The Godfather

check the recent interview with Soulja Boy, by HiphopWired’s EIC, Michael “Ice-Blue” Harris. (HipHopWired is launching in May).

The 18-year old MC born De Andre Way recently talked with Hip-Hop Wired about the pitfalls of success, the now infamous robbery, as well as his journey to catch Jay-Z and 50-Cent on that ladder of success. With the complete interview coming in a few weeks on Hip-Hop Wired, Soulja Boy goes in on his acting aspirations and addresses a few issues with the media and fellow MCs Snoop Dogg and Ice-T.

Follow us up under the hood to read the interview.

The Bloods and the Crips were left without guidance after the Black Panther Party and the Civil Rights Movement were destroyed. And just like those kids without guidance, Soulja Boy is the result of Hip-Hop elders abandoning the movement long before he came and wrongfully putting the blame on him for the mess they created. Despite those obstacles, Soulja Boy has been a force since he bombarded the scene two years ago and showed his fellow MCs how to really make the Internet go nuts. But with any type of success, comes haters and problems. The 18-year old MC born De Andre Way recently talked with Hip-Hop Wired about the pitfalls of success, the now infamous robbery, as well as his journey to catch Jay-Z and 50-Cent on that ladder of success. With the complete interview coming in a few weeks on Hip-Hop Wired, Soulja Boy goes in on his acting aspirations and addresses a few issues with the media and fellow MCs Snoop Dogg and Ice-T.

HHW: Most MC’s are trying to be the hardest gangsta on the mic and over exaggerating their hood exploits. You happen to be one that actually came up hard and had to struggle. So in essence, you’re actually keeping it real so why don’t you choose to exploit your struggles in your music?

Soulja Boy: It’s a million rappers already doing that so why should I do that. It’s a million rappers trying to get out of the hood from places like where I’m from which is Zone 1, Simpson Road and Batesville Mississippi. It’s Gangsta Disciples and Vice Lords in Batesville, Mississippi that ain’t never gone get to see the things that I got to see in my life. So what’s the point of me coming out here and speaking on that and glorifying that? Even though I don’t speak on those t situations I’ve been through in my life, they actually come back to haunt me.

Even though I try to stay away from that side of my life, my house still got kicked in and they ran in and tried to get me , that’s just like my past still following me. I’m out the hood, got money and being successful and I’m taking a different route but you still going to have that backlash of people who from where you from and they want what you got. But at the end of the day, I want people to see that it ain’t impossible for you to be where I’m at from me doing it in another way. From me doing YouTube interviews of me over in Tokyo, Japan or me going to buy Lamborghini cash. Just coming from where I’m from and not just getting up there saying I’m moving all these bricks to buy this whip or I’m doing all that to get a house. Nah, I’m saying I’m 18 years old and a self made millionaire before I turned 17 so I’m showing them another route of how they can get money and be successful too.

HHW: How did you feel about the media purposely misconstruing your words and running with wrong statements to make headlines? For instance, when you said that Nas killed Hip-Hop by putting it out there in the universe. Any person with common sense knows you didn’t say Nas killed Hip-Hop but you were basically saying if you put something out there and keep screaming it then that’s what people’s attentions are going to focus to.

Soulja Boy: At the end of the day they take my words out of context so they can get hits for their sites and to create stories. It’s all good because they sensationalizing my comments to generate traffic and to get money so I know how the game goes so I don’t trip off it actually. I was never dissing Nas and at the end of the day I’m going to say what’s on my mind. They can take it and put it out there however they want to take it but if it gets to the point where it’s too bad, I’ll handle it myself. Even if I got to make a YouTube video and clarify what I meant or what I said, I’ll do that. If I got to call every radio station in the United States to clarify what I meant then I’ll do that to so at the end of the day what I really said will come to light. And people will realize what I stand for.

HHW: You have been spending a lot of time out in L.A. so what’s popping with you on the acting tip?
Soulja Boy: I’m on the TV show “The Game” and my character is called Ray-Ray and “The Game” is on the CW Network and BET so ya’ll be on the lookout for that. I’m going to be on the big screen this year as far as movies and T.V. shows but that’s the only thing I can spill right now. I’m out in California now and I just performed on Snoop Dogg’s TV Show, “Dogg After Dark.” I performed my new single “Turn My Swag On” so ya’ll don’t miss the interview and live performance airing this week.

HHW: What’s the Ray-Ray character about on “The Game?”
Soulja Boy: It’s character on the show right now, “Tee-Tee,” and I’m really just a spin-off of him. I’m like his doppelganger. I want to be just like this dude but at the end of the day I got more swag than him but I want to be like him. He’s a personal assistant to the superstar football player and he’s really just showing me how he’s living but it’s cool though. Ya’ll going to enjoy me acting.

HHW: What was the conversation like with Snoop after he initially dissed you some time back on Jamie Foxx’s radio show and called “Crank That” some bullshit?

Soulja Boy: I didn’t think he was dissing me but it was more so the song and he didn’t get it at first. But after a while he saw I was about my business so I didn’t even bring that up. He’s an O.G. and he gave me a lot of advice about the industry once we met. Snoop was also like we need to get in the studio and make a song together. I fucks with you real hard, you a real artist out here getting money and you got it on lock like that so I wouldn’t even bring that type of situation up after him showing me that much love and bringing me on his T.V. show and showing me in a positive light. Because usually, people try to show me in a negative light so for him to show me that much love, I never even brought the situation up or gave any more thought about it so it is what it is.

HHW: Have you and Ice-T ever spoken since your Internet sparring, not necessarily on a beef tip but just on him giving some advice on the game and acting and having longevity?

Soulja Boy: Nah I’ve never spoke to Ice-T ever in my life. But I would though. We could sit down and have a conversation. If he wanted to have a conversation and shed some light on my situation or give me some advice on the game, that definitely can happen.

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