Soulja Boy makes no apologies for the still-fresh ink on his body-the cross tattooed under his eye, the dollar sign printed on the side of his neck, the name "DRE" adorning his back. Two years after appearing as a baby-faced teenager on the cover of 2008 sophomore album "iSouljaBoyTellem," the 20-year-old has dramatically changed his appearance, but believes that his fans will recognize him now more than ever. "My fans love Soulja Boy. A tattoo's not going to change that," he says with a shrug. "They've grown with me. If anything, they're getting tattoos now too."



If the dozens of tattoos didn't make it crystal clear, Soulja Boy (real name: DeAndre Way) is no longer the 16-year-old kid from Atlanta who released "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," mastered social media promotion and watched the track become, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the 14th-best-selling digital song of all time, moving 4.6 million copies. Wearing a maroon letterman's jacket, a sparkling gold bracelet and matching wristwatch, the rapper/producer almost always smiles when he speaks but stays serious when discussing his work habits and the personal themes explored on his forthcoming third album, "The DeAndre Way."

Soulja Boy Billboard Video Live Q&A

"When I was 17, I was in the mind frame of being in the club, having fun, partying, dancing-that's all I could think about," he says. "Now I'm in a place where I'm the studio with Kanye West. I got New York rappers trying to beef with me, over nothing. And I got 50 Cent coming in and saying, 'I got your back.' These situations are going to make me make different types of music."

After showing some staying power in 2009 with singles like "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" and "Turn My Swag On," Soulja Boy-who's dropped the confounding "Tell 'Em" suffix from his name-learned from the accomplishments of his elders as he crafted a sound and promotional strategy for "Way," due Nov. 30 on Collipark Music/Interscope. The rapper rebooted his production style under West's tutelage and released the album's propulsive first single, "Pretty Boy Swag," without label input; the track has sold 518,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Meanwhile, 50 Cent-who appeared alongside Soulja Boy on the November cover of XXL with the caption "A Hater's Worst Nightmare"-has inspired the MC to develop a street-rap edge and diversify his brand with a memoir and movie.

While "The DeAndre Way" features more hard-charging bangers than his previous efforts, the album also includes radio-friendly numbers like its second single, the tender dance track "Blowing Me Kisses," that appeal to his teenage fans. Manager Debby Coda sees that mixture as a necessary growing pain.

"He has to be aware of his young fans while still being himself," Coda says. "He's trying to grow at a pace that they can keep up with him, but he understands that he's young and has a long career ahead of him."

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