photo by steed media service

Rapper, "Crank Dat"

Every summer has a theme song. This summer, Soulja Boy exploded on the hip-hop scene with the infectious single, "Crank Dat." After receiving 10 million hits on MySpace and prompting a bevy of YouTube viewers to submit videos doing the Soulja Boy dance, the Atlanta native attracted street buzz that caused every major record company to compete for his services. He eventually signed with hip-hop powerhouse Interscope and now has the nation cranking his dance.

"Me and my folks Arab have been doing this dance for a while," Soulja Boy says. "We decided to let the world see it and now the dance is the next generation of hip-hop."

While it's catchy, the Soulja Boy dance will never be mistaken for an easy two-step. In fact, it may be the most choreographed dance in hip-hop. "The dance is easy if you got rhythm," he says, "but if you're having trouble doing the dance, I just released the instructional DVD that will show you how it's done." The DVD has received 15 million hits on MySpace and the single remains in the Top 10 on iTunes; however, all of the success hasn't gone to his head. As Soulja Boy's dance continues to gain momentum, he's working on his label, Stacks On Deck Records. "You have to watch out for my first artist, Arab," he says. "He's coming in 2008 and once I finish doing my thing, he's going to surprise a lot of people." And for those who view Soulja Boy as a one-hit wonder, he assures fans that he has more hits in his arsenal.

"The next single will be totally different from what we have out now," he says. "You can have fun with the Superman now, but the next single . forget about it." - amir shaw

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