Call Soulja Boy just another new act, but with ten million people having visited his MySpace page to view Crank Dat (Soulja Boy), the term phenomenon may be more applicable. Not only is the song catchy, but along with it also came a dance move that has reached a level of popularity rivaled possibly only by that of the Macarena.

The contagious Soulja Boy move has become so popular across United States that animated icons such as Sponge Bob Square Pants, Winnie the Pooh, and even Barney have been kicking it with Soulja Boy style. Possibly even a better indicator that there is something new and special within Soulja is having your dance adapted by someone as professional as Beyonce. That's exactly what happened to Soulja Boy with the subsequent release of the music video for Crank Dat (Soulja Boy).

Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, was born DeAndre Ramone Way in Chicago on July 28, 1990. Ramone then moved to Atlanta at age six, where he first became interested in rap music. Then, and at age 14, DeAndre moved to Batesville, Mississippi with his father, who provided a recording studio for the teen to work on his musical ambitions.

In November 2005, Soulja first posted his songs on the website SoundClick, and following positive reviews he then created his own on YouTube and MySpace web pages. In March 2007, he recorded Crank That and released his first independent album Unsigned & Still Major: Da Album Before da Album, followed by a low-budget video to demonstrate the Crank That dance.

The single was initially self-published on the Internet, and it became a number-one hit in the United States for seven non-consecutive weeks, starting in September 2007. This was also when Crank That (Soulja Boy) was to see its first airplay, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot RingMasters lists, and leading to Soulja meeting with Mr. Collipark and signing a deal with Interscope Records. Crank That (Soulja Boy) has also been featured on the Emmy-award winning HBO series Entourage.

Soulja Boy's major label debut album Souljaboytellem.com, was reportedly recorded using just the demo version of FL Studio. Released in the United States, the album peaked at #4 on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.