Interview: Soulja Boy

April 22, 2011


This week we talked to Soulja Boy on a super janky phone line while he was getting his hair cut “high up in a building,” a statement we’re quoting to keep things ambiguous. This barber visit was just a touch-up though, polishing his recent 2pac-inspired high right, low left style. Fueled by the new fade, Soulja Boy’s been on a bit of a mixtape tear lately, flexing previously unseen flows across the 60+ tracks of his recent Smooky, 1up and Juice mixtapes, taking on topics from zan and AKs to Sega Saturns. To say he's getting weirder wouldn't be fair to a guy whose second album included the lyric I farted and it smelled (you're nasty)/ It smelled like a stinkbomb (you're nasty). But in recording and releasing at the pace he's on this year, the year he turns 21, there is a real sense Soulja Boy is finding a new footing, or at least trying. It's crazy fun to watch.

How much music have you been making lately? This last month I’ve been recording every day. All the music that I recorded has been when I got my haircut right now. Every song that’s on the mixtape has been recorded when I got my Juice hair, not any other hairstyle. I just really got it on the cool when I was chilling, then all the fans was like, “Man, I love your hair!” All the girls love it. Even the haters that don’t like Soulja Boy be like, “Man, I’ma go get that hair.”

When was the first time you saw that movie? The first time I saw Juice I was real young, but I just got through watching it like 30 minutes ago.

Did you have a party for the new mixtape? I’m having a party on April 30th in Atlanta, Georgia. We pressing up 30,000 mixtapes for everybody that we’re giving away for free, and we’re pressing up 5,000 Soulja Boy SOD Juice t-shirts we’re giving away. I’m giving them away for free because I feel like I started the whole internet thing. Rappers are only dropping their mixtapes on the internet now, so I’ve got to take it to the streets. I want to be an adult billionaire.

What do you think about Jay-Z’s new website? I think he’s smart. Jay-Z is a good businessman, you’ve got to respect it.

How late do you stay up every night? Aw man, sometimes I could stay up in the studio til nine o’clock, 10 o’clock the next morning. I’ve got a studio in my house and an arcade. I’ve got the most juice in the rap game.

How much weed do you smoke? Fuck, I smoke 20 pounds a month.

Which is a better high activity, rapping or playing video games? Even when I’m high I like to be productive. I like to make songs. But check this out: I love playing video games when I’m high, thooough! I be like one thousand, one hundred, bro. I’ll be playing Call of Duty and going in. If I’m in story mode I won’t know what’s going on, but I’m coming for your head.

Do people freak out when they see you in Xbox Live? I’m not even going to lie, I’ve been in some of the funniest situations you could even hear with motherfuckers online. I don’t give a fuck though, I don’t care if you’re a fan—I’m still going to shoot your ass.

Interview: Soulja Boy