10 Cultural Trends Soulja Boy Swears He Started, Like Drake's Early Flows

According to Soulja Boy, damn near everything that's cool in 2021 started thanks to him. There's no denying his record as a game-changing rapper, but is he really responsible for these 10 culture-shifting trends?

1. Rappers Using YouTube

These days, it's common practice for rappers to upload videos on YouTube. But if you were to visit the site back in March 2006, just a year after its launch, Soulja Boy thinks you'd find him all by himself. Whether he's right or not, he 100% revolutionized the digital path to celebrity.

2. Apple's FaceTime

You may think Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs is the one to thank for FaceTime, a feature he first announced in 2010. Nahh. In Soulja's mind, he should be credited as the inventor. After all, "Kiss Me Thru The Phone" dropped two years prior.

3. Fighting Logan Paul

Love it or hate it, Logan and Jake Paul are two of the most popular figures in boxing. While millions watched Logan's second fight last weekend against 44-year-old Floyd Mayweather, Soulja (and his crew) bloodied him up 6 years earlier in the video for "Whippin' My Wrist."

4. Viral Dance Challenges

There is one trend in the internet era that many people attribute to Soulja: viral dance challenges. From throwback hits like Silento's "Whip/Nae Nae" to Drake's "In My Feelings," countless artists have benefitted in the same way that Soulja did from his OG "Crank That" dance in 2007.

5. Wearing BAPE

Who made the Japanese clothing brand A Bathing Ape popular in hip-hop? While Soulja likes to reference a 2007 photo of himself on BET's 106 & Park, Pharrell is largely viewed as the trendsetter. He was chilling with Bape's founder, Nigo, in the early 2000s.

6. Working With Migos

Migos' latest album, 'Culture 3,' is packed with A-list guests like Drake and Justin Bieber. Go back to 2013, though, and you'll find none other than Soulja on their breakout mixtape, 'Young Rich N****s.' He also rapped over the "Versace" beat before them.

7. Selling Tweets As NFTs

Since starting his Twitter account in 2008, Soulja Boy has accumulated more than 5.2 million followers with his unfiltered takes. This reputation helped him become possibly the first rapper to sell a signed tweet (second from top) as an NFT for $1,288.

8. Rappers Dropping Video Games

Travis Scott was the spokesperson for Sony's PS5 rollout, but has he ever released his own system? The new SouljaBoyGame handheld is likely one of the first rapper-manufactured consoles, following Soulja's initial attempt in 2018, which fizzled in under a month.

9. Collaborating With Cole Bennett

Sometimes, those pushing hip-hop culture forward give Soulja his flowers before the 30-year-old rapper can stake his claim. Looking back to 2016, Lyrical Lemonade founder Cole Bennett recently referred to Soulja as "one of the first big artists to give me a chance."

10. Drake's 'Thank Me Later' Flows

Soulja's most infamous flex stemming from an iconic interview with The Breakfast Club 2 years ago is that he directly inspired Drake's flow and lyrics for "Miss Me" with Lil Wayne.

On "Wuzhannanan," released 3 years earlier, Soulja raps, "Man, tell me, what's really goin' on? / Soulja Boy up in this thing, I'm ready / What's hannenin'?" Sounds familiar!