The U.S. Cellular Coliseum will be “cranking that” this spring. And they’ll be doing it courtesy of Soulja Boy, the teen rapper who’ll arrive at the downtown Bloomington venue March 19, fast on the heels of his blockbuster single, “Crank That (Soulja Boy).”

The single, which also was Grammy-nominated as “Best Rap Song,” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September and remained there through most of the fall. All told, it logged seven non-consecutive at the top.

Tickets for the Coliseum date are all $32.50, and go on sale via the venue’s regular box office channels at 10 a.m. Feb. 22.

After having frequently tested the waters of rock and country in its first two years of operation, the Coliseum is moving into the rap and hip-hop realm for the first time with the show.

So it’s an historic event in that regard and, per Coliseum officials, a response to the many requests for concerts appealing to the high school-to-college-age demographic

Two opening acts with ties to the area hip-hop scene are expected to be announced at a later date, a Coliseum spokesperson said.

Soula Boy, aka Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, was born 18 years ago in Chicago as DeAndre Ramone Way. Eventually moving to Batesville, Miss., he began recording at age 14 and posting his songs on YouTube and MySpace.

His first album, “Unsigned and Still Major,” was independently produced and its single, “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” was self-distributed via the Internet.

That exposure led to a deal with Interscope Records, who released the album as “Souljaboytellem.com.” In addition to the single’s success, the album hit No. 4 on Billboard’s Top 220 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts.

“Crank That” lost its “Best Rap Song” Grammy bid last Sunday night to Kanye West’s “Good Life.”

This song is one of Soulja boy’s original productions. This shyt is old, a classic, written before he even started thinking about making it big. It represents the icon of Soulja Boy’s massive growth. enjoy it, and respect it.

comment if you like it yall!