Soulja Boy - iSouljaBoyTellEm Review

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 12.16.2008

Soulja Boy comes into his second album with a Platinum plaque, and record breaking ringtone sales. Can he switch things up for iSouljaBoyTellEm, or is it going to be another rehash of his debut album?

It’s been an interesting year for Soulja Boy to say the least. Since his debut album was released in September of last year, he’s broken ringtone records, seen his album go Platinum, been welcomed to hip-hop by none other than KRS-One, and temporarily brought Ice-T back to the forefront of mainstream hip-hop once more in a feud broadcast over YouTube.

He’s been criticized for killing hip-hop, specifically instilling a new mindset of mediocrity within the genre but has been defended by artists such as Kanye West for creating a new sound for hip-hop, thus keeping the spirit of the genre alive.

Love him or hate him, it would appear that he isn’t going anywhere. Can his sophomore album achieve similar levels of success to his first, or will the public call him out as a one hit wonder?



Tracks

1. I’m Bout Tha Stax (Intro)
2. Bird Walk
3. Turn My Swag On
4. Gucci Bandana Ft. Gucci Mane & Shawty Lo
5. Eazy
6. Kiss Me Thru The Phone Ft. Sammie
7. Booty Got Swag
8. Rubber Bands
9. Hey You There
10. Yamaha Mama Ft. Sean Kingston
11. Wit My Yums On
12. Go Head Ft. Juney Boomdata
13. Shoppin’ Spree Ft. Gucci Mane & Yo Gotti
14. Soulja Boy Tellem
15. Whoop Rico Ft. The Show Stoppas
16. I Pray (Outro)

Much like his debut album, Soulja Boy self-produces a large bulk of the albums tracks, nearly half in fact. He’s subsidized the other half with outside help from names such as Drumma Boy, Polow Da Don and Jim Jonsin.

However, much like his debut album, most of the beats here are terrible. The majority of them suffer from being overly simplistic. Where tracks like “Crank That” worked because whilst they were simple, they were catchy, tracks now such as “Hey You There” could have done with the presence of another instrument, anything more than the finger snaps and drum kicks. Likewise, “Booty Got Swag” sounds like something somebody made using the most basic of drum kits available.

Where the beats do work however, the rapping ultimately brings the track down. “I’m Bout Tha Stax” and “Turn My Swag On” have that big-time Southern feel to it, and makes you wonder what a better artist such as T.I. or Bun B would have done with them. Polow Da Don comes through with a beat that sounds like it was a leftover from Chris Brown’s latest album (ironically, a demo version has Chris Brown instead of Sean Kingston on the track), although it’s catchy enough to be a single for the album.

You’ll instantly recognize the Jim Jonsin beat, as it sounds like a re-done version of “Whatever You Like” from T.I.’s album, however it does work and Sammie’s hook adds to the song beautifully. Soulja Boy even turns down the outrageousness in an attempt to make a more serious song, something in the same vein as “Soulja Girl” from his first album. I’d be surprised if this isn’t the second single, and even more surprised it wasn’t the lead single for the album. Sadly, though, this is the best track on the album.

Lyrically, Soulja Boy hasn’t really improved. The hooks are still the title of the track repeated four or five times and Soulja Boy seems to be content rapping about the money he’s got, the clothes he wears and dancing. The songs range from irritating (“Eazy”), to ridiculous (“Wit My Yums On”). He also tries his hand at ‘singing’ a couple of hooks, the end result though, makes 50 Cent’s singing sound like classical opera by comparison.

As I said in my review of his first album, it’s refreshing to hear a, now, 18 yr old rapping about things relevant to him, and not about hustling or shooting people, but Soulja Boy still lacks the charisma and lyrical ability to make the tracks work.

Arab who was a guest on three of the tracks on his debut album also seems to have been replaced by more famous guests, such as Gucci Mane and Shawty Lo. The relative unknowns seem content to emulate Soulja Boy’s style, adding little to the tracks in terms of enhancement. In fact, only Shawty Lo, Sammie and Sean Kingston stand out, the latter two because of their hook work, and the first because his crawling drawl is unmistakable.

The final track, “I Pray” is a moment of sincerity from Soulja Boy, and talks about his life growing up with his mother, listening to her cry, trying to keep the lights on and how he’s perceived by the media. That, although he often makes people mad, he’s still making people happy at the same time. The problems, which stop this track from being the best track on the album, and in reality, the first ‘real’ track from Soulja Boy, are first, the beat. Having suffered from underproduction the entire album, this track suffers from one synth too many. Secondly, the hook, where he suggests that people are merely hating on him because he’s from the South. Given the quality of his production, and lyrical abilities, I think people would still hate even if he were from the heart of the Bronx.

The 411: iSouljaBoyTellEm lacks a catchiness factor that made his first album a success. Tracks here are possibly even more forgettable than those on his debut album are, as many of those at least had that stupid-fun appeal to them. The outside producers definitely help this time round, but they can’t save Soulja Boy from his own worst enemy: his inability to step his lyrical game up. Don’t buy this album; you’re better off throwing your money straight into the garbage.

Final Score:  3.0   [ Bad ]