Rapper Kanye West has championed SOULJA BOY in his war of words with gangster rapper ICE-T, branding him the "true meaning" of hip-hop.
The Crank That (Soulja Boy) hitmaker - real name DeAndre Ramone Way - recently hit back at Ice-T after the rap veteran criticised him and his "garbage" music in a radio interview last week (ends20Jun08).
Soulja Boy posted a response on video sharing website YouTube.com, calling Ice-T "old as f**k" and insisting the whole attack was just an attempt at stirring publicity.
And the 17-year-old star has now received the backing of Stronger hitmaker West - comparing him to hip-hop heavyweight Nas.
In a message on his online blog, West writes: "Soulja Boy is fresh as hell and is actually the true meaning of what hip-hop is supposed to be.
"He came from the hood, made his own beats, made up a new saying, new sound and a new dance with one song. He had all of America rapping this summer. If that ain't (sic) hip-hop then what is? That song was so dope 'cause everything he said had a hidden meaning ... that's Nas level s**t."
And West also took the opportunity to weigh in on the battle between Soulja Boy and Ice-T.
He adds, "A bunch of wannabe 'keep it real' rappers that ain't (sic) even relevant, recycling samples, trying to act like it's 96 again, and all they do is hate on new s**t? N**gers always talk about the golden age, but for a 13-year-old kid, this is the golden age!"