Here’s Why Soulja Boy Thinks He ‘Birthed a New Wave’ of Hip-Hop

This story is part of our new Hip-Hop: ’73 Till Infinity series, a celebration of the genre’s 50th anniversary.

As hip-hop celebrates its 50th birthday, one rapper is reflecting on his very important contributions to the genre: Soulja Boy.

In a series of tweets sent over the weekend, the “Crank Dat” artist shared how he felt he pioneered a new era of hip-hop where artists were using social media to capitalize on their talent and boost their careers.

“When I came in the game they said I killed hip hop,” he wrote in one tweet. “But really, I birthed the new wave of hip hop with internet/streaming. Ahead of my time. #HipHop50.”

He continued: “Now everyone vlogs their career like me. Now everyone uploads their music to the internet. Now everyone goes live for their fans. I started it. Thank me or not. Flowers/Credit or not. #HipHop.”

Despite how you may feel about whether or not his music ruined the genre stylistically and lyrically, what’s undeniable is that he absolutely was the first rapper to use modern technology (looking at you YouTube and Limewire) and leverage it to build his own success before it became a standard amongst artists nowadays. What’s more, when he released “Crank Dat” in 2007, it exacerbated the dance song craze that was already primed and ready with songs like “Lean With It, Rock With It,” “Walk It Out,” “Laffy Taffy,” and “It’s Goin’ Down.”

And while Soulja Boy may appear to be unfazed by whether or not he gets the recognition he deserves, you’ve got to give credit where it’s due. Like the rapper once said: “In this world you either crank that soulja boy or it cranks you.” I’m not too sure what that means entirely, but it definitely seems fitting for this occasion.