Soulja Boy, the rapper born DeAndre Cortez Way, has spent the last several years cycling through weapons arrests, probation violations, and two significant civil judgments for assault, while continuing to release music and build a streaming career. If you are wondering what happened to Soulja Boy, the short version is this: a 2023 jury ordered him to pay nearly $472,000 to an ex-girlfriend for assault, a 2025 jury ordered him to pay $4.25 million to a former assistant for sexual battery and related claims, and prosecutors declined to pursue a fresh felony gun charge against him in August 2025.
The August 2025 Gun Arrest
Early on August 3, 2025, LAPD officers pulled over a Tesla with tinted windows near Genesee and Melrose in the Fairfax District, close to Soulja Boy’s clothing store. He was riding as a passenger. Officers found a firearm in the rear seat, and both he and the driver denied owning it. He was arrested on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and booked into the Wilshire Division jail.1Rolling Stone. Soulja Boy Arrest, Gun Possession Prosecutor Declines Case
Two days later, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence. His attorney, Rickey Ivie, said prosecutors could not show the weapon was in his “possession, custody or control.”2Billboard. Soulja Boy Released From Jail, Gun Charges Dropped He was released shortly before 2 p.m. that Tuesday after two nights in custody.3Los Angeles Times. Soulja Boy Released, Felony Weapons Charges Dropped
Why He Was a “Convicted Felon” to Begin With
The felon-in-possession theory in 2025 traced back to older cases. In 2014, officers in Granada Hills stopped a car in which he was a passenger and found a concealed weapon. He was convicted of carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle and placed on two years of probation.4Los Angeles Times. Rapper Soulja Boy Charged With Possessing Handgun Stolen From Huntington Beach Police
In December 2016, with that probation still active, police searched his Studio City home and recovered a Mini Draco AR-15 and a .45-caliber Glock 21. The Glock had been stolen in September 2015 from an unmarked Huntington Beach police vehicle parked outside an officer’s home in Long Beach.5Orange County Register. Rapper Soulja Boy Charged With Possessing Handgun Stolen From Huntington Beach Police He pleaded no contest to felony weapons possession and a misdemeanor charge, drawing five years of probation and 240 days of community service.6ABC News. Rapper Soulja Boy Arrested on Weapon Charge During Traffic Stop
He violated that probation. In February 2019, officers searching his home in connection with assault and kidnapping allegations found ammunition he was barred from having, and a judge concluded he had not completed his community service.7Page Six. Soulja Boy in Custody for Probation Violation In May 2019, an L.A. County Superior Court judge ordered him to serve 240 days in jail (with 40 days of credit) and reinstated 265 days of community service.8CBS News Los Angeles. Rapper Soulja Boy Ordered to Serve 240 Days in Jail for Violating Probation
The Kayla Myers Verdict
In January 2021, ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers sued him. She alleged that after a February 2019 party at his Malibu home, he kicked her, stomped on her stomach, struck her in the head with a gun, held the firearm to her head, and had his assistant bind her with duct tape in the garage. She said the ordeal ran about six hours.9Rolling Stone. Soulja Boy to Pay Ex-Girlfriend in Assault, Kidnapping Case
In April 2023, a Los Angeles jury found him liable for assault and ordered him to pay $471,800: $235,900 in compensatory damages and $236,000 in punitive damages.10Billboard. Soulja Boy to Pay Ex-Girlfriend in Assault, Kidnapping Case He did not appeal. When he did not pay, a judge in October 2023 authorized the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to enter his Bell Canyon home and seize assets, including a yellow Bentley, a red Lamborghini, a yellow Mercedes-Benz, jewelry, and cash.11Los Angeles Times. Soulja Boy Ex-Girlfriend to Seize Cars, Cash in Assault Case
The $4.25 Million Verdict From a Former Assistant
A second civil case produced a far larger judgment. In January 2021, an unnamed woman who had worked as his personal assistant sued, alleging that a professional relationship that began in 2018 turned romantic and then abusive, with rape, beatings, and days of being locked in a room without food.12Variety. Soulja Boy Ordered to Pay Four Million in Sexual Assault Case She also alleged she was beaten and raped again in 2020 when she came back to collect her belongings.13NBC News. Soulja Boy Abuse, Sexual Assault by Ex-Assistant
After roughly three weeks of trial in Santa Monica, a jury on April 10, 2025, found him liable for sexual battery, assault, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual harassment, and nonpayment of wages. The jury awarded just over $4 million in compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages, for a total of $4.25 million. He denied the claims and said he would appeal.14Courthouse News Service. Jury Finds Soulja Boy Liable to Tune of $4 Million in Sexual Assault Civil Trial
By July 2025, his lawyers had filed an appeal and a motion for a new trial. Judge Mark Epstein said in a tentative ruling he was not inclined to grant a new trial but was weighing whether to reduce the award, particularly the $250,000 punitive portion. No final ruling on reduction had issued as of that hearing.15Courthouse News Service. Judge Considers Trimming $4.25 Million Soulja Boy Sexual Assault Verdict
A third civil case, filed by ex-girlfriend Nia Riley alleging assault and sexual battery, is still pending with no trial date set.14Courthouse News Service. Jury Finds Soulja Boy Liable to Tune of $4 Million in Sexual Assault Civil Trial
The Money Problems Behind the Judgments
During the 2023 Myers proceedings, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge found Soulja Boy’s net worth to be negative, noting he had failed to produce financial records. He reported three cars worth a combined $600,000, about $18,000 in jewelry, and $50,000 in stock, against a $1 million tax lien. The judge, pointing to his $25,000 monthly rent, suggested he move somewhere more modest to pay what he owed.16XXL Magazine. Soulja Boy Net Worth Negative, Cut Expenses to Pay $472,000
At the 2025 trial, he testified that the litigation had been “real costly” and had drained his finances, that he had no health insurance, and that the accusations had led to canceled performances, including a Coachella appearance. Asked whether he was worth $100 million, he laughed and did not confirm the figure.17Complex. Soulja Boy Addresses Net Worth, Civil Trial, No Health Insurance
The SouljaGame Console Episode
In late 2018, he briefly sold rebranded emulator consoles and handhelds called “SouljaGame” for $199.99 each. The hardware came from a Chinese manufacturer, Anbernic, and was available on AliExpress for a fraction of the retail price. The units came pre-loaded with hundreds or thousands of games using unlicensed intellectual property from Nintendo, Bandai Namco, and Square Enix, including titles from the Tekken, Tomb Raider, and Game Boy Advance libraries.18Digital Music News. Soulja Boy SouljaGame Copyright Infringement
Nintendo reportedly threatened criminal charges under the Trademark Counterfeiting Act. He pulled the consoles about three weeks after launch, writing on Twitter, “I had to boss up, I didn’t have a choice.” The SouljaGame.com URL was eventually redirected to Nintendo’s 3DS page.19IGN. Soulja Boy Stops Selling SouljaGame Game Consoles
Where He Is Now
He has kept working through all of it. In January 2026, he announced an exclusive partnership with the live streaming platform Kick. Kick later clarified that the deal was part of its standard Kick Partner Program, which offers a 95/5 subscription revenue split in the creator’s favor, not a separately negotiated contract.20Complex. Soulja Boy Kick Exclusive Deal He has used the platform for music discussions and gaming streams and released a freestyle dissing his former home, Twitch.21Rolling Stone. Soulja Boy Exclusive Partnership With Kick, Drops Twitch Diss
In April 2026, he released a 13-track album titled Drip and launched a joint tour with Lil Xan running through at least September 2026 across U.S. cities.22Revolt. Soulja Boy Releases Drip Album