Virality is a phenomenon that is central to the internet age. The internet has allowed anyone to become famous, for better or for worse. Virality is especially important in the music industry, as it can help an artist become discovered to the masses. The most recent example of this would be Lil Nas X, who got famous for his TikTok hit "Old Town Road."
Of course, there were quite a few forefathers to the viral movement and chief among them is none other than Soulja Boy. Back in 2006, Soulja Boy became famous for his track "Crank Dat," which was discovered on Limewire after the artist was giving misleading titles to the song, so that people would download "Crank Dat," instead of the song they really wanted. As a result, Soulja Boy has continued to live in infamy, and recently, he proclaimed his role in the era of virality.
Soulja Boy certainly makes a good case for himself, although viral videos were certainly circulating prior to 2006. However, in the music space, one could make the argument that Soulja was the first, and ultimately laid the groundwork for generations to come.
Let us know if you agree with Soulja's assessment of himself, in the comments below.
