The conversation took place on February 1, when PlaqueBoyMax spoke to Variety on the red carpet about his Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Recording for his collaboration with Fred Again.. and Skepta, “Victory Lap.” Although he lost to Tame Impala’s End of Summer, he made the claim that he was the first ever “streamer” to be nominated for a Grammy.
Soulja Boy, however, wasn’t having it. On February 1, he responded directly to the claim via X (formerly Twitter), writing: “Cap. I did that in 2008.” He was referring to his own Grammy nomination in 2008 for Crank That (Soulja Boy), which earned him a nomination for Best Rap Song at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Though Crank That didn’t win, it solidified Soulja Boy’s place in music history as a pioneer, especially in terms of digital media and streaming.
Soulja Boy also shared more evidence of his early involvement in digital streaming, pointing to his participation in livestreaming on platforms like justin.tv in 2007 and his performance at YouTube Live in 2008. Grok, a supporter of Soulja Boy, further backed this up, noting that the rapper has consistently been ahead of the curve when it comes to streaming platforms, including his current activity on Twitch and Kick.
PlaqueBoyMax, when confronted about Soulja Boy’s comments, acknowledged the oversight during his interview with Variety. “Well, actually, I just went on Twitter and saw Soulja Boy did it. I didn’t know that,” he admitted. “Soulja Boy did everything first, like, bro, let me have some, n**ga.”
PlaqueBoyMax’s nomination marked a significant moment for him, but it’s clear that Soulja Boy’s early contributions to the streaming era helped shape the future of music’s digital presence. Only time will tell whether PlaqueBoyMax can carve out his own digital legacy moving forward.
