iSouljaBoyTellem debuted at number 43 on the US Billboard 200, selling 46,000 copies in its first week.[3] The album received negative reviews from music critics, who saw it as recycled material from his previous album.
Background
The album's first original single was intended to be "iDance", which was released online back in 2008. However, the song was dropped from the album for unknown reasons, with the possibility of "Bird Walk" catering more than towards Soulja Boy's original breakout single "Crank That (Soulja Boy)".
Singles
"Bird Walk" was released as the album's lead single on October 23, 2008. The song only managed to peak at number 2 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.
"Kiss Me Thru the Phone" featuring Sammie, was released as the album's second single on November 26, 2008.[4] The song peaked at number 3 on the US BillboardHot 100, becoming the rapper's second top ten hit on the chart.
"Turn My Swag On" was released as the album's third single on October 25, 2008. The song peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
Other songs
The music video for "Soulja Boy Tell 'Em" was released on November 9, 2008.[5] The music video for "Gucci Bandanna" featuring Gucci Mane and Shawty Lo, was released on April 23, 2009.[6]
iSouljaBoyTellem received negative reviews from music critics, who felt that it was recycled material from his previous album. AllMusic's David Jeffries said that the album came up short when trying to re-create the success of "Crank That" but praised "Shopping Spree" in that it "suggests some crossover hopes and desire for hardcore rap acceptance."[1] Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews said that the music "improved drastically" but still found the lyrics to be "as vapid and materialistic as it was before," concluding with, "Your best bet is to find a website you can listen to snippets of this album on and if one or two tracks strike your fancy, buy those. A whole album of SB's idiotic raps is still too much for one man or woman to take no matter how much better the beats are."[12] Writing for Rolling Stone, Christian Hoard also commented on how the beats were more bulky but the delivery in the songs lacked charm in them.[13]BBC Music commented: “He's been accused of writing specifically for the lucrative ringtone market and his songs do seem to be about catchy ten second hooks which are then repeated ad infinitum. Still, it's difficult to knock a teenager who says his aim is to make non-violent rap about partying and having fun.”[14]
