4]/Girls on my d--- when I pretty boy swag/Girls scream my name when I pretty boy swag/Soulja!"
And that's all there is to it. Swag! It's a song about something that makes no sense, which is fine for rap music, but it gets dizzying trying to figure out exactly what point Soulja is trying to make. If it were a danceable track, this nonsense would be acceptable, but, as it's difficult to dance to minimalist techno, there is no clearly imaginable way to dance to "Pretty Boy Swag."
"Pretty Boy Swag" is an ear worm and an anomaly for the album. For some reason, it simultaneously attracts and repels. Soulja Boy is worse than a guilty pleasure. Soulja Boy is a guilty guilt. No one should enjoy "Pretty Boy Swag," but most probably will, and — if they're self-respecting — they will hate themselves for it. But it won't stop them from listening to it.
"Pretty Boy Swag" is followed on the album by "30 Thousand 100 Million," the only track produced by Soulja Boy, and the most notable — not to mention exciting — for its featured guest, Bay Area rapper and self-proclaimed "pretty b----" Lil B. The fact that Lil B is appearing on a major label release is enough of a reason to sit up and take notice, if not to actually buy the album.
Lil B is quite possibly the most divisive figure in internet hip-hop today, and he and Soulja Boy have quite the history. His verse on "30 Thousand 100 Million" is as "based" as anything he's ever released. Based is Lil B's term for everything in his universe. He refers to himself as "The Based God," and talks about being based — a state that exists somewhere between "high on crack" and "religiously sublime." Soulja Boy's beat for the track is grimy and deconstructed; it sounds as though he has been getting heavily into dubstep — like someone slipped Soulja a copy of Burial's "Untrue" (2007) and he loved it and really wanted to show that influence on his album but understood that his fan base probably wouldn't receive it with open arms. So he put his trademark "Fruity Loop" take on the genre.
Swag! Swag! Swag!
Ultimately "The DeAndre Way" will garner as many haters as it will fans. It will sell millions of units, and people will make fun of it forever. Regardless of what people think, however, Soulja Boy will continue to make untold millions and shout "Swag!" at every chance he gets.
Souja Boy claims he wanted to work with Eminem and Jay-Z for the album; he got 50 Cent on "Mean Mug," which, as it turns out, isn't a terrible song. But that's life for Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. He's a young, 21st-century Rodney Dangerfield: He can't get no respect, but we love him anyway.
Swag!
